bristlecone pine


noun

a pine, Pinus aristata, of the southwestern U.S., bearing short needles crowded into long, thick bundles and cones having scales tipped with a slender, curved spine.
Also called hickory pine.

Origin of bristlecone pine

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; bristle + cone

British Dictionary definitions for bristlecone pine

bristlecone pine
/ (ˈbrɪsəlˌkəʊn) /

noun

a coniferous tree, Pinus aristata, of the western US, bearing cones with bristle-like prickles: one of the longest-lived trees, useful in radiocarbon dating