Pinyon Pine

A pine cone sticky with resin displays pine nuts on a two-needle pinyon pne.

NPS/

Two species of evergreen pinyon pines make Parashant their home, the two-needle pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and the single-leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla). Needles, or leafs, of this pine species are usually grouped two in a sheath, but the single-leaf pinyon only has one needle per sheath. Rough scaly branches extend from a trunk that is often twisted and warped with sticky pine gum resin on the surface.

Twenty to forty dark red male cones will grow in clusters at the end of the branches, while in female trees a solitary cone will form. Reproduction occurs by wind pollination and new seeds or pine nuts will not mature until the year following fertilization.

Eaten raw, roasted, or ground into flour, pine nuts were a staple of the Native American diet. Pine needles were also used for tea and in years when there was no other food, the inner bark was eaten to survive starvation conditions.