Korean Nut Pine, Cedar Pine, Chinese pinenut
Pinus koraiensis

Family: Pinaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows to 50 m tall. The trunk is 1 m across. The bark is grey-brown. It is cracked along its length into irregular plates. The young branches are red-brown. There are 5 needles per bundle. They are dark green and straight. The are triangle shape in cross section. They are 6-12 cm long. The seed cones can occur singly or as several clustered together near the end of a first year branch. They are erect and have a stalk 1-1.5 cm long. The cone is oval to oblong and 9-14 cm long by 6-8 cm wide. The seeds are exposed but not shed at maturity. The seeds are oval or triangle shaped and 1.2-1.6 cm across. They do not have wings.

There are over 100 species of Pinus.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in the mountains in N China between 200-1800 m altitude. It grows naturally in river valleys and on low mountain slopes. It is very hardy. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. Arboretum Tasmania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Britain, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Russia, Siberia, Tasmania, USA

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten raw or roasted. They are used in candies, sweet cakes, rice desserts, and savoury dishes. The pollen is used in cookies. The green cones are used for making wine. The seeds are finely ground and the powder sprinkled on food.

Large amounts are exported from China.

Edible parts

Seeds, cones, nut

How it is grown

It is fast growing.

Its other names

Local names

Hong song, Channamu

Synonyms

Apinus koraiensis (Siebold & Zuccarini) Moldenke; Pinus mandschurica Ruprecht; Pinus prokoraiensis Y.T.Zhao et al; Strobus koraiensis (Sielbold & Zuccarini) Moldenke;