Doña Ana County Master Gardeners ◦ 2009
TREE CARE SUMMARY: Mondell or Afghan Pine/Pinus eldarica*
Description: Large pine, 30-50 ft. high, 25-30 ft. wide, rapid growth when young. Upright
or pyramidal, dense form. USDA zones 10-13. Origin: southern Russia, Afghanistan,
Pakistan.
Location: Thrives in heat, drought, wind, indifferent soil. One of the best desert pines.
Good for wind buffer, shade buffer. Water until established; then infrequently, but deep.
Avoid planting lone tree in yard where it will dwarf other structures.
Needles: In pairs, 5-6 in. long, dark green. Requires some needle clean-up.
Flower: Flower yellow, inconspicuous. Cones 5-6 in. oval to oblong, reddish to yellow
brown, which open in third year. Winged seeds are wind-dispersed.
Trunk: Single, dominant trunk up to 3-in. diameter. Bark is orange-red, thick, deeply fissured at base, flaky in upper canopy.
Pests: Host to sap-sucking aphid which does little harm to tree, but secretes excessive
honeydew onto yard and objects below. Pine tip moth may damage some twigs.
Pruning Needs: Little, if any. Lift canopy depending on purpose of tree as ornamental or
buffer. Branches do not droop.
Additional Links and References:
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/PINELDA.PDF (USDA Fact Sheet ST-462, October 1994).
Right: Afghan
pine with first
and second year
cones; Far right:
Mature, widelyspaced afghan
pines. Below:
Closely spaced
afghan pines
used as a windbreak.
*Sunset New Western Garden Book, Lane Publishing Co., Menlo Park, CA, 1979.