Bristlecone Pine

ancient trees · resilient · long-lived · mountains

Three pine species. Bristlecone pines are actually three different species of pine tree, and all of them are tough survivors that can grow in harsh weather and poor soil.

Earth's oldest tree. One species, Pinus longaeva, holds the record for the oldest known individual tree on the planet, with some trees living over 4,800 years old. That means some bristlecone pines were already ancient when the Egyptian pyramids were built.

Special survival secret. Scientists discovered that bristlecone pines have higher levels of telomerase activity, which helps protect and repair the ends of their DNA strands, called telomeres. This special ability may be why these trees can live so incredibly long.

Tough survivors. These trees thrive in some of the harshest mountain environments where many other plants would struggle to survive, making them masters of living through extreme conditions.