Pinyon, Singleleaf
Pinus monophylla
Pinaceae - Pine

Description

Leaves: Needles not in groups - borne singly (this is the only pine with needles borne individually on the twig), rarely some in twos; evergreen, remain on tree 4-12 years.

Twigs/buds: Light reddish-brown, somewhat thick. Buds light reddish-brown, egg-shaped, and pointy.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers monoecious; male flowers pale yellow, cylindrical, clustered tightly at branch ends; female flowers purplish, grouped near branch tips. Fruit reddish-brown, woody cone; somewhat egg-shaped, 2" to 3" in length; scales large, recessed; seeds large, wingless; persist for a number of years.

Bark: Light gray to yellowish and smooth initially, but irregularly furrowed (reddish-brown) and ridged (dark gray, scaly) with age.

Wood: Soft; has been used for fence posts, as fuel wood for cooking, heating or supplying steam engines, and as charcoal to smelt ores in the Great Basin; trunk usually crooked.

General: Similar to Pinyon (P. edulis). Native to mid-elevations in a few, isolated locations in northern Utah, throughout Nevada, and in parts of central and southern California and Baja California. The seeds are edible as with pinyon. Dry sites. Shade intolerant.

Landscape Use: Rarely used--similar to pinyon. Zones 5-9.

Characteristics

---