Arizona Pine, Pinus arizonica
Arizona pine (Pinus arizonica) is found in the United States in northern Mexico, southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico, and western Texas. The Arizona pine closely resembles the Ponderosa Pine found growing in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Arizona south to Durango, CO.
The Arizona pine grows in high elevations from 5906-8038 feet. It is a medium to tall pine growing to heights of 82-114.8 feet tall with a trunk diameter of up to 3 feet 11 inches. The bark on young trees is dark brown becoming light cinnamon brown in maturity and is thick and scaly. The crown forms a pyramid when young and matures to a rounded top. Needles grow in bundles of five but can be in three or four as well and stay on the tree for two to three years. Cones grow in clusters of three, doubled, or singly on a branch. Female cones measure 2.36-3.54 inches long with the male cones being smaller measuring 0.59-0.78 inches long. The female cones are light re-brown when mature and the male cones are yellow-to-yellow-brown. The seeds are oval, dark brown, and measure 0.23 inches long. Wings measure 0.78-0.98 inches long and 0.31-0.35 inches wide.
The Arizona pine is used as timber in construction and is widely used as firewood.
Image Caption: Arizona pine (Pinus arizonica). Credit: Debbie/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.0)