Afghanistan

What is the National Tree of Afghanistan?

 

National tree of Afghanistan

Afghan Pine – Afghanistan national tree

The Afghan Pine is the national tree of Afghanistan, and it is an important symbol of the country’s history. It is native to Afghanistan and its range extends from northwestern Pakistan eastward through northern India and Nepal to southern Tibet.

The Afghan pine tree has many different varieties and grows best in the mountains of Afghanistan. The leaves are stiff and sharp with serrated edges. They grow alternately on the stem, which is smooth and greenish-brown in color.

Physical Description

The Afghan pine is a medium-sized tree that reaches a height of 40 feet and has been widely planted for use as windbreaks and ornamental trees in the central and western parts of Texas.

The leaves are needle-like, five to ten centimetres (2.0–3.9 in) long by one centimetre (0.39 in) wide on most shoots; they are arranged spirally on long shoots but twisted counterclockwise around each other on short shoots forming bundles of two or three needles per bundle; on some individual shoots there may be no short shoots present at all which results in only long shoot bundles being produced.

It is a large coniferous evergreen tree that can grow up to 30–40 m in height with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 m. The species is endemic to the northern mountains of Afghanistan and western Pakistan.

Afghan Pine Habitats

This pine tree can be found all over Afghanistan’s mountains, valleys and plains. It grows in many different areas, including the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Central Asian Deserts.

Afghan Pine Flower

The needles of Afghan pine are slender and in bundles of two, 3″ to 5″ long, with medium green coloration. The needles are slightly wavy instead of straight, giving the tree a softer feel than most other pines.

It tends to grow faster than most other pines, so you may want to consider trimming it back slightly if you want it to stay smaller.

10 Facts about Afghan Pine

  1. Afghan pine is the official national symbol and tree of Afghanistan.
  2. Afghan pine is a medium size tree that can grow up to 30 meters tall.
  3. The leaves are thin, needle-like and green in color, with sharp points at the tip of each leaf.
  4. The flowers are small, yellowish-white and fragrant and appear in May or June.
  5. The cones are green at first but turn brown when ripe, in September or October. The cones contain few seeds that are about 1 cm long and have an oily texture which makes them float on water for a long time if you drop them into a pond or river!
  6. The leaves are slender needles in bundles of two, 3″ to 5″ long, medium green, slightly wavy instead of straight, giving the tree a softer feel than most other pines.
  7. Small yellow-orange cones appear along branchlets in spring and produce the male pollen.
  8. brown, woody cone 1″ to 3″ long has scales opening when ripe to expose two seed at the base of each scale. Scales have weak prickles at each tip.
  9. Afghan pine is widely grown for Christmas trees although pine tip moth can be a pest problem in some areas
  10. Afghan pine grows well in wet areas such as bogs and fens, where it can reach a height of over 10m!

Why is Afghan Pine the national tree of Afghanistan?

It’s important to know why this tree is so important to Afghanistan because it has been used for a long time by many people for different reasons. The Afghan Pine has been used for building houses, furniture and many other things throughout history. Many people use this tree because it’s very strong and durable which makes it perfect for all kinds of uses such as making furniture or even building houses with it. So due to all these characteristics, afghan pine has been officially declared as the national tree of Afghanistan and a symbol of the country.