Border Pinyon, Stoneseed Pinyon, Mexican Pinyon Pine, Nut Pine, Three-leaved Pinyon

Also known as 'Stoneseed Pinyon', this pine gets to about 20 ft. high with a trunk 12" in diameter. The light gray bark is smooth when th...Read Moree tree is young and scaly reddish-brown when older. The dull reddish-brown cones are about 2" wide by 2" long and are round or egg-shaped with thick scales. The cones' scales are separated to show the 3/4" dark brown seeds known as "Pinyon Nuts". The fine and flexible needles are blue-green and have silvery lines. They are bunched in threes and about 2.5 inches long. This tree can be found in nature at an elevation range of 5000-7500 ft. growing with Juniper and Oak on dry rocky slopes.
This species can reach the age of 350 years and is a relatively slow grower. After the seeds fall out of the cones, the cones will fall in wintertime. The 'Pinyon Nuts' are eaten by rodents and birds and is also a standard food for Native Americans. They also use the pitch for waterproofing the baskets they weave and for adhesive for jewelry. This species is endemic to the Soueast section of Arizona and the Southwest corner of New Mexico, and maybe across the border a little ways into Mexico.