Trees to 20 m tall; mature crown conic to rounded.
Trunks to 2 m in diameter, straight, sometimes contorted; bark gray, smooth, becoming ridged with rectangular scaly plates with age; branches horizontal to ascending, usually persistent to base; twigs reddish brown and pubescent when young, becoming gray with age, smooth or nearly so with some bud scars.
Buds ovoid, reddish brown, resinous.
Leaves in clusters of 5, upcurved, 3–6 cm × 1–1.5 mm, dark green, margins entire to finely serrulate; abaxial surfaces with faint stomatal bands; adaxial surfaces with obvious stomatal bands; apex acute; sheaths deciduous.
Pollen cones ellipsoid-cylindrical, 1.2–1.6 cm long, red or yellow.
Seed cones ovoid to ovoid-cylindrical, symmetric, 7–15 cm long, light brown, horizontal to pendent, sessile to less than 2 cm long, maturing in 2 years, opening at maturity; umbos terminal, less than 2 mm, prickles absent.
Seeds oval, compressed, 6–12 mm long, brown to reddish brown, sometimes with spots, wingless or nearly so.
2n=24.
High altitude montane forests. 1500–2500 m. BW. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to Alberta, east to NE, southeast to NM. Native.
In Oregon, Pinus flexilis is found only in the Wallowa Mountains. Morphologically, it is similar to P. albicaulis but is distinguished from the latter by its larger cones that open at maturity.
as described under Pinus flexilis
Trees to 26m; trunk to 2m diam., straight to contorted; crown conic, becoming rounded. Bark gray, nearly smooth, cross-checked in age into scaly plates and ridges. Branches spreading to ascending, often persistent to trunk base; twigs pale red-brown, puberulous (rarely glabrous), slightly resinous, aging gray, smooth. Buds ovoid, light red-brown, 0.9--1cm, resinous; lower scales ciliolate along margins. Leaves 5 per fascicle, spreading to upcurved and ascending, persisting 5--6 years, 3--7cm ´ 1--1.5mm, pliant, dark green, abaxial surface with less conspicuous stomatal bands than adaxial surfaces, adaxial surfaces with strong, pale stomatal bands, margins finely serrulate, apex conic-acute to acuminate; sheath 1--1.5(--2)cm, shed early. Pollen cones broadly ellipsoid-cylindric, ca. 15mm, pale red or yellow. Seed cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds and falling soon thereafter, spreading, symmetric, lance-ovoid before opening, cylindro-ovoid when open, 7--15cm, straw-colored, resinous, sessile to short-stalked, apophyses much thickened, strongly cross-keeled, umbo terminal, depressed. Seeds irregularly obovoid; body 10--15mm, brown, sometimes mottled darker, wingless or nearly so. 2 n =24.High montane forests, often at timberline; (1000--)1500--3600m; Alta., B.C.; Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.Mex., N.Dak., Oreg., S.Dak., Utah, Wyo.Pinus flexilis , much branched with a strongly tapering trunk, is little utilized because of its form and relative inaccessibility. It reportedly forms intermediates with P . strobiformis where the two overlap. The fresh-cut wood has the odor of turpentine.
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