Introductory
SPECIES: Pinus edulis | Colorado Pinyon 



ABBREVIATION : 
PINEDU

SYNONYMS : 
   Pinus cembroides var. edulis (Engelm.) Voss


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   PIED


COMMON NAMES : 
   Colorado pinyon
   true pinyon
   

TAXONOMY : 
The accepted scientific name of Colorado pinyon is Pinus edulis Engelm.
Pinyons belong to the "soft" pine subgenus Strobus, section Parrya,
subsection Cembroides.  The four species of pinyon endemic to the United
States were previously included as subspecies of P. cembroides, the
first named Mexican pinyon.  Pinyon species, however, can be
distinguished by differences in cone and seed charactistics, and number
of needles per fasicle.  Colorado pinyon has two needles per fasicle.

A series of single-needled populations lying along the southwest flank
of the P. edulis range have been recognized as P. edulis var. fallax
Little [41].  Lanner [34] retains these trees under the species P.
monophylla.  Lanner [36] also contends that two outlying populations in
southern California have been misidentified as P. edulis.  These consist
of a population near the New York Mountains comprising two-needled
individuals of P. monophylla and a stand in Baja California that is
actually a two-needled segregate of a hybrid swarm originating from a
cross between P. monophylla and P. juarezensis [35].  This write-up
follows the taxonomy of Lanner [36].

Widespread hybridization between P. edulis and P. monophylla has
occurred over much of the Great Basin.  Such widespread hybridization
accounts for much of the taxonomic confusion involving the resulting
range of individuals with mixtures of one- and two-needled fasicles
[34,38].


LIFE FORM : 
Tree

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
N. McMurray/ November 1986


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
McMurray, Nancy E. 1986. Pinus edulis. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Pinus edulis | Colorado Pinyon