Pinus culminicola Andresen & Beaman

Scientific Name and Growth Form

Pinus culminicola Andresen & Beaman is a medium-sized shrub that grows 1.5 to 5 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 25 centimeters.

Bark Characteristics

Its bark is grey-brown, thin, and scaly at the base of the trunk.

Needle Arrangement

Its leaves, called needles, grow in bundles of five.

Needle Morphology

The needles are slender, 3 to 5.5 centimeters long, and colored deep green to blue-green; stomata are restricted to a bright white band on their inner surfaces.

Closed Cone Size and Shape

The species produces globose cones that are 3 to 4 centimeters long and wide when closed.

Cone Color and Ripening Period

Cones start out green, and ripen to yellow-brown after 16 to 18 months.

Cone Scale Characteristics

They only have a small number of thin, fragile scales, typically 6 to 14 of which are fertile.

Mature Cone Behavior

When mature, the cones open to 4 to 6 centimeters wide, and retain the seeds on their scales after opening.

Seed Morphology

The seeds are 9 to 12 millimeters long, with a thick shell, a white endosperm, and a small underdeveloped wing that measures 1 to 2 millimeters.

Seed Dispersal Agents

Seeds are dispersed by Clark's nutcrackers and Mexican jays, which pluck seeds out of the open cones.

Seed Use and Germination

The jays use these seeds as a major food source, store many of the collected seeds for later use, and some of these unused stored seeds are able to grow into new plants.