Pinus edulis Engelm.

Away from its native range and the arid southwestern United States more generally, Pinus edulis is rare in cultivation, and for an attractive tree with very tasty nuts and huge cultural significance to Native Americans, this is surprising. Like all the pinyon group it has great potential as a relatively compact, densely furnished shrubby tree for landscaping, particularly in arid places, and it is indeed used for this purpose in its native range and adjacent areas (Lanner 1981, Nold 2008). It is now commercially available in the United Kingdom, but older specimens are rare in Europe. One at Edinburgh dating from before 1969 is the most venerable traced, but it is a poor plant (M. Gardner, pers. comm. 2007). There are larger, happier trees at Kew and the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. It is also grown at Pinetum Anthoine, Jamioulx, Belgium, along with the dwarf selection ‘Juno’ from Kenwith Nursery in Devon. The related P. monophylla is another attractive, tolerant but horticulturally under-used dryland pine that deserves more attention (Nold 2008).

Bean’s Trees and Shrubs

[as P. cembroides var. edulis (Engelm.) Voss]

Leaves chiefly in pairs instead of threes and rather thicker; otherwise scarcely differing from typical P. cembroides. Native mainly of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, but also occurring in northern Mexico. It is a pleasing small tree of neat dense habit, but very rare in gardens.