The botanical name of our 3 needle per fascicle (bundle) Chihuahuan pine is Pinus leiophylla var. chihuahuana. Further south into Mexico where the 5 needle version occurs it becomes Pinus leiophylla var. leiophylla. Some botanists, by the way, list the variety as a subspecies. Well, either way it’s really a neat native pine here in the borderlands.
The photos are mine and taken in the Chiricahua Mountains where we were wandering around looking for a Christmas tree. Below is a photo of large sprout coming off a pine trunk. It was an area that burned during the 2011 Horseshoe Two Fire and some of the surviving fire damaged trees put out large crown-like sprouts. That’s fascinating and unusual for a pine species. And now you know.
l like the genus name Amoreuxia. I think it may be the “euxia” part that feels so pleasant to say. And the specific epithet...
The botanical name of Wright’s Beebrush is Aloysia wrightii. It used to be Lippia wrightii, well actually it has gone back and forth, but...
The desert bighorn is found in the arid regions of the western and southwestern US and across the border in Mexico. Its scientific name...
