Singleleaf Pinyon

See Bristlecone Pine

See Christmas State Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce

(Pinaceae Pinus monophylla )

Adopted in 1959.

The pinon pine, Pinaceae Pinus monophylla, was the first tree adopted as a symbol by our state. The Single-Leaf Pinon is an aromatic pine tree with short, stiff needles and gnarled branches. It was adopted in 1959.

The Single-Leaf Pinon (Pinus monophylla) is an aromatic pine tree with short, stiff needles and gnarled branches. The tree grows in coarse, rocky soils and rock crevices. Though its normal height is about 15 feet, the single-leaf pinon can grow as high as 50 feet under ideal conditions

Singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla), also called pinyon, nut pine, one-leaf pine, and piñon (Spanish), is a slow-growing, low, spreading tree that grows on dry, low mountain slopes of the Great Basin. One large tree near Reno, NV, is about 112 cm (44.2 in) in d.b.h., 16.2 m (53 ft) tall, and has a crown spread of about 20 m (66 ft). Principal uses of the tree include fuel, fenceposts, Christmas trees, and edible seeds.

Description:

• Bark: is in old trees, thick, scaly, divided by longitudinal and horizontal furrows; in young trees thin and smooth.
• Branchlets: light gray, rough, pubescent; bases of the leaf bracts are not decurrent.
• Leaves: in fascicles of 5, rarely 4, slightly curved, 1.5-4.0 cm long, 0.5-1.5 mm thick; margins entire, stomata primarily on the ventral surfaces with an occasional row on the dorsal surface; resin canals 2, rarely 1 or 3, dorsal; fibrovascular bundle single; the leaves bright green on the dorsal surface and silver-colored (lines of stomata) on the ventral surfaces; connate (united) during the first year. Sheaths of the leaves 5-9 mm long, curled into persistent rosettes, later deciduous.
• Conelets: borne singly and in pairs on slender, short peduncles; globose with thick, transversely keeled scales.
• Cones: subglobose; symmetrical; 3.5-5.0 cm long, 4.5-7.0 cm wide when open; yellow to ochre colored; dehiscent; deciduous when mature, the peduncle very small and falling with the cone.
• Cone scales: few; the apophysis rhomboidal, transversely keeled; the umbo dorsal, flat to depressed, bearing a minute early deciduous prickle. Only the central scales are seed-bearing.
• Seeds: brown; wingless; 14-17 mm long, 6-8 mm wide; the seed coat very thin, 0.2-0.3 mm thick; the endosperm white"
• Form: "A small pine up to 15 m tall. In mature trees the crown is irregularly rounded; in young trees it is thicker and narrowly pyramidal.

Nevada State Tree

Bristlecone Pine

See Also Singleleaf Pinyon

See Christmas State Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce

(Pinaceae Pinus aristata)

Adopted in 1987.

Students from Ely, Nevada had the bristlecone pine adopted as a symbol for our state. The bristlecone pine is the oldest living thing on Earth, with some specimens in Nevada more than 4,000 years of age. The tree can be found at high elevations. Normal height for older trees is about 15 to 30 feet, although some have attained a height of 60 feet. Diameter growth continues throughout the long life of the tree, resulting in massive trunks with a few contorted limbs.

The Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata) shares the state tree designation. The bristlecone pine is the oldest living thing on Earth, with some specimens in Nevada more than 4,000 years of age. The tree can be found at high elevations. Normal height for older trees is about 15 to 30 feet, although some have attained a height of 60 feet. Diameter growth continues throughout the long life of the tree, resulting in massive trunks with a few contorted limbs.

Description:

• Leaf: Acicular, short (1 to 1 1/2 inches long), curved, fascicles of 5, dark green but usually covered with white dots of dried resin. Remain on tree for 10-17 years, giving a bushy appearance that resembles a fox's tail.
• Flower: Monoecious; male cones small, dark orange and often clustered near the ends of branches; female cones occur singly or in pairs near the ends of branches.
• Fruit: Moderate sized woody cone (about 3 inches long) with a short stalk; imbricate scales are thickened and tipped with a long bristle, giving rise to its common name. Seeds are winged.
• Twig: Orange-brown when young but darkening with age.
• Bark: Young bark is thin, smooth, and gray-white later becoming furrowed and reddish-brown. Old trees on harsh, windy sites may have only a few strands of bark remaining in crevices where it is protected from sandblasting winds.
• Form: Typically small

Nevada State Christmas Tree

Colorado Blue Spruce

See Also Bristlecone Pine

See Also Singleleaf Pinyon

Approved for Decoration on December 15, 1937

State Christmas State Tree: A Colorado blue spruce planted near the state capitol in 1876 by George Washington Gale Ferris, Sr. (father of the invetor of the Ferris Wheel) was approved for decoration with Christmas lights on December 15, 1937. So began a tradition that was amended during the energy crisis of 1972, when the lights were removed. The tree was relighted in 1988.  

Description:

• Leaf: Evergreen, stiff, 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch long, yellow-green to bluish or white. Needles are very sharp, and have an acidic taste.
  Flower: Monoecious; males yellow-brown to purple, scattered throughout trees; females purple, upright, in tops of the trees.
• Fruit: Cones are 2 to 4 inches long, cylindrical, light brown in color. Cone scales are pointed with jagged-erose margins. Maturing in autumn.
• Twig: Stout (when compared to other spruces), hairless, orange-brown. Needles are borne on woody pegs. Bud scales are noticeably reflexed.
• Bark: Gray to red-brown, young trees with small, thin scales - older trees developing furrows.
• Form: A medium to large tree with pyramidal form. Branches appear layered, especially with age.