- AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION
- FEIS ABBREVIATION
- SYNONYMS
- NRCS PLANT CODE
- COMMON NAMES
- TAXONOMY
- LIFE FORM
- FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS
- OTHER STATUS
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| Southern foxtail pine. | |
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| Northern foxtail pine. Photos © 1998. Charles Webber, California Academy of Sciences. |
Pinus balfouriana subsp. austrina R.J. & J.D. Mastrogiuseppe
southern foxtail pine
Pinus balfouriana subsp. balfouriana northern foxtail pine
Foxtail pine, Great Basin bristlecone pine (P. longaeva), and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine (P. aristata) share a common ancestor [83,109]. Taxa within the foxtail-bristlecone pine complex (Pinus, subgenus Strobus, section Parrya Mayr, subsection Balfourianae Englm.) are distinguished by growth form, bark, and differences in chemical composition [8,25,68,76]; however, these characters intergrade [32,39,68]. Foxtail and bristlecone pines readily produce fertile hybrids in the laboratory [93,109]. Disjunct distributions, and possibly other factors, prevent natural hybridization among the 4 taxa. Southern foxtail and Great Basin bristlecone pine populations seem geographically close enough for limited pollen dispersal (see General Distribution); yet to date (2004), southern foxtail × Great Basin bristlecone pine hybrids have not been found in the field [8,60].
LIFE FORM: