Pinus wallichiana seed

LATIN NAME: Pinus wallichiana

COMMON NAME: Himalayan Pine, Bhutan Pine, Wallich Pine

The Bhutan pine is a majestic tree of the high Himalaya, and its long, drooping needles give it a soft and graceful beauty. It grows as a large, evergreen conifer, reaching up to fifty metres, with a straight trunk and a broad, open crown of long, slender, drooping needles, borne in fives, in a soft blue-green, and large, cylindrical, resinous cones, which hang from the branches. It is a tree of the great mountain valleys, growing at 1,800 to 4,300 metres, and it is one of the most beautiful and graceful of the pines, prized in gardens and parks for its soft, elegant habit.

The Bhutan pine belongs to the pine family, Pinaceae, and it is native to the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains, from eastern Afghanistan across northern Pakistan and northwest India to Yunnan in southwest China. It grows in mountain valleys at high altitudes, reaching large sizes.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Bhutan pine has a genuine and growing place in both forestry and botanical research. It is an important timber tree of the Himalaya, and it has been studied in forestry science, with researchers examining its growth, its wood and its management in the mountain forests where it grows, where it is a key species for timber and for the protection of the watersheds. The tree has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of the high mountain valleys of the Himalaya, and researchers have examined its role in the mountain forests and its responses to the changing climate, which makes it of interest in research on high-mountain ecosystems. The species has also been studied in horticulture, since it is one of the most beautiful of the pines, prized for its long, drooping needles, and it is grown in parks and large gardens in suitable climates. For a pine of such beauty and such mountain importance, the Bhutan pine has a rich and growing record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the Bhutan pine is a keystone of the Himalayan forest. Its cones and seeds feed birds and small mammals, its broad evergreen crown gives shelter, and its deep roots hold the steep mountain slopes and protect the watersheds, while it is a majestic presence in the high valleys.

Its economic value is real and considerable. It is an important timber tree of the Himalaya, used for construction and other work, and it is a beautiful ornamental pine, prized in parks and large gardens for its long, drooping needles, while it is valuable for the protection of mountain watersheds. For a grower, the Bhutan pine is a valuable and majestic tree, and for a gardener it brings soft, graceful elegance to a large garden. The seeds are easy — sow them in a pot of free-draining compost in spring, keep them lightly covered in a sunny spot and water them gently, and they’ll sprout within a few weeks, growing on steadily into a graceful tree with its long, drooping needles.

Pinus wallichiana is a coniferous evergreen tree native to the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains, from eastern Afghanistan east across northern Pakistan and India to Yunnan in southwest China. It grows in mountain valleys at altitudes of 1800–4300 m (rarely as low as 1200 m), between 30m and 50m in height. It favours a temperate climate with dry winters and wet summers.

This tree is often known as ‘Bhutan Pine’, (not to be confused with the recently-described Pinus bhutanica, a closely related species). Other names include ‘Blue pine’, ‘Himalayan White Pine’ and ‘Himalayan Blue Pine