<p>From Ann H Zwinger and Beatrice E Willard, 1972, <em>Land Above the Trees,</em> Harper and Row, New York. 1st edition. 1972. 489 pp.  The following is from page 59...</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Beyond treelimit, trees are so stunted that they are no longer trees but shrubs.  They are called <em>krummholz,</em> a descriptive German word which means &quot;elfin timber&quot; or &quot;crooked wood.&quot; They look as if they had been cultivated by overly ambitious bonsai gardeners.  Krummholz growth habit is shrubby and dense, becoming more prostrate, more twisted and contorted, with altitude.  Treetops are flat or flagged or both; trunks are gnarled.  Basal branches form impenetrable masses of long intertwined serpentines...</p>
</blockquote>

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2022-12-19T23:36:36.157Z
2022-12-21T02:05:31.147Z
2022-12-21T02:05:31.147Z
Thomas Perry
<p>In the mountains, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_line" rel="nofollow noreferrer">tree line</a> marks the elevation above which there are no more trees growing. Do those little mountain pines such as the ones <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Custura_Bucurei.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">in this image</a> (it failed to upload for some reason) count as &quot;trees&quot; here so that the tree line marks where those mountain pines end as well, or do they rather count as bushes that may grow higher than the tree line and the tree line is only about &quot;normal&quot; big trees?</p>

<mountains><vegetation><plant>
When we're talking about the tree line, does it include mountain pines?
Giovanni
# When we're talking about the tree line, does it include mountain pines?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-12-19)

In the mountains, the [tree line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_line) marks the elevation above which there are no more trees growing. Do those little mountain pines such as the ones [in this image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Custura_Bucurei.jpg) (it failed to upload for some reason) count as "trees" here so that the tree line marks where those mountain pines end as well, or do they rather count as bushes that may grow higher than the tree line and the tree line is only about "normal" big trees?

**Tags:** mountains, vegetation, plant


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-12-19. Score: 6

From Ann H Zwinger and Beatrice E Willard, 1972, *Land Above the Trees,* Harper and Row, New York. 1st edition. 1972. 489 pp. The following is from page 59...

> Beyond treelimit, trees are so stunted that they are no longer trees but shrubs. They are called *krummholz,* a descriptive German word which means "elfin timber" or "crooked wood." They look as if they had been cultivated by overly ambitious bonsai gardeners. Krummholz growth habit is shrubby and dense, becoming more prostrate, more twisted and contorted, with altitude. Treetops are flat or flagged or both; trunks are gnarled. Basal branches form impenetrable masses of long intertwined serpentines...


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