Index / Search / Pinus flexilis

§1 Plant — species · Pinaceae

Pinus flexilis James

vernacular limber pine


USDA
PIFL2
GBIF
5285551
Rank
species
limber pine (Pinus flexilis)
Platephotograph · Rose RobertsCC BY-NC source · iNaturalist ↗

§2Habit & range

Habit and range

Growth habit
Tree
Duration
Perennial
Group
Gymnosperm
Family
Pinaceae Spreng. ex Rudolphi
Genus
Pinus
§2a

Native status, by region

  • CAN Canada Native
  • L48 Lower 48 States Native

§3Cultivation specs · USDA

Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.

§3a

Tolerances

Drought
High
Shade
High
Moisture use
Low
Fire
Low
Salinity
None
Anaerobic
None
CaCO₃
Medium
Hedging
None
§3b

Climate & soil

Cold tolerance
-43 °F minimum
Frost-free days
90 min.
Precipitation
20–70 in/yr
pH range
5.7–6.5
Root depth
20 in min.
Fertility need
Low
Soil texture
medium
§3c

Form & growth

Growth form
Single Stem
Growth rate
Slow
Lifespan
Long
Mature height
66 ft
Height @ 20 y
25 ft
Foliage texture
Coarse
Foliage colour
Green
Porosity (summer)
Moderate
Porosity (winter)
Moderate
Flower colour
Green
Fruit colour
Brown
Fire resistant
No
N fixation
None
Toxicity
None
§3d

Reproduction

Bloom period
Summer
Seed abundance
High
Seed begins
Summer
Seed ends
Fall
Spread rate
Slow
Stratify
Yes
Seeds / lb
4,400
Propagation
seed, bare root, container
§3e

Use & availability

Commercial availability
Contracting Only
Nursery stock
Yes
Browse palatability
Low
Palatable, human
Yes
Lumber
Yes
Fuelwood
Medium
Christmas tree
No

§4Montana distribution

Recorded in 9 of 56 Montana counties.


§5Sources & provenance

USDA PLANTS

Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.

plants.usda.gov/PIFL2 ↗

GBIF Backbone

Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.

gbif.org/species/5285551 ↗

Record version

Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:

usda-plants-mt-2026-05-25

fetched 2026-05-25T16:28:53Z