Single-leaf pinyon is a slow-growing, drought-tolerant pine native to the arid southwestern United States, known as the only pine with single needles. It is grown mainly as a landscape or wildlife tree in dry, sunny sites with excellent drainage.
Family
Pinaceae (Pine family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply but infrequently once established; avoid summer irrigation in dry climates.
Soil
Well-drained, gritty or rocky soil; tolerates poor, alkaline soils.
Temperature
Hardy to about -25 °C; best in warm, dry summers with cool winters.
How easy
Hard
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
S. Idaho to SW. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate
About
Pinus monophylla, the single-leaf pinyon, (alternatively spelled piñon) is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to North America. The range is in southernmost Idaho, western Utah, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, Nevada, eastern and southern California and northern Baja California.
It occurs at moderate altitudes from 1,200 to 2,300 m (3,900 to 7,500 ft), rarely as low as 950 m (3,120 ft) and as high as 2,900 m (9,500 ft). It is widespread and often abundant in this region, forming extensive open woodlands, often mixed with junipers in the Pinyon-juniper woodland plant community. Single-leaf pinyon is the world's only one-needled pine.
Uses
The edible seeds, pine nuts, are collected throughout its range; Native American of the Great Basin region commonly ate them. Various birds and mammals eat the seeds as well. The roasted cones are also edible.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pinus monophylla by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.