The Pinyon pine reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Pinyon pine

Pinyon pines
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pinophyta Class: Pinopsida Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pinus Subgenus: Ducampopinus
Binomial names
Pinus cembroides Pinus orizabensis Pinus johannis Pinus culminicola Pinus remota Pinus edulis Pinus monophylla Pinus quadrifolia Pinus rzedowskii Pinus pinceana Pinus maximartinezii Pinus nelsonii

The pinyon pines (or piñon pines), are a group of pines, which grow in the Southwestern United States and Mexico; they yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten. The fragrance of the wood, especially when burned, is an unmistakable token of the American West.

There are eight species of true pinyons (Pinus subsection Cembroides):

• Pinus cembroides – Mexican Pinyon
• Pinus orizabensis – Orizaba Pinyon
• Pinus johannis – Johann's Pinyon or Border Pinyon (includes P. discolor)
• Pinus culminicola – Potosí Pinyon
• Pinus remota – Texas Pinyon or Papershell Pinyon
• Pinus edulis – Colorado Pinyon or Two-needle Pinyon
• Pinus monophylla – Single-leaf Pinyon
• Pinus quadrifolia – Parry's Pinyon (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 Pinyon
• Pinus nelsonii – Nelson's Pinyon

as are also the three bristlecone pines of the high mountains of the SW USA, and the lacebark pines of Asia.

Some of the species are known to hybridise, most notably 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 to form new trees. Many other species of animal also eat pinyon nuts, though they do not disperse the seeds usefully.

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

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