Shrubs or trees to 15m; trunk to 0. diam., strongly tapering, much branched; crown rounded. Bark red-brown to dark brown, shallowly and irregularly furrowed, ridges broad, scaly. Branches spreading-ascending; twigs red-brown, sometimes finely papillate, aging gray to gray-brown. Buds ovoid to short cylindric, pale red-brown, 0.5--1.2cm, slightly resinous. Leaves (2--)3(--4) per fascicle, spreading to upcurved, persisting 3--4 years, 2-- ´ 0.6--0.9(--1)mm, connivent, 2--3-sided, blue-to gray-green, abaxial surface not conspicuously whitened with stomatal bands or if stomatal bands present, these less conspicuous than on adaxial surfaces, often with 2 subepidermal resin bands evident, adaxial surfaces conspicuously whitened with stomatal lines, margins entire to finely serrulate, apex narrowly conic or subulate; sheath 0.5--0.7cm, scales soon recurved, forming rosette, shed early. Pollen cones ellipsoid, to 10mm, yellow. Seed cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds and falling soon thereafter, spreading, symmetric, ovoid before opening, broadly depressed-ovoid to nearly globose when open, 1--3.5cm, pale yellow-to pale red-brown, resinous, nearly sessile or short-stalked; apophyses thickened, slightly domed, angulate, transversely keeled; umbo subcentral, slightly raised to depressed, truncate or umbilicate. Seeds ovoid to obovoid; body (7--)12--15(--20)mm, brown, wingless. 2 n =24.
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A small tree. It grows to 8 m high. It spreads 4.5 m wide. The crown is rounded. The leaves are short and grey-green. The cones are pale yellow and oval.
Pinyon-juniper woodland, foothills, mesas, tablelands; at elevations from 700-2,300metres. Hot arid mountain slopes above 2,000 metres, with juniper and scrub oak. Usually found in poor, shallow, rocky or gravelly soils.
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It is a temperate plant. Plants will grow on most soils. They need wind protection. It does well in arid soils. It cannot tolerate temperatures below-5°C. It suits hardiness zones 7-8.
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