Himalayan Pine

Himalayan pine is the graceful, five-needled pine with the longest needles in the genus, six to eight inches, soft, blue-green, and pendulous, hanging from the branches like curtains of blue-green hair. The cones are equally impressive: ten to twelve inches long, resinous, and curved. The overall effect is exotic and elegant, unlike any other pine in the regional landscape. Native to the temperate Himalaya from Afghanistan to Yunnan at elevations up to twelve thousand feet, it grows fifty to eighty feet with a broad, pyramidal crown.

In Western Washington, Himalayan pine grows well in full sun with moist, well-drained soil. The pendulous needles and large cones create a distinctive silhouette that reads as more ornamental than most landscape pines. Like all five-needled pines, it is susceptible to white pine blister rust, monitor for cankers. The growth rate is moderately fast and the tree reaches significant size. For a specimen pine with truly dramatic needle length and an exotic, graceful form, Himalayan pine is the showpiece, if you have the space and the willingness to monitor for blister rust.