About Pinus arizonica Engelm.
Pinus arizonica Engelm., commonly called the Arizona pine, is a medium-sized pine species native to northern Mexico, and the areas of southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico, and western Texas in the United States. This tree reaches a height of 25 to 35 meters, with a maximum trunk diameter of 1.2 meters (equivalent to 3 feet 11 inches). Its needles grow in bundles of 3, 4, or 5, and fascicles with 5 needles are the most common. This needle bundle variability is thought to be a sign of hybridization with the closely related ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). Arizona pine cones may grow singly, in pairs, or in whorls of three, and measure 5 to 11 centimeters in length. This pine is harvested for construction timber and heavily cut for firewood. Widespread extensive cutting has reduced the range of the formerly widespread Arizona pine forests, with the most noticeable reduction occurring in Mexico.
