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.
A few days of traipsing and hunting deer in the hills and all Petey can talk about is hearing his heart beat. Oh dear. ...
Petey loves Platanus wrightii and daydreams of streets lined in huge unruly sycamores. He’s a dreamer. Of course sycamores in the wild are magnificent,...
I like the way the family name Polemoniaceae just rolls off the tongue. What a delicious word to say. Oh, and I love the...
