Pinus johannis

What to Eat

Edible parts: Seeds

The seeds are rich in oil and can be eaten raw or cooked. They are a reasonable size at about 12mm long. A vanillin flavouring is also obtained as a by-product of resins released from the pulpwood.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It suits USDA hardiness zones 8.

Central America, Mexico, North America, USA,

How to Identify

A compact evergreen tree reaching 10m tall. Foliage persists year-round with seeds ripening in October. The tree is monoecious and wind-pollinated but not self-fertile. It thrives in light sandy to medium loamy soils that are well-drained and tolerates poor nutritional content. Hardy to UK zone 8, it prefers mildly acid to neutral pH. Requires full sun and adapts to dry or moist soil with good drought tolerance.

How to Grow

Thrives in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils. Established plants tolerate drought. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c. Plants are often no more than multi-stemmed shrubs. This species is very closely related to P. discolor and perhaps not distinct from it. The cones open and shed their seed whilst still attached to the tree. Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus and sometimes self-sow in British gardens. Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby reducing the amount of plants that can grow under the trees. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Propagation: Sow seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, or in late winter if not. Stored seed benefits from a short stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c to improve germination. Seedlings should be planted into their permanent positions as soon as possible and protected for the first winter or two. Because the root system is very sparse, early transplanting is essential for good establishment. Plant trees when small, between 30 and 90cm — ideally at around 5–10cm tall. A thorough weed-excluding mulch greatly aids establishment. Larger transplants check badly and show little growth for several years, with poor root development and wind resistance as a result. Cuttings can be taken, but only from trees less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot. Disbudding the shoots several weeks before taking cuttings can help, though cuttings are generally slow to establish.

Medicinal Uses

Turpentine drawn from the resin of pine trees is antiseptic, diuretic, rubefacient, and vermifuge. Taken internally, it is a valuable remedy for kidney and bladder complaints, and is used both internally and as a rub or steam bath for rheumatic conditions. It benefits the respiratory system and is useful against mucous membrane diseases, coughs, colds, influenza, and TB. Externally, it treats skin complaints, wounds, sores, burns, and boils, applied via liniment plasters, poultices, herbal steam baths, and inhalers.

Other Uses

A tan or green dye can be obtained from the needles. The needles release a substance called terpene when washed by rain, which inhibits germination of some plants including wheat. Oleo-resins occur in the tissues of all pines, obtained by tapping the trunk or by destructive distillation of the wood; trees from warmer regions generally yield more. Turpentine makes up an average of 20% of the oleo-resin and is separated by distillation, with uses including as a solvent for waxes, in varnish, and medicinally. The remaining rosin is used by violinists on their bows and in sealing wax and varnish. Pitch derived from the resin is used for waterproofing and as a wood preservative.

Pinus johannis, the Johann's pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to North America. The range extends from southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico, United States, south in Mexico along the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental to southern Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí. It occurs at moderate to high altitudes, from 1,600–3,000 metres (5,200–9,800 ft), in cool, dry climate conditions.

Notes

There are over 100 species of Pinus.

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