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Mexican pinyon, pino piñonero, piñón

Washoe pine

Habit Shrubs or trees to 15m; trunk to 0.3m diam., strongly tapering, much branched; crown rounded. Trees to 60m; trunk to 1m diam., straight; crown pyramidal.
Bark

red-brown to dark brown, shallowly and irregularly furrowed, ridges broad, scaly.

yellow-brown to reddish, fissured, plates scaly.

Branches

spreading-ascending;

twigs red-brown, sometimes finely papillate, aging gray to gray-brown.

spreading-ascending;

twigs stout, orangish, aging gray, rough.

Buds

ovoid to short cylindric, pale red-brown, 0.5–1.2cm, slightly resinous.

ovoid, red-brown, 1.5–2cm, not resinous;

scale margins fringed.

Leaves

(2–)3(–4) per fascicle, spreading to upcurved, persisting 3–4 years, 2–6cm × 0.6–0.9(–1)mm, connivent, 2–3-sided, blue- to gray-green, abaxial surface not conspicuously whitened with stomatal bands or if stomatal bands present, these less conspicuous than on adaxial surfaces, often with 2 subepidermal resin bands evident, adaxial surfaces conspicuously whitened with stomatal lines, margins entire to finely serrulate, apex narrowly conic or subulate;

sheath 0.5–0.7cm, scales soon recurved, forming rosette, shed early.

(2–)3 per fascicle, spreading-ascending, persisting (2–)4–6(–7) years, 10–15cm × ca. 1.5mm, slightly twisted, gray-green, all surfaces with stomatal lines, margins finely serrulate, apex acuminate;

sheath 1–2cm, base persistent.

Pollen cones

ellipsoid, to 10mm, yellow.

cylindric, 10–20mm, red-purple.

Seed(s)

cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds and falling soon thereafter, spreading, symmetric, ovoid before opening, broadly depressed-ovoid to nearly globose when open, 1–3.5cm, pale yellow- to pale red-brown, resinous, nearly sessile or short-stalked;

apophyses thickened, slightly domed, angulate, transversely keeled;

umbo subcentral, slightly raised to depressed, truncate or umbilicate.

cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds soon thereafter, not persistent, spreading, slightly asymmetric, ovoid-conic before opening, broadly ovoid when open, 7–10cm, tan or pale red-brown, sessile, abaxial surface of scales darker and sharply contrasting in color with adaxial surface;

apophyses slightly raised, low pyramidal;

umbo central, narrowly pyramidal, tapering into short, reflexed, fine prickle.

2n

=24.

=24.

Pinus cembroides

Pinus washoensis

Habitat Pinyon-juniper woodland, foothills, mesas, tablelands Dry montane forests
Elevation 700–2300m (2300–7500ft) 2100–2500m (6900–8200ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
Discussion

Pinus cembroides is the common pinyon of Mexican commerce. Populations of the Edwards Plateau, Texas, are disjunct about 150km east and north of the main area of distribution of the species, and they have been described as a distinct variety, P. cembroides var. remota Little, on the basis of thin seed shell and a higher frequency of 2-leaved fascicles in contrast to the thicker seed shell and prevalently 3-leaved fascicles in Mexican pinyon populations to the west and south. The strong overlap in nearly all character states between the populations of the Edwards Plateau and other populations makes var. remota difficult to maintain.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Pinus washoensis often occurs in large stands and resembles P. jeffreyi. The number and posture of seed-cone scales fall within the ranges given for P. jeffreyi. The abaxial surface of these scales has a significantly darker pigmentation, however; such a color contrast is not apparent in P. jeffreyi. Forest geneticists have developed hybrids between P. washoensis and related yellow pines, but no natural hybrids have been observed. Some workers regard P. washoensis as closely related to—or even conspecific with--- P. ponderosa.

Of conservation concern.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pinaceae > Pinus Pinaceae > Pinus
Sibling taxa
P. albicaulis, P. aristata, P. attenuata, P. balfouriana, P. banksiana, P. clausa, P. contorta, P. coulteri, P. echinata, P. edulis, P. elliottii, P. engelmannii, P. flexilis, P. glabra, P. jeffreyi, P. lambertiana, P. leiophylla, P. longaeva, P. monophylla, P. monticola, P. muricata, P. palustris, P. ponderosa, P. pungens, P. quadrifolia, P. radiata, P. resinosa, P. rigida, P. sabiniana, P. serotina, P. strobiformis, P. strobus, P. sylvestris, P. taeda, P. torreyana, P. virginiana, P. washoensis
P. albicaulis, P. aristata, P. attenuata, P. balfouriana, P. banksiana, P. cembroides, P. clausa, P. contorta, P. coulteri, P. echinata, P. edulis, P. elliottii, P. engelmannii, P. flexilis, P. glabra, P. jeffreyi, P. lambertiana, P. leiophylla, P. longaeva, P. monophylla, P. monticola, P. muricata, P. palustris, P. ponderosa, P. pungens, P. quadrifolia, P. radiata, P. resinosa, P. rigida, P. sabiniana, P. serotina, P. strobiformis, P. strobus, P. sylvestris, P. taeda, P. torreyana, P. virginiana
Synonyms P. cembroides var. bicolor, P. cembroides var. remota, P. discolor, P. remota
Name authority Zuccarini: Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 1: 392. (1832) H. Mason & Stockwell: Madroño 8: 62. (1945)
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