Gobre Salla (Pinus wallichiana)

Cone of Blue Pine

Pinus wallichiana (Gobre Salla) : Photograph By - Rabin Suwal
Lete, Mustang

Pinus wallichiana is a coniferous evergreen tree native to the Himalaya. It grows in mountain valleys at altitudes of 1800–4300 m (rarely as low as 1200 m), between 30 m and 50 m in height. It favours a temperate climate with dry winters and wet summers.

This tree is often known as 'Blue pine', 'Himalayan White Pine' and 'Himalayan Blue Pine'. In the past, it was also known by the invalid botanic names Pinus griffithii Mc. Clelland or "Pinus excelsa" Wall., Pinus chylla Lodd.

The leaves ("needles") are in fascicles (bundles) of five and are 12–18 cm long. They are noted for being flexible along their length, and often droop gracefully. The cones are long and slender, 16–32 cm, yellow-buff when mature, with thin scales; the seeds are 5–6 mm long with a 20–30 mm wing.

Typical habitats are mountain screes and glacier forelands, but it will also form old growth forests as the primary species or in mixed forests with deodar, birch, spruce, and fir. In some places it reaches the tree line.

The wood is moderately hard, durable and highly resinous. It is good firewood but gives off a pungent resinous smoke. It is a commercial source of turpentine which is superior quality than that of P. roxburghii but is not produced so freely.

It is also a popular tree for planting in parks and large gardens, grown for its attractive foliage and large, decorative cones. It is also valued for its relatively high resistance to air pollution, tolerating this better than some other conifers.

Local Name	:	Gobre Salla
English Name	:	Blue Pine
Family	:	Taxaceae
Scientific Name	:	Pinus wallichiana
Habit	:	Tree up to 30 m ht.
Fruiting Period	:
Habitat	:	South facing slopes at higher altitude 1000-3500 m
Occurrence in Nepal	:	Through out high hill and mountain belt in Nepal and India.
Use	:	Medicine, fuel wood, resign

Seabuckthorn (Hippophae salicifolia)

Hippophae salicifolia (Seabuckthorn) : Photograph By: Rabin Suwal
Sirkung, Kunjo VDC, Mustang

Shrubs, sometimes rhizomatous, up to 6 m tall. Older stems dark gray, thick, with regularly spaced scars of deciduous leafy branches; leafy stems slender, unbranched, spine tipped. Leaves mostly in whorls of 3; petiole ca. 1 mm; leaf blade abaxially whitish, adaxially grayish, linear-oblong, 1.2-2 × 0.25-0.4 cm, densely scaly, abaxially with scattered subentire, reddish brown scales and reddish brown midrib, margin flat. Male flowers ca. 2 mm; anthers ca. 1.5 mm. Peduncle 1-2 mm. Fruit yellowish green, globose to elliptic, terete, 8-11 × 6-9 mm. Endocarp difficult to separate from seed. Seed somewhat flattened, 4-5.6 × 1.9-2.8 mm. Fr. May. 2n = 24*.

Local Name	:	Tora, Chichi, Tirchhyu, Tara Chuk
English Name	:	Seabuckthorn
Family	:	Elaeagnaceae
Scientific Name		Hippophae salicifolia D. Don
Habit	:	Shrub up to 6 m height
Flowering Period	:	May to June
Fruiting Period	:	June to September
Habitat	:	Dry gravelly or stony places, especially on riverbeds and flood plains; 3600-4700 m
Occurrence in Nepal	:	Dhampu of Lete, Kokhethanti of  Kobang and Sirkung of Kunjo VDC of Mustang District, Reported from Manang too.
Use	:	Fruit used for Making Pickel, Juice by Thakalis