Botanical Name:

Pinus flexilis

Common Name:

limber pine

Family Name:

Pinaceae – pine family

General Description:

Pinus flexilis is a slow growing pine native to western United States. It is especially common in the Rocky Mountains where it grows at high elevations in rocky, dry, harsh conditions. Long-lived, there are specimens in the west considered to be well over 1000 years old. In the Chicago area, limber pine is a useful landscape plant tolerant of wind, alkaline soils, and occasional drought. Less sensitive to urban conditions than Pinus strobus, limber pine could prove a suitable substitute. There are several cultivars available in the trade; most noteworthy is ‘Vanderwolf’s Pyramid’ a compact upright pyramidal tree with blue-green foliage.

Zone:

4-7

Resources Consulted:

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Champaign: Stipes, 2009. Print.

Johnson, Kathleen A. "Pinus flexilis." In: Fire Effects Information Systems. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer), 2001. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.

"The PLANTS Database." USDA, NRCS. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA, 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.

Swink, Floyd, and Gerould Wilhelm. Plants of the Chicago Region. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science, 1994. Print.

Creator:

Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper, Professor, College of DuPage

Creation Date:

2014

Keywords/Tags:

Pinaceae, tree, conifer, cone, needle, evergreen, Pinus flexilis, limber pine

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