Piñon pine
Piñon pine (or
Pinyon pine), are a group of
pines, which grow in the Southwestern U.S and
Mexico; they yield edible
piñon nuts, which were a staple of the
Native Americans. The fragrance of the wood, especially when burned, is an unmistakable token of the
American West.
There are several species of Piñon pine (Family Pinaceae, genus Pinus subsection Cembroides):
- Pinus cembroides – Mexican piñon
- Pinus orizabensis – Orizaba piñon
- Pinus johannis – Johann's piñon, Border Piñon (includes P. discolor)
- Pinus culminicola – Potosí piñon
- Pinus remota – Texas or Papershell piñon
- Pinus edulis – Colorado piñon, Two-needle piñon
- Pinus monophylla – Singleleaf piñon
- Pinus quadrifolia – Parry piñon (includes P. juarezensis)
Some of these species are known to hybridise, most notably
P. quadrifolia and
P. monophylla.
These additional Mexican species are also related:
- Pinus rzedowskii – Rzedowski's pine
- Pinus pinceana – Weeping piñon
- Pinus maximartinezii – Big-cone piñon
- Pinus nelsonii – Nelson's piñon
as are also the bristlecone pines and
Foxtail pine of the high mountains of the SW USA, and the lacebark pines of Asia.
The Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) takes its name from the tree, and piñon nuts form an important part of its diet - but it is of course by no means the only animal to eat them. It is very important for regeneration of piñon 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 to form new trees.
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