 The cones open to broad when mature.The seeds are long, with a thick shell, with a vestigial wing; the seedlings have 18–24 cotyledons, the highest number reported for any plant.Because of its isolation in a remote area, it escaped discovery until 1964, when the Mexican botanist Jerzy Rzedowski noticed some unusually large pine nuts ("piñones") sold in the markets of local villages, and investigated the area to find their source.