Pine, Pinyon

The pinyon (or piñon) pine (Pinus edulis) grows in the southwestern United States. The Piñon Pine (Pinus edulis) is a small to medium size tree, reaching 33 – 66 feet tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 31 inches, rarely more. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans and are still widely eaten. The wood, especially when burned, has a distinctive fragrance. The pinyon pine trees are also known to influence the soil in which they grow. The range is in Colorado, southern Wyoming, eastern and central Utah, northern Arizona, New Mexico, and the Guadalupe Mountains in westernmost Texas.

The LEAVES (‘needles’) are in pairs, moderately stout, 1.2 – 2.2 inches long, and green, with stomata on both inner and outer surfaces but distinctly more on the inner surface forming a whitish band.

The FRUIT are cones which are are globose, 1.2 – 2.0 inches long and broad when closed, green at first, ripening yellow-buff when 18–20 months old, with only a small number of thick scales, with typically 5-10 fertile scales. The cones open to 1.6 – 2.4 inches broad when mature, holding the SEEDS on the scales after opening. The seeds are 0.39- 0.55 inches long, with a thin shell, a white endosperm, and a vestigial 0.039 – 0.079 inch wing; they are dispersed by the Pinyon Jay which plucks the seeds out of the open cones.

The BARK is irregularly furrowed and scaly.

WILDLIFE: The Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) takes its name from the tree, and pinyon nuts form an important part of its diet. It is very important for regeneration of pinyon woods, as it stores large numbers of the seeds in the ground for later use, and excess seeds not used are in an ideal position to grow into new trees. The Mexican Jay is also important for the dispersal of some pinyon species, as, less often, is the Clark’s Nutcracker. Many other species of animal also eat pinyon nuts, without dispersing them.

NOTE: The Piñon Pine (Pinus edulis) is the State tree of New Mexico.