Pine nut (Nut trees)

Zone 5b

Chinese white pine is a species of pine native to China occurring from southern Shanxi west to southern Gansu and south to Yunnan, with outlying populations in Anhui. It grows at altitudes of 2200–3000 m in Taiwan, and it also extends a short distance into northern Burma.In Chinese, it is known as "Mount Hua pine"

It grows at 1,000–3,300 m altitude, with the lower altitudes mainly in the northern part of the range. It is a tree reaching 35 m (115 ft) height, with a trunk up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter. It is a member of the white pine group, The seeds are large and edible, 10–16 mm (0.39–0.63 in) long, and have only a vestigial wing. The cones mature in their second year, this is a juvenile female cone.

Pinus armandii seeds are harvested and sold as pine nuts. Research indicates that these nuts can cause pine mouth syndrome. The wood is used for general building purposes; the species is important in forestry plantations in some parts of China. It is also grown as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens in Europe and North America. The scientific name commemorates the French missionary and naturalist Armand David, who first introduced it to Europe.

Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) also known as Jeffrey's pine, yellow pine and black pine, is a North American pine tree. It is mainly found in California, but also in the westernmost part of Nevada, southwestern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is named in honor of its botanist documenter John Jeffrey. Jeffrey pine occurs from southwest Oregon south through much of California (mainly in the Sierra Nevada), to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is a high-altitude species; in the north of its range, it grows widely at 1,500 to 2,100 m (4,900 to 6,900 ft) altitude, and at 1,800 to 2,900 m (5,900 to 9,500 ft) in the south of its range.

Jeffrey pine is tolerant of serpentine soils and is often dominant in these conditions, even on dry sites at fairly low altitudes. On other soils, it only becomes dominant at higher altitudes where the usually faster-growing ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) does not thrive. Jeffrey pine is more stress tolerant than the closely related Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). At higher elevations, on poorer soils, in colder climates, and in dryer climates, Jeffrey pine replaces ponderosa as the dominant tree.

Jeffrey pine is a large coniferous evergreen tree, reaching 25 to 40 m (82 to 131 ft) tall, rarely up to 53 m (174 ft) tall, though smaller when growing at or near tree line.[5] The leaves are needle-like, in bundles of three, stout, glaucous gray-green, 12 to 23 cm (4.7 to 9.1 in) long. The cones are 12 to 24 cm (4.7 to 9.4 in) long, dark purple when immature, ripening pale brown, with thinly woody scales bearing a short, sharp inward-pointing barb. The seeds are 10 to 12 mm (0.39 to 0.47 in) long, with a large (15 to 25 mm (0.59 to 0.98 in)) wing. The Jeffrey pine is closely related to the ponderosa pine and is similar in appearance.

import permit is required for the US customers due to restrictions by Agriculture Canada and USDA.

Most pines produce small seeds and so are not considered suitable as food. The pines that produce seed the size of sunflower seed or larger are considered to be edible nut pines. There are about a dozen species of the nearly 200 pines worldwide that can be used for food. Native peoples of the Western United States have been using about 5 species of pine as a food source. There is a small market today where the nuts are collected from the wild and sold locally. The Colorado pinyon pine is the most cold hardy of these. In Asia, there are two pines that are important, the Korean pine, which is native from Korea in the south to Manchuria in the north, and the Siberian pine which is native north of the Korean pine to the tree line in Siberia. In Europe, there are two species, the Swiss stone pine (considered by some to be identical to the Siberian pine), and the Italian stone pine. Several nut pines species will grow in Eastern Canada. The most suitable for our climate would be the Korean pine and the Siberian or Swiss stone pines. They will grow anywhere that red and white pines are native.  It is a large tree, reaching a mature size of 40 metres to 50 metres height, and 1.5 metres  to 2 metres trunk diameter in the best conditions. The nuts are about the size of a native hazelnut.

No cultivars of pines have been selected for nut production. All of the current nuts that are sold are collected from the wild. China is a major source of imported nuts, from Korean pines mainly. These pines are slow growing and even slower to begin bearing. They can take 10 years or more to begin setting filled cones. After about 5 years the trees begin to grow more rapidly, growing 30 cm or more each year.

Suitable for zone 3a

Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth in a variety of habitats. It usually ranges from 20–35 m (66–115 ft) in height and 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in trunk diameter. The crown is conical, becoming a narrow rounded dome with age. The bark is thick and gray-brown at the base of the tree, but thin, flaky and bright orange-red in the upper crown; the tree's name derives from this distinctive character. Some red color may be seen in the fissures of the bark. Red pine is self pruning; there tend not to be dead branches on the trees, and older trees may have very long lengths of branchless trunks below the canopy. The species is notable for its very constant morphology and low genetic variation throughout its range, suggesting it has been through a near extinction in its recent evolutionary history.

This species is intolerant of shade, but does well in windy sites; it grows best in well-drained soil. It is a long-lived tree, reaching a maximum age of about 500 years. The wood is commercially valuable in forestry for timber and paper pulp, and the tree is also used for landscaping. suitable for zone 2b

import permit is required for the US customers due to restrictions by Agriculture Canada and USDA.

Pinus sibirica is a member of the white pine group, Pinus subgenus strobus, and like all members of that group, the leaves 'needles' are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are 5–10 cm long. Siberian pine cones are 5–9 cm long. The 9–12 mm long seeds have only a vestigial wing. Siberian pine, Pinus sibirica, is a popular ornamental tree in parks and large gardens where the climate is cold, such as central Canada, giving steady though not fast growth on a wide range of sites. It is very tolerant of severe winter cold, hardy down to at least –60 °C, and also of wind exposure. The mature size is up to 30–40 m height, and 1.5 m trunk diameter. Its maximum lifetime is 800–850 years. The seeds are also harvested and sold as pine nuts but are smaller than the korean pine which is the most valuable pine nut specie.