Pinus wallichiana

An elegant large tree, Pinus wallichiana has beautiful, soft, blue, five-needled leaves and once established, banana-shaped cones up to 25 cm in length. The bark is smooth and grey coloured on young trees, becoming darker and cracked as the tree matures.

We find that Pinus wallichiana establishes best when planted as a young specimen. It can be a little slow growing in the first year but the vigour increases as it becomes more mature.

• Position: Full sun or partial shade.
• Soil: Well drained, fertile soil.
• Hardiness: Hardy and tolerant of atmospheric pollution.
• Rate of Growth: Moderate.
• Habit: Pinus wallichiana grows to be a medium sized or eventually large, broadly conical tree.
  • Height: 15 m (50 ft)
  • Spread: up to 10 m (32 ft)

• Notes: This tree is particularly tolerant of urban areas. We have an established specimen of Pinus wallichiana, planted in the woodland gardens surrounding our nursery. At 10 years old it had reached a height of 3 m (10 ft) and a spread of 2 m (6 ft).

Further information

Although today known as the Bhutan Pine, Pinus wallichiana actually grows throughout the Himalayas from the Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains of Eastern Afghanistan, across Northern India, through Bhutan and onwards into Yunnan, South West China.

All but one pine species have two, three or five needles, according to species and these groups of needles can be folded together to form a cylinder.

The Bhutan pine is named in honour of Dr. Nathaniel Wallich M.D., F.R.As.S., (1786 ? 1854), a Dane who in 1807 became a surgeon to the Danish East Indian settlement at Serampore, India. When this was taken over by the British he became a member of the East India Company and in 1815 became superintendent of Calcutta Botanical Gardens.

In 1820, along with Dr. Carey, he wrote the 'Flora Indica' along with a supplement, the 'Tentamen Florae Nepalensis Illustratae' and during his life, he described and collected an astonishing 8,000 species of plants!

Extract from an information poster in our arboretum