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Pinus roxburghii
| Common name: |
Chir Pine |
Family: |
Pinaceae |
| Author: |
Sarg. |
Botanical references: |
11, 51, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Pinus longifolia (Roxb. non Salisb.) |
| Known Hazards: |
The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[222]. |
| Range: |
E. Asia - Himalayas from Afghanistan to Bhutan. |
| Habitat: |
Forms extensive forests to 2700 metres[51]. Does best on north slopes or on good soils[146]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| P. australis[B,G,P]
P. palustris[B,E,G,H,HORTIPLEX,L,Swal,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Chir Pine [H], Emodi Pine [H], Long-leaf Pine [B], Longleaf Pine [P,DEN1,E,L,FEIS], Sarala [E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Pinales. Pine family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
India; Japan; Nepal; Us; Us(Appalachia)
|
Physical Characteristics
An evergreen tree growing to 40m. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year, and the seeds ripen in April. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind.
The plant not is self-fertile.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy.Edible Uses
Condiment; Manna; Seed.
Seed - raw or cooked[51, 63, 158, 183, 272]. Not very nice, it has a
strong flavour of turpentine[105] and is only eaten as an emergency
food[177]. A reasonable size, the seed is up to 11mm long[200].
A sweet edible manna exudes from the bark and twigs[177, 183]. It is
actually a gum[177].
A vanillin flavouring is obtained as a by-product of other resins that are
released from the pulpwood[200].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antiseptic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Rubefacient; Stimulant; Vermifuge.
The turpentine obtained from the resin of all pine trees is antiseptic,
diuretic, rubefacient and vermifuge[4]. It is a valuable remedy used
internally in the treatment of kidney and bladder complaints and is used both
internally and as a rub and steam bath in the treatment of rheumatic
affections[4]. It is also very beneficial to the respiratory system and so is
useful in treating diseases of the mucous membranes and respiratory
complaints such as coughs, colds, influenza and TB[4]. Externally it is a
very beneficial treatment for a variety of skin complaints, wounds, sores,
burns, boils etc and is used in the form of liniment plasters, poultices,
herbal steam baths and inhalers[4].
The wood is diaphoretic and stimulant[240]. It is useful in treating burning
of the body, cough, fainting and ulcers[240].
Other Uses
Charcoal; Dye; Herbicide; Ink; Lighting; Resin; Wood.
A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles[168].
The needles contain a substance called terpene, this is released when rain
washes over the needles and it has a negative effect on the germination of
some plants, including wheat[201].
A resin is obtained from the sapwood[51, 64, 158]. Trees are tapped for
three years and then rested for three years[146]. The yield is up to 5.5
kilos per tree[146]. Oleo-resins are present in the tissues of all species of
pines, but these are often not present in sufficient quantity to make their
extraction economically worthwhile[64]. The resins are obtained by tapping
the trunk, or by destructive distillation of the wood[4, 64]. In general,
trees from warmer areas of distribution give the higher yields[64].
Turpentine consists of an average of 20% of the oleo-resin[64] and is
separated by distillation[4, 64]. Turpentine has a wide range of uses
including as a solvent for waxes etc, for making varnish, medicinal etc[4].
Rosin is the substance left after turpentine is removed. This is used by
violinists on their bows and also in making sealing wax, varnish etc[4].
Pitch can also be obtained from the resin and is used for waterproofing, as a
wood preservative etc.
The wood is very resinous and can be splintered and used as a torch[145].
A charcoal made from the leaves, mixed with rice water, is used as an
ink[146].
Wood - moderately hard. Used for construction, shingles, boxes etc. It is
useful in cold climates but is not resistant to white ants[46, 146, 266].
Cultivation details
Thrives in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam[1, 11]. Succeeds
on calcareous soils[11]. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils[1]. Dislikes
shade[146]. Established plants tolerate drought[200].
The chir pine is not very hardy in Britain, succeeding outdoors only in the
mildest areas of the country[11, 81]. In the driest parts of its native range
the leaves are shed after 10 - 11 months, making it deciduous[200].
Trees are extensively tapped for their resin in India[64] and are the main
source of resin in that region[11].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows
poorly[200]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[200].
This species is closely related to P. canariensis[200].
Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby reducing the
amount of plants that can grow under the trees[18].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].
Propagation
It is best to sow the seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon
as it is ripe if this is possible otherwise in late winter. A short
stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c can improve the germination of stored
seed[80]. Plant seedlings out into their permanent positions as soon as
possible and protect them for their first winter or two[11]. Plants have a
very sparse root system and the sooner they are planted into their permanent
positions the better they will grow[K]. Trees should be planted into their
permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm[200]. We
actually plant them out when they are about 5 - 10cm tall. So long as they
are given a very good weed-excluding mulch they establish very well[K].
Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years.
This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[200].
Cuttings. This method only works when taken from very young trees less than
10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot.
Disbudding the shoots some weeks before taking the cuttings can help.
Cuttings are normally slow to grow away[81].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Pinus longifolia (a possible synonym).
References for Pinus palustris (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [L] Scientific and Common Names (some photos)
from Lepidoptera and some other life forms
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
- [DEN] Data _ Photos
(Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
- [FEIS] Data
(Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
References for the family Pinaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.
[63] Howes. F. N. Nuts. Faber 1948
Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
[64] Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber
A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.
[81] Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X
Deals with conifers that can be grown outdoors in Britain. Good notes on cultivation and a few bits about plant uses.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.
[146] Gamble. J. S. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1972
Written last century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.
[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.
Readers Comments
Main Search Page
Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Pinus+roxburghii
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Pinus+roxburghii
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