Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine
- noun
- US
:
pino de bristlecone de las Montañas Rocosas
- The Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine is renowned for being one of the oldest living tree species on Earth.
Examples
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A Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine in Colorado was estimated to be more than 2,000 years old.
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Scientists studied the growth patterns of Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines to understand climate changes over millennia.
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The Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine can live for thousands of years.
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Many Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines grow at high elevations.
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A Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine in Colorado was estimated to be more than 2,000 years old.
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The Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine is renowned for being one of the oldest living tree species on Earth.
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Scientists studied the growth patterns of Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines to understand climate changes over millennia.
Synonyms
1
8.6
A small pine tree that grows very slowly and lives for thousands of years
A slow-growing pine from the Rocky Mountains that lives a long time and has short needles in groups of five
Surface Forms
Morphology
rocky + mountain + bristlecone + pine
The phrase is a compositional noun phrase: 'Rocky Mountain' indicates location, 'bristlecone' names a type/feature of cone (bristle + cone), and 'pine' is the head noun meaning a pine tree. A B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to a kind of pine tree from the Rocky Mountains with bristle-like cones, so the overall meaning is derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine points to both place and a clear feature: these small pines grow on high, rocky slopes in the Rocky Mountains and their cones have short, stiff bristles. Because they grow very slowly and survive cold, windy weather, they can be 'long-lived' and live for many centuries.