Common Name: Border Pinyon

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Tree

General: A small tree 5-10 m tall, with a trunk 10-50 cm in diameter, the crown open and irregularly rounded; bark dark gray, furrowed with smaller transverse fissures, in deeper furrows an orange colored hue is visible.

Needles: In fascicles of 3, occasional but rarely 2 or 4, 2-6 cm long, 1.3-1.6 mm wide, straight, slender, flexible, margins entire; the adaxial surface very glaucous, abaxial surface dark green; sheaths thin, pale brown, recurved into a rosette, deciduous.

Cones: Symmetrical, very small, 2-3 cm long, 3-4 cm wide when open, pale orange to reddish brown, opening when mature and soon deciduous, on short peduncle 3-6 mm long that falls with cone; scales without a prickle.

Seeds: Small, wingless, 10-12 mm long, 7-10 mm wide, brown with thick, 0.7-1.2 mm thick, hard seed coat.

Ecology: Found on arid slopes and flats from 5,000-8,000 ft (1524-2438 m).

Distribution: s AZ, s NM, s TX; south to c MEX.

Notes: This variety is suggested to be the sole variety of P. cembroides in southeastern Arizona parklands and the principal pinyon of the Mexican borderlands. Distinguished by the short stature of the tree compared to other pines; short needles in fascicles of three; and the small cones.

Ethnobotany: The nuts were widely collected and eaten, while the pitch can be used for wounds or cuts.

Etymology: Pinus is the ancient Latin name for pines, while discolor comes from the Greek dis- which can mean two or without, as in two colors or without color.

Synonyms: Pinus discolor, Pinus culminicola var. bicolor, Pinus johannis

Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015