Pinus quadrifolia, the Parry pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group native to southernmost California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico, from 33° 30' N south to 30° 30' N. The Parry pinyon has a lifespan of around 200 to 500 years. It is usually found in rocky areas that often have thin soil. It occurs at moderate altitudes from to , rarely as low as and as high as . It is scarce and often scattered in this region, forming open woodlands, usually mixed with junipers. Other common names include nut pine and fourleaf pinyon pine. Description Pinus quadrifolia is a small to medium size tree, reaching tall and with a trunk diameter of up to , rarely more. The bark is thick, rough and scaly. The leaves (needles) are in fascicles of 4–5, moderately stout, long; glossy dark green with no stomata on the outer face, and a dense bright white band of stomata on the inner surfaces. The Parry pinyon begins to grow cones at around 10 to 20 years, and seed production is maximized at 50 or more years of age. The cones are globose, long and broad when closed, green at first, ripening yellow to orange-buff when 18–20 months old, with only a small number of thick scales, with typically 5–10 fertile scales. The cones open to broad when mature, holding the seeds on the scales after opening. The seeds are long, with a thin shell, a white endosperm, and a vestigial wing; they are dispersed by the pinyon jay, which plucks the seeds out of the open cones. The jay, which uses the seeds as a food resource, stores many of the seeds for later use, and some of these stored seeds are not used and are able to grow into new trees. In addition to birds, rodents and other mammals can distribute its seeds. Hybrids The Parry pinyon frequently hybridises with single-leaf pinyon (P. monophylla) where their ranges meet in southern California and northern Baja California. Hybrids are distinguished by intermediate features, with needles usually fascicles of 2–3 with some stomata on the outer surface. It has been suggested by some botanists that the holotype specimen of P. quadrifolia is itself from a hybrid; presumed pure, non-hybrid specimens having been given the new name Pinus juarezensis, the Juárez pinyon, after the Sierra de Juárez of northern Baja