Pinus devoniana is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of conifer in the Pinaceae

Pinaceae

Pinaceae are trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly known as Coniferales. Pinaceae are supported as monophyletic by its protein-type sieve...

 family.
It is found in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 - from S. Sinaloa to Chiapas - and Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

 in montane

Montane

In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...

, relatively open pine or pine-oak forests at altitudes from 900 to 2500 m.

Pinus devoniana, which is locally called “Pino blanco”, “Pino lacio” or “Pino prieto”, is a tree of medium size, which can grow 20-30 m. tall, with a dbh to 80–100 cm. It has curved foliage twigs and very long needles, from 25-40 cm. in fascicles of 5. The cones, which grow solitary or in whorls of 2-4 on thick, short peduncles, leaving a few scales on the branch when falling, are usually large and often curved, 15–35 cm. long and 8–15 cm. wide when open.

Pinus devoniana is closely related to Pinus montezumae (the Montezuma Pine). These species are sometimes difficult to distinguish, while hybrids probably occur. The cones are especially variable. Overall, both foliage and cones are larger in Pinus devoniana.

Literature and sources

• Dallimore, W. and Bruce Jackson – A handbook of Coniferae. Edward Arnold Publishers, London 1923, 2nd ed. 1931, 3rd ed. 1948, reprinted 1954
• Farjon, Aljos – Pines; drawings and descriptions of the genus Pinus. Brill/Backhuys, Leiden 1984
• Farjon, Aljos, Jorge A. Perez de la Rosa & Brian T. Styles (ill. Rosemary Wise) – A field guide to the Pines of Mexico and Central America. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in association with the Oxford Forestry Institute, Oxford 1997
• Farjon, Aljos and Brian T. Styles – Pinus (Pinaceae); monograph 75 of Flora Neotropica. New York Botanical Gardens, New York 1997
• Farjon, Aljos – World checklist and bibliography of Conifers. Second edition. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2001
• IUCN - Conifer Specialist Group 1998: Pinus devoniana in 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Conservation status downloaded on 10 July 2007.
• Kent, Adolphus H. – Veitch's Manual of the Coniferae. James Veitch & Sons, Chelsea 1900.
• Lanyon, Joyce W. - A card key to Pinus based on needle anatomy. Min. for Conservation, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1966