Border Piñon
Pinus cembroides
Family: Pinaceae
OTHER NAMES
Mexican piñon
Spanish: pino piñonero
CHARACTERISTICS
Coniferous, evergreen trees, usually reaching about 20-30’ tall but often are smaller. If you look closely at the needles of the border piñon, it has a white stripe which helps distinguish it from the regular piñon pine (Pinus edulis). It also generally has three leaves in each fascicle (the regular piñon pine generally only has two). The cones are colored chocolate brown with yellow blotches, and under 2 inches in length. The nuts are edible and the largest of pine nuts, up to and over ½-inch in size.
LANDSCAPE USE
Small shade tree or screen when younger, large shade tree when older.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN afternoon shade in summer while young, older plants can take full sun, full sun in higher elevations
WATER moderate to low
SOIL well-drained
HARDINESS hardy to about 0°F
BASIN high zone
CONTAINER does ok in container but will not attain full size
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little
ECOLOGY
In general pine species provide seeds and vital habitat for birds and mammals. Many are larval host for lepidoptera like the Chiricahua White butterfly (Neophasia terlootii), the Pandora pinemoth (Coloradia pandora), the Pine White butterfly (Neophasia menapia), the Western Conifer Looper (Caripeta aequaliaria), the Pandora Pinemoth (Coloradia pandora) the snout moth Dioryctria pentictonella, and the Variable Girdle Moth (Sabulodes venata). Many insects are associated with pines which in turn provide food for several species of birds. Pines are keystone species in elevations where they occur. Turkeys and other birds eat the pine nuts. Pine nuts are an important food for the thick billed parrot which used to occur in southern Arizona, but was extirpated by Europeans when they arrived in the southwest. The thick billed parrot still occurs in Mexico and many are hopeful that the parrot may make a comeback. Arid conditions caused by global warming has hurt our native pine populations, especially the higher elevation pines. Arid-growing pines like this and the regular piñon pine may become more dominant of the regions where the higher elevation pines are being decimated.
ETHNOBOTANY
The nuts are widely collected and eaten by many indigenous people, while the pitch can be used for wounds or cuts and sometimes it is used to dye wool. The needles are used by many people for medicinal purposes. The wood is used to construct a number of items. Needles are used to make small baskets.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Found on arid slopes and flats from 5,000-8,000’ in the southern portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Texas, south into central Mexico.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
The systematics of this pine are more hotly debated than those of probably any other species in the genus. It is a widespread and morphologically diverse species, which has led to the description of numerous varieties and subspecies, most of which were later raised to the rank of species by their respective authors. The plants closest to our region are sometimes also called Pinus discolor, or Pinus cembroides var. bicolor.
This plant is in the Pinaceae, the pine family. There are 134 species of pines worldwide (with many subspecies and varieties).
Pinus is the ancient Latin name for pines. Cembroides, the species name means Cembra-like (resembles Pinus cembra of Europe) referring to a species that is another good source of edible pine nuts.
One way to positively tell this plant from other piñons is the white stripe each needle has, which can sometimes be subtle but always there. Photo by Megan Greenwood, iNaturalist
The small pine cones of Pinus cembroides. Photo by Flaviano Zubieta, iNaturalist
The pollen cones, photo by David Mercado-Morales, iNaturalist