Piñon

Piñon, also spelled pinyon, common name for multiple species of nut trees of the pine family, found in arid regions from Wyoming to California and southward to northern Mexico. One species of piñon, the Mexican piñon pine, is found in Arizona and New Mexico as well as Mexico. It rarely exceeds 6 m (20 ft) in height and its needles are sheathed in groups of two or three. The oily, brown seeds are marketed in quantity in northern Mexico. Several other species also yield edible nuts. One is the twoneedle piñon, a larger (15 m/50 ft) and widely dispersed tree that grows from Wyoming south to Texas and Mexico and bears sweet seeds. Another is the Parry piñon, native to southern California, which has its needles sheathed in groups of three to five, usually four. In cultivation, all are generally round, slow-growing, bushy trees.

Scientific classification: Piñon are members of the genus Pinus, of the family Pinaceae. The Mexican piñon pine is classified as Pinus cembroides; the twoneedle piñon as Pinus edulis; and the Parry piñon as Pinus quadrifolia.