Pinyon pine
Encyclopedia
The pinyon pine
group grows in the southwestern United States
and in Mexico
. 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.
There are eight species of true pinyons (Pinus subsection Cembroides):
These additional Mexican species are also related and mostly called pinyons:
as are also the three bristlecone pine
s of the high mountains of the SW USA, and the Lacebark Pines of Asia.
Some of the species are known to hybridise, the most notable ones being P. quadrifolia with P. monophylla, and P. edulis with P. monophylla.
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.
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
group grows in the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 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...
. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts
Pine nut
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pines . About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of great value as a human food....
, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten. The wood, especially when burned, has a distinctive fragrance.
There are eight species of true pinyons (Pinus subsection Cembroides):
- Pinus cembroides – Mexican PinyonMexican PinyonThe Mexican Pinyon ' is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to western North America.-Distribution:The range extends from westernmost Texas, United States , south through much of Mexico, occurring widely along the Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental ranges, and more rarely in the...
- Pinus orizabensis – Orizaba PinyonOrizaba PinyonThe Orizaba Pinyon, Pinus orizabensis, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, endemic to central Mexico. It is considered also as a sub-species of Pinus cembroides which is classified as Pinus cembroides orizabensis...
- Pinus johannis – Johann's PinyonJohann's PinyonPinus johannis, the Johann's Pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to North America. The range extends from southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico, United States, south in Mexico along the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental to southern Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí...
or Border Pinyon (includes P. discolor) - Pinus culminicola – Potosi PinyonPotosi PinyonPinus culminicola, commonly known as Potosi Pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native and endemic to northeast Mexico. The range is highly localised, confined to a small area of high summits in the northern Sierra Madre Oriental in Coahuila and Nuevo León, and only abundant on the highest...
- Pinus remota – Texas PinyonTexas PinyonPinus remota, commonly known as the Texas Pinyon or Papershell Pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to North America.-Range:...
or Papershell Pinyon - Pinus edulis – Colorado PinyonColorado PinyonThe Colorado Pinyon, Two-needle Pinyon, or Piñon Pine, ', is a pine in the pinyon pine group whose ancestor was a member of the Madro-Tertiary Flora and is native to the United States....
or Two-needle Pinyon - Pinus monophylla – Single-leaf PinyonSingle-leaf PinyonThe Single-leaf Pinyon, ', is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to the United States and northwest Mexico. The range is in southernmost Idaho, western Utah, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, Nevada, eastern and southern California and northern Baja California.It occurs at moderate altitudes from...
- Pinus quadrifolia – Parry PinyonParry PinyonPinus quadrifolia, the Parry Pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to southernmost California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico, from 33° 30' N south to 30° 30' N. It occurs at moderate altitudes from to , rarely as low as and as high as...
(includes P. juarezensis).
These additional Mexican species are also related and mostly called pinyons:
- Pinus rzedowskii – Rzedowski's Pine
- Pinus pinceana – Weeping Pinyon
- Pinus maximartinezii – Big-cone PinyonBig-cone PinyonBig-cone Pinyon is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to central Mexico. The range is highly localised, confined to a small area of the southern Sierra Madre Occidental in southern Zacatecas...
- Pinus nelsonii – Nelson's Pinyon
as are also the three bristlecone pine
Bristlecone pine
The bristlecone pines are a small group of pine trees that are thought to reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years....
s of the high mountains of the SW USA, and the Lacebark Pines of Asia.
Some of the species are known to hybridise, the most notable ones being P. quadrifolia with P. monophylla, and P. edulis with P. monophylla.
The Pinyon Jay
Pinyon Jay
The Pinyon Jay is a jay between the North American Blue Jay and the Eurasian Jay in size. It is the only member of the genus Gymnorhinus, . Its overall proportions are very Nutcracker-like and indeed this can be seen as convergent evolution as both birds fill similar ecological niches...
(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
Mexican Jay
The Mexican Jay, Aphelocoma wollweberi, formerly known as the Gray-breasted Jay, is a New World jay native to the Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre Occidental, and Central Plateau of Mexico. It reaches north to eastern Arizona, western New Mexico and western Texas in the United States...
is also important for the dispersal of some pinyon species, as, less often, is the Clark's Nutcracker
Clark's Nutcracker
Clark's Nutcracker , sometimes referred to as Clark's Crow or Woodpecker Crow, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae. It is slightly smaller than its Eurasian relative the Spotted Nutcracker . It is ashy-grey all over except for the black-and-white wings and central tail feathers...
. Many other species of animal also eat pinyon nuts, without dispersing them.
External links
- Pine classification
- Arboretum de Villardebelle Images of the cones of all the pinyons and allied pines
- Pinus monophylla U.S. Forest Service
- Pinus cembroides U.S. Forest Service
- Pinus quadrifolia U.S. Forest Service
- Pinus edulis U.S. Forest Service