Chihuahua Pine
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The Chihuahua Pine (Pinus leiophylla) is a tree with a range primarily in Mexico with a small extension into the United States in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. The Mexican range extends along the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre del Sur from Chihuahua to Oaxaca between 1600 and 3000 meters altitude.
This member of family Pinaceae grows to the height of 20-30m with a trunk diameter of 35-80cm. The needles are in bundles of three to five, 5-10cm (rarely to 15cm) long, and are a bright glossy green to yellowish-green. The cones are ovoid, 4-7cm (rarely to 8cm) long, and borne on a 1-2cm long stalk; they are unusual in taking about 30-32 months to mature, a year longer than most other pines.
There are two subspecies (treated by some botanists as distinct species, by others as just varieties):
- Pinus leiophylla subsp. leiophylla. Needles slender (0.5-0.9mm), in fives. It occurs in the southern part of the range, from Oaxaca to Durango, is not frost tolerant, and grows in relatively high rainfall conditions.
- Pinus leiophylla subsp. chihuahuana. Needles stouter (0.9-1.3mm), in threes. It occurs in the northern part of the range, from Durango to Arizona, tolerates frost down to about -10°C to -15°C, and very dry conditions. The needle differences are adaptations to these harsher conditions. Synonyms Pinus chihuahuana, Pinus leiophylla var. chihuahuana.
This species often grows in mixed in stands with several other pines and/or junipers, in Arizona most often with Apache Pine and Alligator Juniper, but also grows in pure stands. Its habitat is prone to wildfire, and the species shows some adaptations unusual among pines to cope with this; if the crown is destroyed by fire, the trunk, protected by its thick bark, will send out new shoots do re-grow a new crown. The only other pines to do this are Pitch Pine (P. rigida) and Canary Island Pine (P. canariensis). As none of these are species particularly closely related to each other, the adaptation has probably arisen independently in each, an example of convergent evolution.
The wood of the Chihuahua Pine is hard, dense and strong, and is used for construction, firewood, and railroad ties.