Class Pinopsida Scientific name Pinus durangensis | Division Pinophyta Genus Pinus Rank Species | |
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Similar Pinus arizonica, Pinus engelmannii, Pinus leiophylla, Pinus teocote, Pinus cooperi | ||
Pinus durangensis, the Durango pine, is a pine tree species endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range of Northwestern Mexico.
Contents
This species is related to Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa pine), and included in the same subsection Ponderosae.
Distribution
The tree is found from Chihuahua and Sonora, southwards through Durango and Jalisco, to Michoacán. It is a moderately high altitude species, growing at 1,500–2,800 metres (4,900–9,200 ft).
Description
Pinus durangensis is an evergreen tree reaching 25–40 metres (82–131 ft) in height, with a trunk up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) in diameter and a broad, rounded crown. The bark is thick, dark gray-brown, and scaly or fissured.
The leaves are needle-like, dark green, five to seven per fascicle (mostly six, this high number unique in the genus), 14–24 cm long and 0.7-1.1 mm wide, the persistent fascicle sheath 1.5–3 cm long.
The cones are ovoid, 5–9 cm long, green ripening brown, opening when mature in spring to 5–6 cm broad. The seeds are winged, 5–6 mm long with a 1.5-2.5 cm wing. Pollination is in late spring, with the cones maturing 20–22 months after.