Pinus arizonica

Arizona pine
Pinus arizonica sapling
Pinus arizonica sapling
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Pinaceae
Genus: Pinus
Subgenus: Pinus
Species: P. arizonica
Binomial name
Pinus arizonica
Engelm.
Natural range of Pinus arizonica
green: Pinus arizonica var. arizonica
red: Pinus arizonica var. stormiae
blue: P. ponderosa ssp. brachyptera

Pinus arizonica, commonly known as the Arizona pine, is a medium-sized pine in northern Mexico, southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico, and western Texas in the United States. It is a tree growing to 25–35 m tall, with a trunk diameter of up 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in). The needles are in bundles of 3, 4, or 5, with 5-needle fascicles being the most prevalent. This variability may be a sign of hybridization with the closely related ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). The cones are single, paired, or in whorls of three, and 5–11 cm long.

Taxonomy

The Arizona pine had been thought to be a variant of Ponderosa pine by some botanists, but is now recognized as a distinct species by most authorities.

Two varieties are described, possibly better treated as distinct species; see Ponderosa pine for a table of characters:

Another related pine, Cooper's pine (Pinus cooperi) is also treated as a variety of Arizona pine by some authors, as Pinus arizonica var. cooperi, but other authors regard this as a distinct species, more closely related to Hartweg's pine (Pinus hartwegii).

Uses

This pine is a source of construction timber, and is heavily harvested for firewood. Extensive cutting has reduced the formerly widespread Arizona pine forests, particularly in Mexico.

P. arizonica forest, Mt. Lemmon, AZ

References

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