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Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica)
Photo: Vladlen Terezhe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 2 countries tree

Siberian pine

Pinus sibirica

Family: Pinaceae

On our map this plant appears in 2 countries and ranks highest in: Russia, Mongolia.

A stately conifer reaching 35–40 m tall, with needles in bundles of five. Its large cones take two years to ripen and contain edible, fat-rich seeds known as cedar nuts. They are dispersed mainly by the nutcracker, which caches them in the ground – forgotten seeds sprout into new trees. It grows in mountain and lowland taiga, often mixed with fir, spruce and larch. Despite its common name, it is not a true cedar.

Description from: Russia.

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

Significance in each country

  1. Russia no. 2 of 15 native

    “Cedar” nuts are a delicacy in Russia and an important export, and gathering the cones is a traditional occupation of taiga dwellers. Cedar forests, known as “kedrovniki”, are considered the most majestic type of Siberian taiga.

  2. Mongolia no. 6 of 10 native

    After the larch, the Siberian pine is one of Mongolia’s main forest-forming trees, and gathering its cones is an important autumn source of income for people in the northern provinces.