Apache: obe’chin
Arapaho: see3 or hiséé3 (for all pine)
English: Pinyon pine
Hopi: tuvé
Hualapai: ko’
Navajo: chá’ol
Spanish: Piñón
Yavapai: u-koh
Zuni: he’sho
Natural history
Pinyon pine is a shrub or tree common on dry hillsides, mesas, and canyons in central, southern, and western Colorado from 4000 to 9500 feet from which its range extends across much of the Colorado Plateau and the Southwestern United States. Throughout its range, Pinus edulis is often found interspersed with species of juniper forming the iconic pinyon-juniper forests and woodlands that are so emblematic of much of the semiarid Intermountain West. Locally, Pinyon pine can be found on the slopes of the mesa upon which Fort Lewis College stands and in the surrounding foothills interspersed with juniper, Gambel oak, Mountain mahogany, sagebrush, yucca, and various cacti.
The trunks of Pinyon pines are often somewhat gnarled with a spreading and rounded crown. Its evergreen leaves are needle-shaped, short (rarely exceeding 4 cm), and grow in fascicled bundles of two. Mature seed cones of Pinus edulis are small, usually no more than 4 cm long, and somewhat oval-shaped.
Ecologically, the nutrient-dense and abundant seeds of the Pinyon pine provide an important food source for many mammal and bird species, especially corvids, such as Clark’s nutcracker, Steller’s jay, Scrub jay, and Pinyon jay, which collectively consume and cache large quantities of pinyon seeds. These activities do, however, benefit the Pinyon pine as many caches of seeds are inevitably forgotten and act as seed banks from which later generations of trees will germinate. It is reported that a single flock of Pinyon jays, which can consist of 50-500 individuals, may cache up to 4.5 million seeds per year and that Pinyon pine and related bird species have coevolved in such a way that mutualistically enhances the survival of both tree and bird. Research has shown that the reproductive capacity of Pinyon jays in a given year is linked to pinyon cone production during that time period.
Human history and use
The Pinyon pine is the state tree of New Mexico, and its seeds, commonly referred to as pine nuts, though not actually nuts, are typical in the state’s cuisine, and during a fall visit to New Mexico, roadside vendors selling pine nuts and roasted green chiles can offer a welcome alternative to gas station road trip fare. Pinyon seeds have been used as a food source by various Indigenous Peoples in the Southwest, and the wood of Pinyon pine provides an important source of fuel throughout the Southwest. Medicinally, its pitch has been used by Hopi, Tewa, and Navajo as a salve for cuts and sores and as a treatment for tuberculosis and flu symptoms.
References:
Ackerfield, J. 2022. Flora of Colorado. Fort Worth, TX: Brit Press.
Burns, R. M. and B. H. Honkala. 1990. Silvics of North America. Retrieved from Silvics Manual Volume 1-Conifers and Volume 2-Hardwoods: https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/table_of_contents.htm (2024, November 16)
Heil, K.D. et al. 2013. Flora of the Four Corners Region, Vascular Plants of the San Juan River Drainage: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden, Vol. 124. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
Kral, R. 1993. Pinus, pp 373-398 in Flora of North America Editorial Committee [eds.] Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 2. Oxford University Press, New York. Moerman DE. 1998. Native American Ethnobotany. Portland, OR: Timber Press.
Photo credit:
Photos by Mike Jacob.