Pinus kesiya

Pinus kesiya (Khasi pine or Benguet pine) is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae, one of the most widely distributed pines in southeast Asia. Its range extends south and east from the Khasi Hills in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya, to Burma, northern Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, southernmost China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. It is an important plantation species elsewhere in the world, including in southern Africa and South America. The common name "Khasi pine" is from the Khasi hills in India, and "Benguet pine" is from the landlocked province of Benguet in Luzon, Philippines, where it is the dominant species of the Luzon tropical pine forests (known as saleng in Ilocano). The Benguet pine is sometimes treated as a separate species, Pinus insularis; however, the current opinion is to treat this as conspecific with P. kesiya var. langbianensis. The city of Baguio is nicknamed "The City of Pines", as it is noted for large stands of this tree.