Afghan Pine

The Afghan pine (Pinus eldarica) is a true arid lands survivor that that also goes by the name Mondell pine. This tall pine can be quite stately in our landscapes, and may have the best tolerance to heat, drought and poor soils of any of the larger evergreens we could grow. In fact, it does not do well in more humid regions, becoming susceptible to diseases.

The species is native to the Middle East, specifically Georgia and Azerbaijan, though it is well established in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has been grown widely in the southwestern US and the hotter, drier parts of Europe due to its adaptability to our harsh, dry and hot conditions. Like all pines, it is evergreen, has needle-like leaves in groups of two or three, and has woody cones that make seeds. As a landscape tree, it is grown from those seeds, not from rooted cuttings and not with grafted rootstocks. In the landscape, it’s dense canopy and finely textured needles make it a good screening tree, and its upright growth habit needs little if any pruning to have strong structure.

Albuquerque seems to be near it’s cold tolerance limits, though that is likely changing as the global climate warms. In that scenario, this species becomes a real standout for us. It already grows well in hotter, drier places like El Paso and Tucson, and so it should continue to thrive for us here well into the future – it’s well worth considering!

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