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Pinus gerardiana
Also called Chilgoza pine, Gerrard's Pine, Himalayan Nut Pine, Gerard's Pine
Chilghoza pine is a large conifer of the Himalayas and Afghanistan, grown for its edible pine nuts. It needs cold winters, dry sunny slopes and well-drained soil, and is not practical as a container plant.
Pinus gerardiana, commonly known as the chilghoza pine or neja, is a pine species native to parts of central and southern Asia, including the western Himalayas. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed it as near threatened in 2011. The pine nuts are locally collected for consumption.
P. gerardiana is native to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Tibet. It grows at elevations of 1,800–3,350 m (5,910–10,990 ft). It inhabits valley floors in the Himalayas, tending to grow among open vegetation on dry, sunny slopes.
Older trees that do not produce enough cones to harvest pine nuts from are felled for firewood. The wood is also used for local light construction and carpentry.
Rocky Mountains Bristlecone Pine · Arizona Pine · Chinese White Pine · Mexican White Pine · Jack pine · Turkish Pine · Lacebark Pine · Canary Islands Pine · Caribbean pine · Swiss Pine · Mexican Pinyon · Sand Pine
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pinus gerardiana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
