Abies bracteata

Bristlecone silver fir or Santa Lucia fir is a North American fir in the pine or Pinaceae family and is a rare fir native to the Santa Lucia Mountains in the central coast of California, United States. It is concentrated in steep, rocky, fire-resistant areas above 600 m in elevation It can reach a height of 35 m.

NOTE: The unusual features of bristlecone fir, in bold and italics below!

• Needles are flat, stiff, 3.5–6 cm long and 2.5 mm wide,sharply pointed, arranged spirally around the shoot but twisted at the base to spread either side of the shoot, having 2 white stomatal bands on the underside.
• Needles are attached to the twig by a base resembling a small suction cup (as opposed to spruce needles which are mounted on short stems).
• The species is monoecious; seed cones are upright, fragmenting, ovoid, 6–9 cm long, colour violet-brown, cones mounted on short peduncles (stems); cones are distinguished by very long bracts with bristles extending 3–5 cm beyond the scales; winged seeds are released when the cones disintegrate at maturity about 6–7 months after pollination.
• Buds are sharp-pointed, pale to yellowish-brown, non-resinous (unlike most firs); bark is thin, reddish brown with wrinkles and resin blisters.