Status: Native
Synonyms:
Caryopitys edulis (Engelmann) Small
Pinus cembroides Zuccarini var. edulis (Engelmann) Voss
Pinus monophylla Torrey & Fremont var. edulis (Engelmann) M.E. Jones
Pinus edulis is the abundant usually rather squatty pine found in pinon-juniper woodland all over the middle elevations of the Gila National Forest. The cones are spherical to oval and about 5 cm in diameter. Dead branches frequently are visible and do not fall easily from the tree. The seeds are gathered by local enthusiasts and eaten as a delicacy. There are commonly two needles to the fascicle.
Pine needles have stomata for gas exchange just like other plants. However, to conserve water in arid environments, the stomata are sunken-- the guard cells lie below a microscopic pocket beneath the heavily cutinized needle surface. These sunken stomata are arranged in rows longitudinally along the pine needle.
Some conifers, including Pinus edulis, have saccate pollen-- meaning that the pollen has air bladders or winglike appendages attached to the main body of the pollen. This makes the pollen float in water, and most likely makes it more easily carried away by wind currents. It also makes the pollen look a bit like "Mickey Mouse ears"!
Please click on an image for a larger file.
Pinus edulis, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Knight Mtn., May 9, 2007
Pinus edulis, cone with nuts, photo Russ Kleinman, Richard Felger, & Carey Anne Lafferty, Black Range, McKnight Road, Oct. 4, 2008
Pinus edulis, growth form, photo Russ Kleinman, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, Dec. 3, 2008
Pinus edulis, cone with nuts, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Gold Gulch, Dec. 7, 2008
Pinus edulis, growth form, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Gold Gulch, Dec. 7, 2008
Pinus edulis, pollen cones, photo Russ Kleinman, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, May 28, 2009
Pinus edulis, fascicle measured, photo Russ Kleinman, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, December 7, 2009
Pinus edulis, 5x macro of cross section of needle, photo Russ Kleinman, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, December 7, 2009
Pinus edulis, 40x photomicrograph of the surface of a thin section of pinus edulis needle showing rows of sunken stomata, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, June 25, 2012
Pinus edulis, 400x photomicrograph of the surface of a thin section of pinus edulis needle showing rows of sunken stomata, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, June 25, 2012
Pinus edulis, 400x photomicrograph of the cross section of a pinus edulis needle showing two sunken stomata, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, June 25, 2012
Pinus edulis, single mature cone scale with two seeds on left and section of immature (photosynthetic and fleshy) cone with 2 ovules per developing scale on right, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, January 26, 2016
Pinus edulis, bark, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, October 21, 2018
Pinus edulis, saccate pollen, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, July 1, 2022
Pinus edulis, saccate pollen, photo Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, Pinos Altos Range, Pinos Altos, July 1, 2022
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