Khasi pine
Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon
The Khasi pine (Pinus kesiya), also called Benguet pine, grows 20–35 m tall; needles in bundles of three, 20–25 cm long; woody female cones 5–9 cm; timber for construction and pulp — the famous pine of Đà Lạt in Vietnam.
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Gallery
Khasi pine — Pine-lined road at Đà LạtKhasi pine — Tree in Bukidnon
Khasi pine — Needles, three per bundle
Khasi pine — Pollen cones at Đà Lạt
Khasi pine — Woody seed cone
Khasi pine — Deeply fissured barkKhasi pine — Pine-lined road at Đà LạtKhasi pine — Tree in BukidnonOverview
The Khasi pine (Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon), also called Benguet pine, three-needle pine or, in Vietnam, xà nu and thông Đà Lạt, is a large conifer of the pine family (Pinaceae), 20–35 m tall (occasionally to 45 m) with a broad ovoid crown. The bark is grey-brown, deeply fissured lengthwise; resin is sparse but pungent. The needles are borne three to a short shoot (hence the Vietnamese name 'three-leaf pine'), each 20–25 cm long, stiff and jade-green; the short needle-bearing shoots are about 1.5 cm long and arranged spirally on the branches. The species is monoecious: male (pollen) cones are cylindrical on the base of young shoots; female (seed) cones are ovoid, 5–9 cm long and 4–5 cm wide, ripening over two years and becoming woody, on a curved ~1.5 cm stalk; the rhombic scales have a prominent transverse ridge and each bears two winged seeds.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/11/2026
It prefers good soils and cool, misty climates above about 900 m. It is distributed in India (Assam), southern China (Yunnan, southeastern Tibet, southern Sichuan), Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines (Luzon). In Vietnam about 90% of its forest area lies on the Langbian plateau (Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng) between 1,000 and 1,800 m, shaping the famous misty highland scenery, with further stands on the Di Linh plateau (800–1,000 m). The wood is used in construction, as pit props, for furniture and for pulp; the tree is seldom planted specifically for resin. It is also an important plantation species in southern Africa and South America. In Vietnamese literature the tree is known as 'xà nu' in Nguyễn Trung Thành's celebrated short story 'Rừng xà nu' (The Forest of Xà Nu).
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/11/2026
Life cycle
From seed to productTree
Conifer 20–35 m tall with a broad ovoid crown.
Needles
Three needles per bundle, 20–25 cm, jade-green.
Pollen cones
Cylindrical pollen cones at the base of young shoots (Đà Lạt).
Seed cone
Woody ovoid seed cone, two winged seeds per scale.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- Langbian plateau (Đà Lạt, Vietnam)30%
- Mainland SE Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia)20%
- India (Assam) & southern China20%
- Philippines (Luzon) & Malaysia15%
- Planted in southern Africa & South America15%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Water50%
- Cellulose (wood)30%
- Pine resin8%
- Lignin6%
- Turpentine (terpenes)3%
- Minerals3%
Uses
- Timber: used in construction, as pit props, for furniture and for pulp — one of the most important planted pines of Southeast Asia
- Resin: seldom planted solely for tapping, yet its pine resin (turpentine, rosin) can be harvested; the winged seeds feed birds and squirrels
- Landscape & forestry: the pine woods around Xuân Hương Lake and the hills of Đà Lạt are the emblem of Vietnam's misty highlands; used to reforest bare hills and as windbreaks; an important plantation species in southern Africa and South America
- Culture: as 'xà nu' in Nguyễn Trung Thành's 'Rừng xà nu' the tree symbolises the people of the Central Highlands; it is inseparable from Đà Lạt's tourist landscape
Properties
- Form
- Evergreen conifer
- Product
- Timber, pulp, pine resin
- Hallmark
- Three needles per bundle; woody cones ripening in two years
- Uses
- Forestry, Đà Lạt landscape
Habitat & conservation
The Khasi pine prefers good soils and a cool, misty climate, usually between 900 and 1,800 m. In Vietnam it is concentrated on the Langbian (Đà Lạt) and Di Linh plateaus, forming pure or mixed pine stands. It tolerates cold better than most tropical pines, growing on deep, well-drained ferralsols, and is commonly planted as protection and amenity forest around the lakes and hills of Đà Lạt.
Conservation
A widespread Southeast Asian species with extensive plantations — not globally threatened, classified as Least Concern (LC). In Vietnam, however, natural Khasi-pine forest has shrunk through agricultural conversion and logging. Pine family (Pinaceae), genus Pinus — same family as Merkus pine.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Pinus kesiya (Khasi pine, Benguet pine) — description, distribution, uses — English Wikipedia, 2026
- 3Thông ba lá (Pinus kesiya) — đặc điểm, phân bố tại Việt Nam, sử dụng — Vietnamese Wikipedia, 2026
- 4思茅松 / 卡西亚松 Pinus kesiya — 形態、分布與用途 — Chinese Wikipedia, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Obsidian Soul (CC0); Michael Pongratz (CC0); Mark Clarke (CC BY 4.0); Yurii Basov (CC BY 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Krzysztof Golik (CC BY-SA 4.0); Lam Tr Th (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,