Range of Pinus maximartinezii (Farjon & Styles 1997). Locations shown are approximate; see Perry (1991) for details on the difficulties of finding these pines in the wild.
Adapted from a map by www.expediamaps.com.

PHOTO at the CAMCORE website.

Common names

Martínez piñon (Lanner 1981), maxipiñon.

Taxonomic notes

Type: Zacatecas, Sierra de Morones, W of Pueblo Viejo, 25-Jan-1964, Rzedowski 18258 (holotype, MEXU) (Rzedowski 1964). Allied to P. pinceana and a little less closely to P. rzedowskii. A recent (1999) analysis found that although the population is currently critically small, it may have been even smaller in the recent past: "Significant gametic disequilibrium ... at several pairs of loci in both maternal and paternal gametes ... is in agreement with an origin from an extreme bottleneck, perhaps even a single seed. Furthermore, it demands that the event be relatively recent. The number of generations, as calculated from the observed mean disequilibrium, suggested that maxipiñon derived from an extreme bottleneck four to five generations ago, which is less than 1000 years in this species" (Ledig et al. 1999).

Description

A tree to 16 m tall and 40 cm dbh (M.P. Frankis, field notes, Nov-1991). Bark smooth pale grey at first, becoming thinly scaly grey-brown on mature trees. Crown broad, with irregular branches. Leaves blue-green, in fascicles of 5, sheath mostly deciduous but the small basal sheath scales persisting; 6-12 cm long, about 0.8-1 mm thick, with white stomatal bands on the inner faces and a glossy green outer face. Cones huge, massive, pendulous on surprisingly slender peduncles 1-3 cm long and only 6-8 mm thick; oval-cylindric, 14-23 (-26) cm long, 10-12 cm broad, green ripening pale brown and opening to 11-14 cm broad; up to 2 kg when green (Perry 1991). Scales massive, 35-50 mm broad, 20 mm thick, apophysis pyramidal, with an unarmed knoblike 10-15 mm wide umbo. Seeds very large, 22-26 mm (the largest of any pine), orange-buff, wing 1-2 mm, vestigial, remaining attached to the scale when seed removed (Rzedowski 1964; M.P. Frankis, field notes, Nov-1991). Seeds do not fall naturally from cone, but are dispersed by birds (Lanner 1981). Cones mature in August, about 27-28 months after pollination (M.P. Frankis, field notes, Nov-1991; from conversations with villagers in Pueblo Viejo), an unusually long period. Seedlings have up to 24 cotyledons on germination (the most of any plant), and continue to produce juvenile foliage only for several years, with nodding white shoots and single 3-4 cm leaves, strongly glaucous.

Range

Mexico: S Zacatecas, from ca. 12 km SW to a few km W of Juchipila. It is found in scattered stands across an area of about 5-10 km² on ridges and E-facing slopes of the Sierra de Morones (Farjon and Styles 1997), in montane dry forest at 1900-2200 m altitude (Perry 1991). These trees represent a single population, numbering approximately 2000 to 2500 mature individuals in an area of 400 hectares (Ledig et al. 1999). USDA hardiness zone 9.

"A total population of fewer than 10,000 trees exists... Regeneration is poor, possibly because the seeds are collected in considerable numbers for food. Cattle grazing and fires also pose threats. The land is privately owned but formal protection measures are being considered." (World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Trees database).

Big Tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

See Perry (1991) for details of access; the best trees with the largest cones grow at higher altitudes on the Sierra; low altitude trees are stunted by drought and only bear smaller cones (M.P. Frankis, field notes, Nov-1991).

Remarks

A very attractive tree. In cultivation under glass, leaves up to 23 cm long may be produced.

This species is listed as endangered by the Mexican government (NOM-ECOL-059-94).

Citations

Ledig, F. T., M. T. Conkle, B. Bermejo, T. Eguiluz, P. Hodgskiss, D. R. Johnson, and W. S. Dvorak. 1999. Evidence for an extreme bottleneck in a rare Mexican pinyon: genetic diversity, disequilibrium, and the mating system in Pinus maximartinezii. Evolution 53(1):91-99. Abstract available at http://www2.ncsu.edu/camcore/Pubs.htm (accessed 23-Jun-2000).

Rzedowski, J. 1964. Una especie nueva de pino piñonero del estado de Zacatecas (Mexico). Ciencias (Mexico) 23: 17-20.

See Also

Donahue, J.K. and Carlos Mar López. 1995. Observations on Pinus maximartinezii Rzedowski. Madroño 42(1): 19-25. Abstract: Pinus maximartinezii is a rare pinyon pine with a natural range restricted to one site in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. Based on recent field reconnaissance, the entire distribution has been determined to be approximately 400 hectares. The speciesŐ altitudinal distribution is 1600 to 2550 meters above sea level. The population size is estimated to be approximately 2000 to 2500 mature individuals. Observations on the speciesŐ reproductive cycle and site and soil characteristics are included in this report.

Dvorak, W.S., T.K. Stanger, and J.L. Romero. 2000. Pinus maximartinezii. Pp. 95-105 in Conservation & Testing of Tropical & Subtropical Forest Tree Species by the CAMCORE Cooperative. Raleigh, NC: College of Natural Resources, NCSU.

The Nature Conservancy. 1996. Natural Heritage Central Database. (Status and distribution data on Latin American plants, developed in collaboration with Latin American Conservation Data Centers and Missouri Botanical Garden.).

Vovides, A.P. 1981. Lista preliminar de plantas Mexicanas raras o en peligro de extinción. Biotica 6(2): 219-228.

Description prepared by M.P. Frankis, Jan-1999.

This page is from the Gymnosperm Database
URL: http://www.conifers.org/pi/pin/maximartinezii.htm
Edited by Christopher J. Earle
Last modified on 2007.11.12