''Pinus maximartinezii'', called Martinez pinyon, big-cone pinyon or maxipiñon, is a

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

in the pinyon pine group, native to west-central

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Description

It is a small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

, reaching tall and with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is brown, thick and fissured at the base of the trunk. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

('needles') are in fascicles of five, slender, long, and deep green to blue-green, with

stomata In botany, a stoma (: stomata, from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth"), also called a stomate (: stomates), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange between the internal air spa ...

confined to a bright white band on the inner surfaces. The cones are ovoid, massive, long and broad and up to weight when closed, green at first, ripening yellow-brown when 26–28 months old, with very thick, woody scales, typically 30–60 fertile scales. The scales are unusual for a pine in the soft pine group (''Pinus'' subgenus ''Strobus''); most pines in that group have flexible scales. The cones open to broad when mature. The seeds are long, with a thick shell, with a vestigial wing; the seedlings have 18–24 cotyledons, the highest number reported for any plant. It differs from all other pinyon species in that it has very massive cones and large seeds. Like other pinyons, the seeds are edible; this represents a threat to the species' survival, as the majority of the seeds produced are harvested, limiting natural regeneration of the pines.

Range and habitat

The range is highly localised, confined to two small areas of the southern Sierra Madre Occidental – the Sierra de Morones in southern

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

, and La Muralla in

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

. It occurs at moderate altitudes, from 1800–2400 m and 21° North latitude, in warm and temperate, dry climate conditions. The Mexican government has declared this species

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Discovery

Because of its isolation in a remote area, it escaped discovery until 1964, when the Mexican botanist Jerzy Rzedowski noticed some unusually large pine nuts (''piñones'') sold in the markets of local villages, and investigated the area to find their source.

Cultivation

It has started being cultivated recently and is a very attractive ornamental tree.

References

External links

Gymnosperm Database: ''Pinus maximartinezii''
*Farjon, A. & Styles, B. T. (1997). Pinus (Pinaceae). ''Flora Neotropica Monograph'' 75: 221–224.
Conifers Around the World: ''Pinus maximartinezii – Martínez Pinyon Pine''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3308307 maximartinezii Edible nuts and seeds Endangered plants Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of Durango Flora of Jalisco Flora of Zacatecas