Apache pine

Pinus macrophylla Engelmann in Wislizenus 1848, not Lindley 1839; P. apacheca Lemmon; P. latifolia Sargent

Trees to 35m; trunk to 0.6m diam., straight; crown irregularly rounded, rather thin. Bark dark brown, at maturity deeply furrowed, ridges becoming yellowish, of narrow, elongate, scaly plates. Branches straight to ascending; twigs stout (1--2cm thick), pale gray-brown, aging darker brown, rough. Buds ovoid-conic, to 2cm, resinous; scale margins pale fringed. Leaves 3(--5) per fascicle, spreading-ascending, often drooping, forming a brush at twig tips, persisting 2 years, (20--)25--45cm ´ 2mm, dull green, all surfaces with fine stomatal lines, margins coarsely serrulate, apex conic-subulate; sheath 3--4cm, base persistent. Pollen cones cylindric, ca. 25mm, yellow to yellow-brown. Seed cones maturing in 2 years and shedding seeds soon thereafter, not persistent, terminal, sometimes curved, often asymmetric, lance-ovoid before opening, ovoid when open, 11--14cm, light dull brown, nearly sessile or short-stalked; apophyses rhombic, somewhat to quite elongate, strongly raised toward outer cone base, sometimes curved, strongly cross-keeled, narrowed to thick, curved, broadly triangular-based umbo, this often producing outcurved claw. Seeds obovoid; body ca. 8--9mm, dark brown; wing to 20mm. 2 n =24.

High and dry mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus; 1500--2500m; Ariz., N.Mex.; Mexico.

In general appearance Pinus engelmannii much resembles P . palustris with its short-persistent, long leaves (but in this species drooping) and in its tendency to form a grass stage. It has a deep taproot as do P . palustris and P . ponderosa .