Amazing Root System

Bristlecone Pines, have adapted the best root system for the environment they have to survive in. In order to maximize water uptake, the trees have a very branched shallow root system, usually only 2-7 inches below the soil's surface. The shallow root system allows for the tree to survive in the very rocky soil. The average precipitation per year in the White Mountains is less than 12 inches, and most of that is from snowfall, so the trees must be able to get as much water from the snow as soon as it starts to melt, and they do this by having a shallow branchy root system. The soil is derived from dolomite or limestone that is light in color, more than 50% rock, and allows for a large amount of water storage.(http://eol.org/pages/1034948/details)
The incredibly extreme environment that these trees live in makes it very difficult for disease or rot causing fungi to live, this is good for the bristlecones, but it also means that they don't have any symbionce with michorizzae or nitrogen fixing bacteria, because it cannot survive in the harsh conditions of the White Mountains. This also means that there is no competition for the Bristlecones to get water or nutrients from the soil, so it is able to obtain them that way, just very very slowly. Which is why the Bristlecone Pines can grow so old. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/long2.html)

Dry climate and water adaptations

Bristlecone Pines are very slow growing and long lived trees, that grow in a very dry and tough climate. The White Mountains are well known for their extreme climate. (http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/10/travel/la-tr-bristleconepine-20110710) Says that wind speeds often reach up to 100 mph, and temperatures are ever changing and can often drop below zero. 10,000 ft up in the mountains usually doesn't even get a ft of rain each year. According to (http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinlon/all.html) the trees are incredibly drought tolerant and can survive in poor rocky soil and extreme conditions because of their thick bundles of waxy, thick modified leaves (needles), which are good for avoiding water loss, can photosynthesize effectively for over 35 years. They also have a very shallow root system in order to maximize their water uptake. Since their needles are able to maintain a low leaf water potential, the trees internal water stress also remains low. This is how the Bristlecone Pine is able to survive for thousands of years in one of the most harsh climates for trees.

SEEDS!

From the information I gathered from, http://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/identifying-bristlecone-pines.htm, Pinus longaeva seeds are tucked away inside of their pine cones which are very dense and dark purple, they have to be this way to absorb heat and be able to survive such harsh conditions in such a dry, cold climate high up in the windy mountains. The cones will mature in two years and turn brown with a claw like bristle on the tip of every scale, hence the name "Bristlecone Pine". The cones can be cached by some birds, or they can fall and wait until they bury themselves.

Sorry!

Sorry everyone, I could not figure out how to add comments to my last blog, so I just made a new one and copy and pasted.
An answer to a question that Professor Mulder asked me via email was, "How old is the oldest tree ever recorded?"
I looked it up and according to (http://www.nps.gov/brca/naturescience/bristleconepine.htm), the oldest tree ever recorded was called "Prometheus" and was 4,900 years old. The oldest tree that is still alive is called "Methusela" and is 4,765 years old, and remains hidden and a secret 10,000 ft up in the white mountains. They wanted to keep it a secret so no one would try to cut it down.

MY PLANT, THE BRISTLECONE PINE (PINUS LONGAEVA)

I have always been very fascinated with these ancient trees ever since I was a kid and my dad took me and my sister out adventuring in the white mountains of California. He made us hike all over the extremely hot, high elevation mountains to find the oldest tree in the world. Bristlecone Pines or Pinus longaeva are really strange twisted up trees that can only be found in few western states of America. The oldest tree ever recorded was a Bristlecone Pine in the White Mountains in California. My father to this day swears that we were close to finding it. 

Photo By: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/bristlecone-pine--i-am-not-part-of-history--history-is-part-of-me-christine-till--ct-graphics.html

Kingdom:Plantae
Division:Pinophyta
Class:Pinopsida
Order:Pinales
Family:Pinaceae
Genus:Pinus
Subgenus:Ducampopinus
Species:P. longaeva
It was named by D.K. Bailey in 1970