Pine (Female cones)

Description:

Pinus roxburghii is a large tree reaching 30–50 m (98–164 ft) with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m (6.6 ft), exceptionally 3 m (10 ft). The bark is red-brown, thick and deeply fissured at the base of the trunk, thinner and flaky in the upper crown. The leaves are needle-like, in fascicles of three, very slender, 20–35 cm (7.9–13.8 in) long, and distinctly yellowish green. The cones are ovoid conic, 12–24 cm (4.7–9.4 in) long and 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy chestnut-brown when 24 months old. They open slowly over the next year or so, or after being heated by a forest fire, to release the seeds, opening to 9–18 cm (3.5–7.1 in) broad. The seeds are 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long, with a 40 mm (1.6 in) wing, and are wind-dispersed. Pinus roxburghii is closely related to Pinus canariensis (Canary Island pine), Pinus brutia (Turkish pine) and Pinus pinaster (maritime pine), which all share many features with it. It is a relatively non-variable species, with constant morphology over the entire range.

Habitat:

Pinus roxburghii (known as chir pine) is a species of pine. It is native to the Himalayas, and was named after William Roxburgh. The range extends from northern Pakistan (North-West Frontier Province, Azad Kashmir, Margalla Hills, Islamabad Capital Territory, Murree), across northern India (Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim) and Nepal to Bhutan. It generally occurs at lower altitudes than other pines in the Himalaya, from 500–2,000 m (1,600–6,600 ft), occasionally up to 2,300 m (7,500 ft). The other Himalayan pines are Pinus wallichiana (blue pine), Pinus bhutanica (Bhutan white pine), Pinus armandii (Chinese white pine), Pinus gerardiana (Chilgoza pine) and Pinus densata (Sikang pine).