Pinon:
The piñon (Pinus edulis) is the official State Tree. This sturdy, slow-growing little evergreen flourishes over a vast area of the state.
When the Spanish settlers arrived in New Mexico in the early sixteenth century, they found that the natives harvested the tiny, tasty nuts of the piñon. Every few years, the piñon produces a bumper crop of nuts (sometimes referred to as Indian nuts). When the cones of the tree open and drop the nuts, hundreds of New Mexicans scurry to go piñon picking before the jays steal them.
When the cold weather sets in, the distinctive incense of the burning piñon logs perfumes the air of villages and towns throughout the state.
The New Mexico Federation of Women's Clubs was asked to select the State Tree, and the piñon proved to be the historic favorite. On March 16, 1949, the State Legislature officially adopted the piñon as the State Tree.
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Courtesy of State of New Mexico
