Himalayan blue pine, Bhutan pine, Blue Pine, Himalayan Pine, Qiao song, Kail, Yiro, Kaiar, Lim, Raisalla, Lamshing, Byans, Cheel, Dolchilla, Neet-kung, Tongschi, Lamshing
Pinus wallichiana

Family: Pinaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 22-36 m high and spreads 6-12 m wide. It can be 70 m tall. The trunk can be 1 m or more across. The crown is cone shaped. The first year branches are green and shiny with a faint white bloom. The leaves are blue-green. The needles are arranged in groups of five. They hang down. They are 11-18 cm long by 1 mm wide. They are soft. The cones are banana shaped. They hang down. They are 10-30 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. They are 5-9 cm wide when open. The seeds are brown or black. They are oval and 3-9 mm long by 4-5 mm wide. The wings are 1-3 cm wide and 8-9 mm thick.

There are over 100 species of Pinus.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. In China it grows in the mountains in the temperate rainforests between 1600-3300 m altitude in Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 6-9. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens, Launceston city Park, Kyneton Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Australia, Bhutan, Britain, China, Europe, France, Germany, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Italy, Kashmir, Mediterranean, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pakistan, Romania, SE Asia, Sikkim, Slovenia, South Africa, Tasmania, Tibet, Ukraine, USA, Yugoslavia

How it is used for food

A sappy exudate from the leaves and twigs hardens and is eaten. It is also added to honey. The tender layer of the stem just beneath the bark is edible. The seeds are sometimes eaten.

The seeds are especially eaten by children.

Edible parts

Seeds, nut, sap, manna, stem

How it is grown

Cones take 18 months to mature. In NW Pakistan seeds are collected in October.

Its other names

Local names

Cheeltu, Gobre sallo, Himalajski bor, Nashtar

Synonyms

Pinus excelsa Wallich ex D.Don (1828) not Lamarck(1778); Pinus griffithii M'Clelland (1854) not (J.D.Hooker) Parlatore (1868); Pinus nepalensis Chambray (1845) not J.Forbes (1839);