Pinus armandii seed

LATIN NAME: PINUS ARMANDII

COMMON NAME: Armand Pine

The Armand pine quills the tall, evergreen tree with the long, slender, drooping needles in the bundles of five that hang like the soft green quills from the branches and the large, resinous cones that ripen through the second season, the bark developing the smooth, grey-green plates. The crown opens into the broad, airy form, and the tree grows steadily in the cool, moist mountains. It likes the sun, and the deep, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The five-needle bundles of the Armand pine give it a recognised place in the research on the white pines of the high mountains, and the armandii species appears in the studies of the montane growth and the cone biology. The work looks at the way the crown opens in the cool, moist mountains, the soft, even-grained timber, and the seed handling. The watershed shelter keeps the ecologists interested, and the growers of the ornamental five-needle pines keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the cool, large garden, the Armand pine quills the branches with the long green needles. The airy crown makes the fine specimen and the windbreak, the timber serves the construction and the joinery for the ages, and the large cones feed the wildlife. It thrives in the deep, well-drained, sunny ground. Elegant, five-needled and mountain-born.

To grow the Armand Pine from seed, chill the seeds in the damp sand for the winter rest, then press them onto the gritty surface of the tray, keep the tray cool and lightly misted, and the seedlings surface within a few weeks.

Keep the tray cool and lightly misted, and pot the seedlings on as they grow. The quilled crown comes over the years. Stand the young pines in the sunny, deep ground, and the quilled crown will lengthen over the years.

The Chinese White Pine native to China, widely occurring through the central provinces. It is considered by the Chinese as an emblem of longevity and immortality.
It is grown as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens in Europe and North America. In cultivation it remains a relatively rare tree that is often grown by collectors or bonsai enthusiasts.
In Europe it grows to around 25m (80ft) at best at a steady but not spectacular rate. In it’s native range it is an important forestry tree and the wood is used for general purpose building.
As trees begin to mature the brown trunk turns a greyish scarlet and becomes deeply cracked over time. Its pale green needles are slender and long up to 16cm (6 inches) in length. This species of pine produces distinctively large cones generally between 8-15cm in length and between 4-6cm wide. The large seeds are edible but lead to a condition known as “pine mouth” which leaves a chemical/metallic taste in the mouth lasting for 5-10 days.