Tree Description:
A medium-sized pine tree to 40 feet tall and a trunk to 2 feet in diameter, with a dense conical crown of dark green foliage, becoming rounded with age.
Range/Site Description:
Elevations above 4,700 feet in the mountains of West Texas, on rocky slopes and hillsides.
Leaf:
Needles in bundles of 3 (occasionally 2), 0.75" to 2" long, stiff, somewhat curved, with a pointed tip and a bluish stripe on top.
Flower:
Brown male conelets in compact clusters at the end of the branchlets; female conelets stalked, red, also at the ends of the branches.
Fruit:
A woody cone, 1" to 2" long, oddly-shaped, falling from the branches soon after ripening in the fall. The edible seeds sit at the base of the larger scales.
Bark:
Gray, red-brown, to black, with thick plates and deep fissures developing on older trunks.
Wood:
Wood is used for fuelwood and posts; the seeds are an important food source for wildlife as well as the native peoples.
Similar Species:
Remote pinyon (or "papershell") pine (Pinus remota) has needles in bundles of 2 and is found at lower elevations, east to the Edwards Plateau.
Interesting Facts:
Resin from the tree can be used for waterproofing and as a cement for pots or mending jewelry.
