Pinyon pine
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| Pinyon pines | |
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| Single-leaf Pinyon (Pinus monophylla subsp. monophylla) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Pinus |
| Subgenus: | Ducampopinus |
| Species | |
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Section Cembroides |
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The pinyon (or piñon) 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 fragrance of the wood, especially when burned, is unmistakable. The name originates from the 1500s Spanish explorers, who named the tree "pino piñonero", or "nut-bearing pine". [1]
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[edit] Description
Pinyons are a small relatively slow-growing pine, taking nearly 200 years to produce a 1-foot diameter trunk. Their lifespan range from 150 years and over. A piñon can live as long as 1,000 years, ranging from 200 feet tall trees, to bushes that reach a maximum height of 10 feet. Once established, the trees may start production as early as 8 years from seed and they will continue production for their lifespan.
The needles of the pinyon are short (1.2 to 2 inches) and practically always clustered in twos. The shiny cones, which usually grow singly at the ends of branchlets, open widely as they dry, releasing around two dozen thin-shelled wingless seeds. The bark is dark and rough.
They fulfill multiple uses, not only in providing a bountiful harvest of edible nut pines and aromatic cones which are sold at prices that make them a worthwhile commercial crop that will out produce cereal crops and other methods of farming operations based on their cash return per acre. They also lend to the landscaping business which rival other conifer trees with their beautiful foliage of light greens to seasonal colouring.
They are one of the main crops for many animals. 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.
The state tree of New Mexico, they are found at elevations of between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. It grows as far north as Fort Collins, often with native junipers. There are vast areas of Four Corners region that are referred to as piñon-juniper woodlands. Piñon nuts and firewood are commonly in demand from these areas.
[edit] Species
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 � Potosi Pinyon
- Pinus remota � Texas Pinyon or Papershell Pinyon
- Pinus edulis � Colorado Pinyon or Two-needle Pinyon
- Pinus monophylla � Single-leaf Pinyon
- Pinus quadrifolia � Parry 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.
[edit] Reproduction
The pine seed of the pinyon tree, depending on the variety, will grow in climatic zones 1 to 10 inclusive. They are able to grow in soils ranging from wet clay to sandy loam. Pines are coniferous trees of the genus Pinus, in the family Pinaceae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authors accept anything between about 105 to 125 species and have a distinction of being adaptable to wide ranges of conditions. The temperature for seed germination is about 17-19C. If temperatures are above 25C seedling establishment will be inhibited. Temperatures below about 10C create seed dormancy. In order to germinate, pinyon seeds must be buried 0.8 to 1.2 inches deep in soil or litter. Squirrels, Nuthatches, Scrub and Steller's Jays all play a major role in pinyon seed dispersal by means of their forgotten seed caches.
If the winter and spring seasons are wet, the pinyon will produce a good crop of pinyon nuts (or piñones) the following summer and fall between August and October. Pinyon reproduce by seed only, and it takes about 25 years for a tree to begin producing seedcones. At around 75 to 100 years of age the production of seedcones diminishes.
[edit] Germination
The best germination is obtained following planting in coarse river sand or pumice with about 25% moisture. As with most seeds, they will rot if the soil is too wet. It is important to add mycorrhizal fungus gathered from under a stand of other pine trees, because in the absence of the fungi the trees are likely to suffer phosphorus deficiency and make poor growth.
Once established, the young pine nut trees should not be over-watered. Once the nut shell has fallen, you may replant into deeper containers. One must be careful to avoid breaking the tap root.
They are adapted to the nine to 14 inches of annual precipitation it receives in its native habitat. When used as a Colorado landscape, it grows best in drier soil that drains well. Pinyon are a very good choice for xeriscape landscapes. Avoid planting pinyon in lawn areas where regular irrigation is required. While a pinyon tree will need to be watered several times after it has been transplanting to get it established, it is not tolerant of long-term and regular irrigation, especially in heavy clay soils. Plant pinyon pines on berms or dry areas and avoid low spots and areas near building down spouts.
Under ideal conditions, pinyon may reach 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide after many years. Nuts will likely not develop unless there are several piñon trees in the yard. Single trees will develop nutshells in cones, but nutshells will be hollow due to a lack of wind-borne pollen from other trees.[2]
This species of pine nut trees be expected to start producing cones from about year 6, However, on poor soils production may not start until about year 12. In Europe the annual yield of nuts is about 500 kg/ha. Each cone holds about 50 nuts and 100 kg of cones holds about 20 kg of nuts. Prune the trees after 3 years to remove all the lower branches. Clearing lower branches facilitates the production and harvesting of the nuts.
Studies undertaken in Italy on the effects of grafting which is being done with the object of producing more cones and better nuts. The preferred graft is a cleft graft done in mid-summer, although veneer side grafting is also practiced. The rootstock used for grafting must be at least two years old otherwise delayed mortality occurs about two years after grafting. In addition to P. pinea the rootstocks used include P. radiata has a 80-85% success rate, P. halepensis and P. sabiana 60-70% and P. pinaster has a 20-50% success rate.[3]
[edit] References
[edit] 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
