Limber pine, Photo Credit: Maurya Braun
…these five interesting facts about Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis)?
- They have needles that come out in bunches of five.
- They tend to be stumpy and twisted, due to their ability to withstand considerable bending. As a result, they often do well in avalanche paths. Their flexibility is the reason for their name - Pinus flexilis.
- They are on the list of species at risk in Alberta.
- Because they can survive in very dry environments, they can live to be very old. One specimen in central Idaho was 1650 years old.
- Clark’s nutcrackers cache the seeds of Limber Pine. These remarkable birds can carry up to 125 Limber Pine seeds per trip in a special pouch under their tongue. They will carry them at least 23 km to a communal caching area.