Pinus edulis

PSC 2620: Woody Trees and Shrub Course Home Week 13

Pinus edulis - Pinyon Pine

Plant Viewer


The needles are prominently curved towards the stem tip.	The needles are arrayed around the stem.

The bark is gray-brown with red highlights. It forms in plates with interweaving fissures.	The cones have triangular protrusions and the edible seeds are harvested as pine nuts.

Plant Description

Pinus edulis, or Pinyon Pine, is a small coniferous evergreen tree or large shrub. It branches very low to the ground with a spreading form, giving it the appearance of a multi-stemmed tree, but it is in fact strongly single-stem in its habit. It is a rugged tree, growing in dry and rocky soils. It has an irregular form that is generally considered poor, especially aesthetically.

The bark is reddish-brown with some intercrossing furrowing. Young bark is more scaly in appearance. The green needles are bunched in paris and arrayed around the stem. They curve prominently towards the end of the stem. The green cones have triangular scales that protrude prominently from the cone. While the cones are still closed, resin seeps from them. They turn brown and open widely.

Landscape Use

Its poor form limits its use in the landscape. Use it in dry and rocky locations and in a naturalized landscape setting.

Points of Interest