Ponderosa Pine
The Ponderosa Pine, Pinus Ponderosa, will grow on most soils including very sandy soils and sites with very little topsoil. Once established, it is very drought resistant. With good care, Ponderosa Pine trees will grow to a height of six feet in six years, starting with a 2 year old seedling. It is a tall stately tree that is widely used in windbreaks. The Ponderosa Pine is the most frequently planted of the large, long-needled native pines. The soft dark green needles, 6-10 inches long, are arranged in bundles of three. Cones are 3 to 5 inches long. It is sometimes called Western Yellow Pine or Bull Pine. This evergreen conifer tree thrives in full sun and poor soil, and it is one of the tallest and most important timber pines in the western states. ... details
Bristlecone Pine The Bristlecone Pine, 'Pinus aristata', is a type of pine tree that can reach an age far greater than that of any other living thing known - up to 5,000 years. It is dense in growth, the shoots set with dark, short needles, five per bundle. The cones which occasion its names are indeed tipped by slender spines or bristles. Looks aside, bristlecone pine is famous because in its arid mountain home of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, it can live for thousands of years. In cultivation it proves slow, bushy, dark and enduring of difficult sites.
