Trees to 75m; trunk to 3. diam., massive, straight; crown narrowly conic, becoming rounded. Bark cinnamon-to gray-brown, deeply furrowed, plates long, scaly. Branches spreading, distal branches ascending; twigs gray-green to red-tan, aging gray, mostly puberulent. Buds cylindro-ovoid, red-brown, to 0.8cm, resinous. Leaves 5 per fascicle, spreading to ascending, persisting 2--4 years, 5--1 ´ (0.9--)1--1.5(--2)mm, straight, slightly twisted, pliant, blue-green, abaxial surface with only a few lines evident, adaxial surfaces with evident white stomatal lines, margins finely serrulate, apex acuminate; sheath (1--)1.5--2cm, shed early. Pollen cones ellipsoid-cylindric, to 15mm, yellow. Seed cones maturing in 2 years, shedding seeds and falling soon thereafter, often clustered, pendent, symmetric, cylindric before opening, lance-cylindric to ellipsoid-cylindric when open, 25--50cm, yellow-brown, stalks 6--15cm; apophyses somewhat thickened; umbo terminal, depressed, resinous, slightly excurved. Seeds obovoid, oblique apically; body 1--2cm, deep brown; wing broad, 2--3cm. 2 n =24.
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A large tree. It grows 45-60 m high. It spreads 6 m wide. The crown is narrow and irregular. The needles are stiff and sharp. They are bluish. The cones hang down. They are 50 cm long. They are on long stalks. The kernels can be 1.25 cm long.
Cool, usually fairly moist, mixed coniferous woods in mountainous areas, growing best on deep well-drained soils; at elevations from 330-3,200 metres.
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It is a temperate plant. It prefers cool, dry summers and very cold winters. It suits hardiness zones 7-9. Arboretum Tasmania.
The resin from the bark is sweet. It forms lumps of sugary substance used for sweetening foods. CAUTION It should not be eaten in large amounts. The sweet kernel of the nuts is eaten raw, roasted or pounded and used in cakes.
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