Alternate name: Chihuahuan Pine
Family: Pinaceae, Pine view all from this family
Description Pine with trunk bearing short, leafy twigs, very thick bark, and thin, open, spreading crown of upturned branches.
Height: 30-80' (9-24 m).
Diameter: 1-2' (0.3-0.6 m).
Needles: evergreen; 3 in bundle, with sheath shedding first year; 2 1/2-4" (6-10 cm) long. Stout, stiff; blue-green, with white lines on all surfaces.
Bark: dark brown or blackish, as much as 2-3" (5-7.5 cm) thick, and deeply furrowed into broad, scaly ridges.
Cones: 1 1/2-2 1/2" (4-6 cm) long; narrowly egg-shaped, shiny light brown, long-stalked; usually opening but remaining attached; cone-scales flattened, mostly with tiny prickle.
Habitat Rocky ridges and slopes of mountains; with Arizona Pine and Apache Pine.
Range SW. New Mexico, E. central and SE. Arizona and Mexico; at 5000-7800' (1524-2377 m).
Discussion Unlike most pines, this species often produces new shoots or sprouts from cut stumps. The cones mature in 3 growing seasons, instead of the usual 2; cones in 3 stages of development, as well as many old, open cones, are usually present. Trees native to the United States and others in northwestern Mexico are placed in a separate variety (var. chihuahuana [Engelm.] Shaw), characterized by 3 stout needles in a bundle. The typical variety (var. leiophylla), of wider distribution in Mexico, has 5 slender needles in a bundle.
