Stone pine

Umbrella-shaped stone pines above Beirut yield pine nuts – an essential ingredient of Lebanese kibbeh and rice dishes.

The stone pine is a tree growing to 25 m, which with age develops a flat, umbrella-shaped crown on a long, bare trunk. It has long needles in pairs and large, heavy cones that take as long as three years to ripen. The cones hold edible seeds – pine nuts. It grows on sandy soils and slopes in the lower parts of the mountains.

Significance in the country

Lebanon is famous for top-quality pine nuts, and harvesting and shelling them is an important source of income for mountain villages. The capital’s largest park, Horsh Beirut, is a remnant of an old stone pine forest, and umbrella pines are among the most characteristic sights of the country.

Where it grows

Grows on the lower and middle slopes of the Mount Lebanon range (about 300–1,200 m) – the most extensive forests are in the Metn, Baabda and Shouf districts (Mount Lebanon) and around Jezzine in the south.

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