Pinus edulis
Pinus edulis
Safety & Hazards
The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[ 222 Title A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Publication Author Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. Publisher Houghton Mifflin Co. Year 1990 ISBN 0395467225 Description A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties. ].
Botanical Description
Pinus edulis is an evergreen shrub or a tree with a dense, rounded crown; it can grow up to 21 metres tall. The erect bole is strongly tapering, around 60cm in diameter at breast height[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ]. This species is a major source of edible seeds for the native N. Americans who gather them in quantity from the wild and also trade them. The plant is also an excellent fuel and is traditionally used as a source of other foods, medicines and materials. Pinus edulis has a wide native range and a high population even though there is evidence of some decline due to clearance of pinyon-juniper woodland in favour of pastureland, and extensive recent dieback associated with repeated droughts and pine bark beetle infestations. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].