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Chilgoza pine (Pinus gerardiana)
Photo: author: see the file page, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 2 countries tree

Chilgoza pine

Pinus gerardiana

Family: Pinaceae

On our map this plant appears in 2 countries and ranks highest in: Afghanistan, Pakistan.

The chilgoza pine is a medium-sized tree with distinctive flaking bark in patches of silver, green and brown, and needles in bundles of three. It grows on dry, stony mountain slopes at about 1,800–3,300 m, beyond the reach of the moist monsoon. Its cones hold large, elongated edible seeds rich in fat and protein. The forests are sparse and regenerate slowly, because most of the seeds are gathered for sale.

Description from: Afghanistan.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Afghanistan no. 3 of 8 native

    Harvesting jalghoza nuts is an important source of income for people in Paktia, Khost and neighbouring provinces, and their prices are among the highest of any nut.

  2. Pakistan no. 10 of 10 native

    The Sulaiman Mountains on the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hold one of the largest chilgoza pine forests in the world, and gathering the cones is an important source of income for local tribes.