Scientific Name
Pinus discolor
The border pinyon is another drought tolerant pine tree whose identity as a separate species in the pinyon group has been debated in the past but seems secure for now. It’s a small tree or even a shrub in some cases whose habitat lies in the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico as well as along the eastern foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. Though its farthest north occurrence is about 70 miles south of Albuquerque, it thus far seems to be cold hardy in the Front Range climate. The needles are a little under 2 inches in length and occur mostly three to a bundle, though sometimes in 2 to 4. The seed cones are around 2 inches long.
This tree is very similar to Johann’s pine (Pinus johannis), another in the pinyon group, but that tree only occurs in Mexico along the Sierra Madre Oriental. The border pinyon at Regis is one of many trees donated to Regis by Denver Botanic Gardens for display and evaluation.