Pinus roxburghii, commonly known as chir pine or longleaf Indian pine, is a species of pine tree native to the Himalayas. It was named after William Roxburgh. It used to have a larger distribution reaching as far Gujarat.
Description
Pinus roxburghii is a large tree reaching with a trunk diameter of up to , exceptionally . The bark is red-brown, thick and deeply fissured at the base of the trunk, thinner and flaky in the upper crown. The leaves are needle-like, in fascicles of three, very slender, long, and distinctly yellowish green.
The cones are ovoid conic, long and broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy chestnut-brown when 24 months old. They open slowly over the next year or so, or after being heated by a forest fire, to release the seeds, opening to broad. The seeds are long, with a wing, and are wind-dispersed.
Similar species
Pinus roxburghii is closely related to P. canariensis (Canary Island pine), P. brutia (Turkish pine) and P. pinaster (maritime pine), which all share many features with it. It is a relatively non-variable species, with constant morphology over the entire range.
Chemistry
Pinus roxburghii contains large amounts of taxifolin.
Distribution and habitat
thumb|Pinus roxburghii trees in [[Murree, Pakistan]]
thumb|upright=1.2|P. roxburghii forest in Uttarakhand, [[India]]
The native range extends from Tibet in China and Afghanistan through Pakistan, across northern India (in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal and Bhutan, to Myanmar.