New Mexico State Tree – Piñon

Piñon
Pinus edulis
Also known as: The Two Needle Piñon

According to the New Mexico State Legislature:

Piñon tree, state tree of New Mexico - Photo by e. r. hodges

The piñon (Pinus edulis) is the official state tree. This sturdy, slow-growing little evergreen flourishes over a vast area of the state. When the Spanish settlers arrived in New Mexico in the early sixteenth century, they found Native Americans harvesting the tiny, tasty nuts of the pinon. Every few years, the piñon tree produces a bumper crop of nuts and New Mexicans scurry to go piñon picking before nut-loving birds steal them. When cold weather sets in, the distinctive incense of burning piñon logs perfumes the air of villages and towns throughout the state.

The New Mexico Federation of Women’s Clubs was asked to select
the state tree and the piñon proved to be the historic favorite. On March 16, 1949, the state legislature officially adopted the piñon as the state tree.

New Mexico State Tree

Few plants or animals are more ingrained in the culture and biology of New Mexico than the Piñon Pine. The species is found mostly in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona with small populations in some of the adjacent states.

Seeds (pine nuts) of the plant were collected by Native Americans for centuries. This was noted by the first Spanish settlers arriving in the 1600′s, Every few years Piñon Pine will produce a bumper crop of nuts which are gathered by people, and eaten by birds, bears and other wildlife. Jays, especially Piñon Jays depend heavily on nuts of this plant and even help to spread the plant by caching deposits of seeds.

The species grows very slowly, often in more dry habitats in the mountains at an elevation of 4,500 up to about 8,000 feet. The adult trees are usually within 15-35 feet tall. The round to ovate cones are distinctive.

Piñon wood warms New Mexicans across the state and give off a distinctive and very pleasant incense smell. In recent years many Piñon Pines across the state have died off because of drying and warming conditions which have made them more vulnerable to bark beetles. Global warming will only make their recovery more difficult.

Source: New Mexico Secretary of State