Name

Pinus gerardiana Wall ex D.Don, Descr. Pinus [Lambert] ed. 8, 2: 144 (1832).
[Chilgoza pine, Gerard’s pine]

Description

Notes

A member of the Asian nut pine group, it is cultivated in some areas for its edible seeds known as ‘Chilgoza’ nuts. It is similar to P. bungeana but widely separated geographically from it. It forms trees 10-20 m tall with densely rounded crowns. Bark is thin, silver-grey, flaking in plates to expose light greyish-green patches as in a plane tree. Needles are in 3s, and 6-10 cm long, stiffly spreading from twigs. The blunt, ovoid-oblong cones are 12-20 cm long, 7-11 cm wide, and very resinous. Scale ends are thick and woody, often reflexed with a recurved spine. The seeds are large, more than 20 mm long, with a very small wing. The needles are longer and finer than those of P. bungeana, and the cones are larger.

Natural Distribution

Himalayas, Kashmir, Tibet and North Afghanistan on dry gravelly sites in the mountains.