Pinus Excelsa, Blue Pine - 0.5 kg Seeds

The Blue Pine or Himalayan Blue Pine (Pinus wallichiana, long known as Pinus excelsa) is a tall, elegant evergreen conifer of the high Himalaya, recognised by its long, drooping, blue-green needles in bundles of five and its large, resinous, banana-shaped cones. It is an important timber and resin tree of the hills and a handsome ornamental and afforestation species for cool, elevated regions.

Its straight, light, durable wood is used for construction, packing cases and plywood, while the resin yields turpentine and rosin. It grows naturally across the temperate Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan at 1,800-4,000 m, and is planted for watershed protection and reforestation on hill slopes; it needs a cool climate and is not suited to the hot plains.

• Family: Pinaceae
• Native region: The Himalaya (Kashmir to Bhutan)
• Mature height: 30-50 m
• Growth rate: Moderate

The winged seeds benefit from cold-moist stratification: soak them for a day, then chill in damp sand for 3-4 weeks to break dormancy. Sow about 1 cm deep in a well-drained, slightly acidic nursery mix kept cool and moist; germination usually follows in 2-3 weeks. Grow the seedlings in light shade and transplant to hill sites in their second season.