Pinon pine

Native to the mountain slopes in the far north Trans-Pecos, north to Colorado, and west to Arizona and New Mexico. Small contorted tree with a compact, global crown and horizontal branches. Needles are stiff, yellowish green 1 1/2" to 2" long and clustered in twos. Cones are roundish, light brown, 2" long, holding the seeds on the scales after opening. Bark is irregulary

The Pinyon Pine tree is a slow growing, compact, long-lived, drought tolerant tree. Pinus edulis is native to the desert mountains of California, east to New Mexico and Texas, and north to Wyoming. Because of its relatively small size for a pine tree, it is well suited to gardens and containers. Note: “Pinyon” is sometimes spelled “Pinon.”

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Pinon Pine has been used for thousands of years by Indigenous people. The trees grow primarily in the Southwest, especially in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah. Pinon Pine trees are most known for yielding edible pine nuts, a staple in Indigenous cooking.

Discover how to roast pinon nuts to perfection with our easy-to-follow guide, including oven, stovetop, and air fryer methods. Enjoy these tasty treats!

Free printable pine cone coloring page (PDF format) to download and print.

Plants adapt to the environment by modifying their leaves, stem and roots. Desert plants such as the cactus modify their leaves into thorns to prevent loss of moisture through transpiration. Plants such as the lotus grow in water, have modified stems with pores and have short roots.