请问世界上最长寿的树是那种？
世界上最长寿的树－狐尾松 from msn encarta (只翻译了部分)： Bristlecone Pine, common name for a cone-bearing evergreen tree native to high, dry mountainous areas in the western United States。 Bristlecone pines, named for the bristlelike prickles on the cone scales, are renowned for their longevity; some specime...全部
世界上最长寿的树－狐尾松 from msn encarta (只翻译了部分)： Bristlecone Pine, common name for a cone-bearing evergreen tree native to high, dry mountainous areas in the western United States。
Bristlecone pines, named for the bristlelike prickles on the cone scales, are renowned for their longevity; some specimens have reached ages of 3000 to 5000 years, making bristlecone pines the oldest known living trees。
Only two scattered populations of the trees exist—the Rocky Mountain bristlecone grows in Colorado and Utah, and the Great Basin bristlecone is found primarily in the White and Panamint mountains of southeastern California。
狐尾松是一类生长在美国西部干燥高山上的结松果的常绿树木的共称，因为松果上的鳞片长得像狐尾而得称。它们以长寿著称，有些样本已经存活了3000-5000年，它们因此成为世界上已知的存活最久的树木。
这种树木目前只分布着两个种群：科罗拉多和犹他的洛基山狐尾松和加州东南部的白山和Panamint山地的大盆地狐尾松。 Bristlecone pines grow extremely slowly。
In 100 years they may produce less than 2。5 cm (1 in) of growth rings on the trunk。 One 700-year-old tree was found to be only 90cm (3 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of 7。
5 cm (3 in)。 The oldest trees, found in the White Mountains, are weathered and misshapen。 Typically, they have only one live branch with a few twigs bearing needles; they cling to life by a narrow ribbon of living bark that transports water upward from the soil。
Unlike most trees, in which dead wood rots, weakening the trees and leading to their fall, the dead wood of the bristlecone pines remains solid。
狐尾松生长极其缓慢，它们的年轮在100里增加不到2。5厘米（1英寸）。一棵700岁的树只有90厘米高（3英尺），树干直径只有7。5厘米（3英寸）。在白山，人们发现最古老的狐尾松都被风化了，看起来奇形怪状。
一般来说，它们都只有一个活着的树枝，和几个长着松针的嫩枝；这些树枝依靠一条狭窄的活着的树皮来从土里向上传输水分。狐尾松不像其他的树木，死掉的木质会腐烂掉，导致树脆弱易倒；它们死去的木质会一直保持坚实。
The bristlecone pine can attain heights of 20 m (65 ft), but this is rare and occurs only at lower elevations。
The bark is green and smooth on young trees and becomes scaly with age。 The short, stiff, dark bluish-green needles are arranged in groups of five and are usually covered with specks of whitish resin, or sap。
The needles are retained for 12 to 20 years (most pines retain their needles for 2 or 3 years)。
Small, reddish or purple cones appear in July and August。 They develop into hard, reddish-brown cones, up to 9cm (3。
5 in) long, and ripen in September and October。 The seeds are 7 to 10 mm (0。3 to 0。4 in) long。 Because of the renowned longevity of the bristlecone pine, the history of past climates is recorded in the details of the trees’ growth rings。
This information gave rise to the science of dendrochronology, the use of tree growth rings for dating historic events and changes in the environment。
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