Class Pinopsida Scientific name Pinus arizonica | Division Pinophyta Genus Pinus Rank Species | |
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Similar Pinus durangensis, Pinus engelmannii, Pinus leiophylla, Pinus teocote, Pinus lumholtzii | ||
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.
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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.
