Participant Info

Species

Pinus aristata

Family

Pinaceae

CommonName

Rocky Mountain bristlecone

Presence

Yes

Status

native

EarliestDate

1936

LatestDate

2020

Ecosystem

montane, subalpine, sanddunes

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache

Passes

Carnero, Cochetopa, Elwood, Moon, Hayden, La Veta, Mosca, Music, South, Wolf Creek

WildlifePreserves

Great Sand Dunes, Wheeler

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Mineral Co, junction of Hwy 160 and FR 380, 20 Oct 2020

Comments

Rocky Mountain bristlecone is typically found at passes and approaches to passes (e.g., Carnero, Cochetopa, Elwood, Hayden, Moon). But it can range down in elevation. For instance, it is recorded from around 8,500' on a Rio Grande terrace in Mineral Co (2020). and at around 8,280' in Pinyon Flats cpgd of the Great Sand Dunes NM (2022). Lone trees can sometimes be found miles from other bristlecones. Pinus aristata is present only in Colorado and northern New Mexico, with a few uncommon outliers in Arizona. It extends down the Rio Grande drainage only as far as Santa Fe Co, New Mexico.

Annotation