Piñon Pine: Tastiest tree in the Southwest

Euell Gibbons may have proclaimed the piñon nut “the most palatable wild food.”

As you approach Santa Fe, you may notice hillsides covered with shrubby piñon trees. Nothing quite says you are in the Southwest as the crisp air carrying the scent of piñon pine. The smell of it burning wafts across the plaza in downtown Santa Fe. Plenty of stores carry piñon pine specialties, like piñon brittle, candies, nuts roasted with chile, and piñon coffee.

This species features in the traditions, legends, and ceremonies of many Southwestern cultures as described in a 1930s pamphlet from the National Parks Service. It may have been a major source of protein for Native Americans, including the Utes. For a modern discussion of the significance of the piñon to the Apache, this short blog includes a video and mentions piñon branches as smudge sticks. According to the site Pinenut.com, the nuts have had an economic benefit to the Navajo and in the 1930’s provided “more than the combined value of both rugs and silver which they produced.”

Piñon pine, Pinus edulis, is also known as Colorado piñon, Pinyon, common pinyon, New Mexico pinyon, Colorado pinyon, mesa pinyon, two-leaf pinyon, two-needle pine, nut pine, Rocky Mountain pinon, and Pino dulce. The preferred spelling, piñon, is Spanish and is interchangeable with most of the variations above. Although the USDA shows the trees throughout the Southwest, other sources indicate they are found primarily in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. This discrepancy could be related to the existence of related species such as the single-leaf piñon, Pinus monophylla. Sibley* and others note the various species hybridize, making identification difficult.

Pinus edulis, the state tree of New Mexico, are “bushy” trees. They are slow growing but long-lived, possibly living up to 1000 years. The oldest verified tree was dated at 973 years, while the largest is located near Santa Fe, NM. As an alternate name suggests, this pine has two leaves in a fascicle, with the needles usually between 0.6 and 2.0 inches in length. The cones of the piñon are small, about an inch in diameter, and very round.* This species may not produce any cones until the trees are a quarter century old, with good seed production not starting until the specimen is 75 to 100 years old. As the fertilized seeds are comparatively heavy and not disbursed far by the wind, the species is dependent on birds to sow the seeds. Four species are primarily involved in this task: Clark’s nutcracker, Steller’s jay, Mexican jay, and the pinyon jay.

Although the seeds are what this species is known for, it is hard to beat its wood for a fire. The aroma is distinctive and quite pleasant. According to many sources, it provides nearly as many BTUs as hardwoods and has been called the “hardwood of soft woods.” Unfortunately, most sources lump piñon in with other pines, which might make sense on the national level. The benefits of burning in areas where it is available should not be overlooked. It is often cited as the best wood for chimineas.

The sap, or pitch, of the piñon has been used by Native Americans in the Southwest for various tasks such as mending cracks in bowls, waterproofing baskets, and as an adhesive. The medical uses of piñon are, in general, lumped in with the properties of other pines. A tea of the needles is used to ward off scurvy** or for its expectorant effect***. The inner bark could be used to dress burns and other skin conditions. Piñon is said to have an antiseptic quality. These last two factors are why it is used to make natural salves today. Mother Earth News suggests the antiseptic qualities make it a good bathroom cleaner and air freshener.

Today the nuts themselves are the stars of the piñon tree. Multiple places proclaim their nutritional value, from saying they are as protein rich as beef, to suggesting they may be a good source of polyunsaturated and monosaturated oils.

My first encounter with piñon nuts involved the difficulty of shelling them. My friends who had gone to college in Santa Fe, insisted the best way to crack them was with your teeth. Although this method is okay if you are going to ingest them raw or roasted for yourself, the idea of cracking nuts with that method and cooking with them for others seemed objectionable to me!

According to an undated article in New Mexico Magazine, a secret shelling machine was invented by the founder of Buffett’s, an Albuquerque mainstay since 1956. The article also states you can purchase shelled piñon from them but I was not able to find any for sale on their site at this time, shelled or not. You ARE still able to buy piñon candy from them, including piñon brittle.

Numerous sites discuss the differences between “hard shell” nuts, those which are from Pinus edulis, and the soft shell nuts, Pinus monophylla, or Nevada nuts. The nuts of Pinus monophylla are larger, more resinous, and not considered as tasty. Euell Gibbons may have proclaimed the piñon nut “the most palatable wild food.” Many websites warn against buying Nevada nuts when you are after piñons. The New Mexico Piñon Nut Company ships nuts. Pinenut.com explained the 2021 supply is limited as the quarantine kept pickers out of the trees.

Not only the Native American population of the Southwest harvests piñon; many Hispanic families also gather the nuts in the fall. In many areas of New Mexico you see cars parked along the interstate and people scurrying amongst the trees. Harvesting your own nuts is the most economical. Although it is legal to gather nuts for your personal use in certain areas, it is best to know the laws. Some people shake the trees to remove the nuts or cones, but the traditional method is to pick off the ground as seen in this short video. Less traditional methods of picking and preparing nuts are discussed in this article where the author suggests breaking open the nuts with a rolling pin.

Although most articles mention eating the pine nuts raw or roasted, recipes for their use abound. Fancy recipes such as pine nut soup, pine-encrusted pork, and a chocolate tart are including in this article from New Mexico Magazine. A number of recipes including candy and cookies can be found here. Native American Feast Day cookies feature piñons.

The piñon pine has also been used as a Christmas tree, living or cut. As is true for other features of the piñon, most lists of best trees for Christmas neglect to mention the species. New Mexico State University recommends them as having a good shape and says they are easily available for residents to cut. Every once in a while another publication will mention this conifer as a holiday possibility such as this bulletin from Washington state, which seems a bit out of their natural range!

A recent article discusses threats against piñon nuts and the trees themselves: climate change and cheap imports from other countries. Recent droughts have weakened the trees, which then are attacked by the ips, or bark, beetle. A study from California found higher temperatures decreased the viability of piñon pollen., while other studies have implicated heat death as the cause of the loss of between 40 and 80 percent of the trees. Not only are the trees and nuts endangered, but up to three quarters of the bird population may have disappeared in a decade.

Although it does little to solve the larger problem of the demise of the trees, it is still possible to use the logs as firewood if measures are made to destroy remaining beetles. In another glimmer of hope, the study mentioned above about the effect of heat, mentions a fungus that often grows with piñons may confer some drought protection.

By some reports nut harvests have decreased in yield by nearly seventy-five percent in less than fifty years. Indeed not all of the decline in piñon economy can be assigned to the change in climate. More than one article mentions the penchant for bulldozing trees in favor of ranchland or mineral and oil development as another factor leading to the decrease in productive piñons. The lower cost of imports doesn’t help the case for gathering the increasingly scare native product, either. In 2020-21 the cost of the nuts soared due to Covid-19 keeping pickers away.

In a 2014 publication, Rocky Mountain Forests at Risk, the authors discuss the importance of iconic trees in the Rockies and show possible scenarios related to drought, heat, and wildfire. They state the piñon-juniper woodlands are the most extensive type of forest land in the United States. They also mention piñons cultural significance as well as its role in water quality.

The Colorado pinyon (or piñon) pine in Fort Collin’s City Park

The Colorado pinyon (Pinus Edulis) can be found in City Park just northwest of Club Tico and across the road, near a power box. There are only two conifers in that area, and both appear to be piñon pines.

* David Allen Sibley, The Sibley Guide to Trees (Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, p.12)

**Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies (Lone Pine Publishing, 2000, p.36)

*** Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2003, p. 196)

Bristlecone Pine–Cursed Tree or one That Changed History?

They are slow growers and may add as little as one 1/100 an inch of girth in a year

There are two species of bristlecone pine, both native to the southwestern United States. Pinus aristata, known as the Rocky Mountain bristlecone, hickory pine, or Colorado bristlecone, grows in the mountains of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Pinus longaeva, native to Utah, Nevada, and California, is called either Great Basin bristlecone or Intermountain bristlecone. Both species are long-lived, but the Intermountain Bristlecone holds the record as possibly the oldest living specimen on earth. At first glance the name bristlecone seems to be due to the small branches with their short, stiff leaves which cause them to look a bit like bottle brushes. A third moniker for the Colorado Bristlecone is foxtail pine due to branches resembling those of foxes.

Close up of a branch — Small branches looking somewhat like a bottle brush

Originally both species were classified as foxtail pines (Pinus balfouriana) but were reclassified in the 1800s and the two types of bristlecone were further distinguished in the the 1960s. The actual reason longaeva and aristata are called bristlecone pines is due to a bristle on the young cone.

Both species belong to the five-needled or white pine group of Pinus. In Colorado, bristlecones typically grow from an altitude of 8300 to 13000 feet (Ackerfield.**) At higher altitudes they are slow growers. According to one source they may add as little as 1/100th of girth in a year. Often bristlecones grow with both limber pines and Engelmann spruce and sometimes near treeline with common juniper. Their seeds are tiny. Unlike most other pine species, they are winged. The trees do not produce seeds until they are between ten and forty years old, but may continue to reproduce throughout their extremely long lives. Most references mention these evergreens retain their needles for many years, with one article stating the needles may persist for decades. Often the needles are sprinkled with white resin spots, making the tree look like it has suffered a case of dandruff.

Bristlecone closeup — Close up of a branchlet of a bristlecone pine

When discussing edibility or medicinal use of the bristlecone, sources such as Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies (Kershaw, Linda, 2000) and Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West (Moore, Michael, 2003) tend to lump them in with other five-needled pines. Both sources mention pine needle teas to enjoy or use for coughs and fevers. Both sources warn an excess of the tea may be detrimental, especially to pregnant women. Pines may also provide resin and be used for firewood, although in national parks, all bristlecone pines are protected.

Dirr and Warren* mention the bristlecone for the landscape, especially in dry areas with poor soil. They do need full sun and are usually sold as cultivars. In the yard they may have the look of whimsical holiday trees. At higher altitudes they have the appearance of large pieces of misplaced driftwood.

Although Pinus aristata has evolved numerous survival mechanisms, and the ability to adapt to hardships may be part of the secret to its longevity, climate change may be playing a part in new dangers to these old trees. In the early 2000s, bristlecone pines were documented to have died from mountain pine beetle infestations. White pine blister rust and dwarf mistletoe are also known to endanger these long-lived trees.

A Pinus longaeva specimen known as Prometheus was counted as nearing 4900 years when it was cut down by graduate student Don Currey. There are various stories about how exactly this tree was destroyed with the exact facts in dispute. A full reckonning of the acrimony and confusion surrounding the Great Basin bristlecone pine designated as WPN-114 has many facets of today’s fights about climate change. To make the death of this tree a greater tragedy, when the pith of the tree was sent to the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree Ring Research after Don Currey’s death, a more precise dating of the tree was determined. Now some estimate Prometheus may have been 5100 years old.

In a piece developed for Radiolab, the hosts play a recording of Don Currey telling part of the story of WPN-114’s demise. The piece on Prometheus begins around 15:00 minutes. Although interesting, there appears to be at least one mistake in the update. Prometheus lived in the Snake Mountains in what is now Great Basin National Park, while the White Mountains and the disputed new oldest tree is in California.

In 2014 the artist Jeff Weiss produced an exhibit, or as he calls it “a thing,” to mark the 50th anniversary of the cutting down of this great tree. (There is a film about this “thing” discussing the history of the tree and the art; the story starts around 9:48. Although the information is overall interesting, there are a lot of extraneous comments.)

Another Pinus longaeva, Methuselah, is a mere fifty years younger and still living. And a third, even older tree is rumored to have been located by the same man (Edmund Shulman) who found Methuselah, but this has not been verified. The tree is said to be living in an undisclosed area of the White Mountains and was 5067 years old in 2019. The oldest Rocky Mountain bristlecone, which is located in Colorado, is a mere 2436 (in 2020) years of age.

According to the Gymnosperm Database, the largest specimen of Pinus aristata is located in New Mexico. The tree may be of dwarf stature at high elevations but may reach 40′ at lower altitudes. The 2018 champion tree in Colorado was found in the San Isabel forest and reached a height of 59′, about twenty feet higher than the next candidate. Lower altitude trees may not reach the great ages of their counterparts closer to treelike. They may become victims of heart-rot, decreasing their longevity to around 300 years.

Bristlecone bark — Bark of the Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine

The Rocky Mountain bristlecone’s relative, the Great Basin bristlecone pine has also played a part in calibrating carbon dating techniques and helped correct the historical record. This was done by overlapping tree ring patterns from living tree core samples and intact patterns of deadwood. This technique has enabled dendrochronologists, archeologists, and historians to examine climatic and other patterns over 10,000 years and has earned the Intermountain bristlecone pine the moniker the Tree that Rewrote History. Here is a link to a 2009 poetic documentary, The Oldest Tree on Earth: The Curse of the Methuselah Tree. It includes a clip of Don Currey discussing the cutting of Prometheus and information from the person who claims to have found an even older specimen.

The curse of the bristlecones implies those who touch/cut the trees will have brief lives. Edmund Shulman who cored Methuselah in the 1950s died at 49, while a 32-year-old Forest Service employ who helped carry a slab of Prometheus off the mountain suffered a heart attack on the way down and died. Currey, who one would assume would be the most cursed, died at 70, diminishing the likelihood of a curse in my mind. A highly recommended 2020 New Yorker article by Alex Ross, “The Past and Future of the Earth’s Oldest Trees,” discusses the curse, dendrochronology, the controversy over the bristlecone’s possible submission to climate change, and other aspects of this species.

bristlecone against the sky — Colorado Bristlecone pine hiding amongst the spruces.

To find C170 Pinus aristata in City Park, go to the intersection of Mulberry Street and Sheldon Drive. On the northeast corner is a small grove of trees including some spruce and deciduous trees. The shortest of the conifers should be the Colorado Bristlecone pine. Last I looked, I did not see its tag. This tree was planted in 1978 when it had a diameter of eight inches.

*The Tree Book:Superior Selections for Landscapes, Streetscapes, and Gardens (Dirr, Michael and Warren, Keith, 2019)

**Flora of Colorado (Ackerfield, Jennifer, 2015)

Junipers–Edible, Medicinal, Drinkable, Literary, and Magical!

Want a suggestion on how to make a Bloody Mary without alcohol?

P1220135 — Bark of the Rocky Mountain Juniper

Juniperus is the largest of the genus in family Cupressaceae and consists of at least 55 species. Four species are mapped in City Park. Four species are also native to Colorado, three of which are marked in the park. The fourth, Juniperus communis is a low-spreading shrub. (Flora of Colorado, Ackerfield, 2015.)

The junipers, often mistakenly called cedars, were used by many Native American tribes. Rocky Mountain Juniper branches were used for purification, the red colored wood for lance shafts and bows. The Cheyenne were said to prize the wood for flutes. The boughs were used to line sweat lodges, and a few tribes bathed their horses in water steeped with juniper to give their coats a high sheen. It may also have been a dandruff deterrent.

The berries, which are actually the seed cones of the plant, could be dried and strung for necklaces. An ingenious way of producing a hole in the berry was to allow ants to eat out the sweet inner core. Smoked they turned black. Dyes can be made from the roots and berries. One source mentions that the wood is used in making pencils.

Mythology says that juniper boughs have been used to ward off devils and witches, while dreaming of the berries had symbolic meaning. Giving berries as gifts conferred honor on the recipient.

Of course, there were numerous uses of the berries as both food and medicine, but not only in Native American cuisine. In Europe they are used to flavor German sauerkraut and Swedish pickles, as well as to cut the gaminess of venison and other meats. One of the best known uses for juniper berries is in making gin. Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies (Kershaw, 2000) includes an easy recipe for making a Tricky Mary, a virgin Bloody Mary in which you allow juniper berries to flavor tomato juice.

Medicinal uses include the ubiquitous cure for a cold and other chest aliments, as a digestive aid, and for inflammation. According to Edible & Medicianal Plants of the Rockies a berry tea has been used to prevent pregnancy and also as a hunger suppressant. The berries were used by practitioners in the Middle Ages to help ward off Black Death.

At the same time that many books and sites on the Internet provide recipe ideas for the berries, most also warn against large doses, especially for pregnant women. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies warns that over ingesting can result in convulsions and kidney failure while oil applied topically may case blistering. Even those who tout natural remedies warn against eating the berries without knowing what you are doing. At least one species is identified as a known toxin.

Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) is native throughout Colorado other than the most eastern counties. Trees can grow even in Weld and Logan counties. Rocky Mountain Juniper grow through most western states except California. One clue to its habitat range may be that it does not tolerate high humidity. This species was used in ways similar to the general discussion above.

The twigs and branches of Juniperus scopulorum are an important food source for the elk and deer of the region, while the berries are an important part of the diet of many smaller males and bird.

P1220130 — Twigs and leaves of Rocky Mountain Juniper

The One-Seed Juniper is native to the American Southwest. Its range includes southwest Colorado (Flora of Colorado, Ackerfield, 2015). Its name is derived from the fact that its cones (berries) normally have but one seed each. The plant is common in the higher elevations of New Mexico and due to its long tap root, is able to survive in drier areas. The Santa Fe Botanic Gardens Newsletter says the ash from this tree is still used in Navajo wool dyeing as well as part of traditional Pueblo food recipes. The branches and smoke from burning juniper are also part of various ceremonies. Other sources mention that the bark was used to make mats and cloth.

P1220120 — Leaves and cones of the One-seed Juniper

The Utah Juniper grows naturally in nine of the western states, including Colorado. Again, it is not native to Larimer County. Canyonlands National Parks says this “indomitable Juniper” can grow in “an environment of baking heat, bone-chilling cold, intense sunlight, little water and fierce winds.”

The Alpine Nature Center in Alpine, Utah, provides a chart of the differences between the Rocky Mountain Juniper and the Utah Juniper.

Most of the distinguishing characteristics are related to color and shape. For instance, the bark of the Rocky Mountain juniper has a reddish hue while that of the Utah is more gray. This is barely discernible in the photos accompanying this post. The biggest difference might be that both male and female cones are born on the Utah Juniper while the Rocky Mountain junipers have distinct male and female trees. The aforementioned site claims a yeast in the berries is what is important to the gin making process. It also includes a recipe using juniper berries as the starter for a sourdough!

P1280144 — The grayer bark of the Utah Juniper

I’ve been aware of a literary journal called Alligator Juniper for some time and always thought it was an odd name until I learned it was named after the Alligator Juniper tree.

Its habitat in the US includes only Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. One look at its bark, and it is easy to understand where it got its name.

PA080056 — The patchy, scaly bark of the Alligator Juniper

This species has both male and female trees, with only the berries/cones on the female tree worth eating. The male pollen cones are the reason this tree is listed as a moderate allergen.

PC120222 — Male pollen cones on the Alligator Juniper three

According to a post about the trees in Texas, this is a slow grower. One interesting study of the effects of climate change has shown that the Alligator Juniper has “crept” to higher elevations over the last fifty years.

The mentioned uses of the berries and other parts of the tree coincide with those of other junipers, although some reports for this specific species mention how strong the juniper taste is. For those of you interested in boutique spirits, at least one company is making a gin with Alligator Juniper berries known as Mt. Lemmon Gin. The Zuni use it as incense.

How to find the Junipers:

E60: Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) Find the tagged specimen on the other side of the fence in front of the miniature train station. It is across from Club Tico on City Park Drive.

D199 One-seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma). This tree is located along the east side of Sheldon Lake between the lake and the road, near the Douglas Fir and the frog statues. One author mentioned that One-seed Junipers look somewhat like Arborvitae, so look for a squat conifer.

C127 Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). This specimen is located between playing fields on the S side of City Park Drive as you head toward the Jackson Street exit. If you are driving east from the junipers mentioned above, cross Sheldon Drive and park about two-thirds of the way to the exit, near a group of trees that are encircled with bricks. You will need to walk as the tree is a short distance from the road. I was not able to locate the tag, but after reading that the Utah juniper produces both seed cones (berries) and pollen cones, it seemed obvious that this is the correct tree.

P1280148 — Look closely to see the brown pollen and the blue seed cones of the Utah Juniper

To find C157, Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana), you could walk south from the Utah Juniper toward the corner of W. Mulberry and Jackson to a small clump of trees. You could also drive and park just S of the intersection of W. Magnolia and Jackson. This smaller conifer seems set off by itself. To find the tag, you need to walk into the branches.