Chir Pine, Long-leaved Indian Pine
Pinus roxburghii

Family: Pinaceae

What it is like

An evergreen pine. It is a tree. It can be 55 m tall. The trunk is over 1 m across. The bark is dark red-brown and thick. It is deeply cracked along its length and scaly. The leaves occur in bundles of 3. They are 10-20 cm long by 1.5 mm wide. They are like threads. They are pointed. There is a persistent sheath on 2-3 cm of the base. The male cones are cylindrical and yellow. The female cones are brown. They are 10-20 cm long by 6-9 cm wide. The seed scales are oblong, thick and stiff. The seeds are nearly 1 cm long. They have wings about 2.5 cm wide.

There are over 100 species of Pinus.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in Nepal between 800-1400 m altitude. It grows on dry slopes. In China it grows in the mountains between 2100-2200 m altitude in Xixang. In Uttar Pradesh in India it grows between 600-2800 m altitude. Hobart Botanical gardens, Melbourne Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 6-11. Arboretum Tasmania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Australia, Bhutan, Canada, China, East Africa, Himalayas, India, Kashmir, Mozambique, Nepal, North America, Northeastern India, NW India, Pakistan, Sikkim, Tasmania, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are roasted and eaten. They are also eaten raw. A sweet manna exudes from the bark and twigs and is eaten.

The seeds are used as a famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds, manna

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

It is fast growing. The cones open after 25 months from fertilization.

Its other names

Local names

Aule salla, Cheeltu, Cheer, Chil, Chir, Emodi pine, Himalayan long-leaved pine, Khote sallo, Koluin, Kulain, Matichapatak, Nakhtar, Rani salla, Salla, Sallo, Sallo khote, Sallu, Sarala, Sirali, Xu mi chang ye song

Synonyms

Pinus longifolia Roxb. ex Lamb.;