---
author: Siddhartha Mukherjee
date: '2019-07-10T07:00:00.000Z'
hero_image: /alfons-taekema-bali.jpg
title: 'Bali —body, mind & soul'
---

The term **bristlecone pine** covers three [species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species 'Species') of [pine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine 'Pine') tree (family [Pinaceae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinaceae 'Pinaceae'), genus [_Pinus_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus 'Pinus'), subsection _Balfourianae_). All three species are long-lived and highly resilient to harsh weather and bad soils. One of the three species, _Pinus longaeva_, is among the longest-lived life forms on Earth. The oldest _Pinus longaeva_ is more than 5,000 years old,[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_pine#cite_note-oldest-1) making it the oldest known individual of any species.

![bali-monkey](../mahkeo-monkey.jpg)

Despite their potential age and low reproductive rate, bristlecone pines, particularly _Pinus longaeva_, are usually a [first-succession](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_succession 'Primary succession') species, tending to occupy new open ground.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_pine#cite_note-FEIS-2) They generally compete poorly in less-than-harsh environments, making them hard to cultivate.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_pine#cite_note-FEIS-2) In gardens, they succumb quickly to root rot.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_pine#cite_note-3) They do very well, however, where most other plants cannot even grow, such as in rocky [dolomitic](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomite_(mineral)> 'Dolomite (mineral)') soils in areas with virtually no rainfall.[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_pine#cite_note-FEIS-2)

Bristlecone pines grow in scattered [subalpine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subalpine 'Subalpine') groves at high altitude in arid regions of the [Western United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_United_States 'Western United States'). Bristlecones, along with all related species in class Pinopsida, are [cone-bearing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer_cone 'Conifer cone') [seed plants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_plant 'Seed plant') commonly known as [conifers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer 'Conifer'); the name comes from the prickles on the female cones.[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_pine#cite_note-ARKive-4)
