Tree Species of the Pine (Pinus) Genus

Picture of a Pine Tree
Picture of Pine needles and Pine cones

Pine trees are all evergreens and possess needles as leaves and cones as part of their reproductive system. All pines are resinous trees. Some Pine species grow as shrubs instead of trees. Pine trees can be found on all continents around the world except Antarctica.

The bark on most Pine trees is typically layers of scaly flakes, thick and cracked, brown in color and scented by the resin. Some pine tree species have a thin flaky bark, when on close observation chunks of bark can be seen just hanging on or flaking off.

Pine tree branches are produced during upward growth of the main steam shoot, braches appearing in regular "pseudo whorls", (a very tight spiral but appearing like a set of branches all branching out from the same height on the main trunk). Interestingly, the spiral arrangement of branches, needles, and cone scales resemble Fibonacci number ratios (following the numeric golden rule in nature). On Pine trees, the new shoots of branches are sometimes called "candles". The "Candles" consist of a bud scale either brown or cream color, pyramidal in shape pointing upwards, covering a wad of new needles surrounding the branch bud. The bud scale eventually falls off and the needles spread outward.

Pines can be divided into two groups according to branch set production;

1. Uninodal, producing one whorl of branches each year, from buds at the tip of the current year's main trunk shoot.
2. Multinodal, producing two or more whorls of branches per year.

Facts about the Pinus Genus of Trees

• Genus Scientific Name = Pinus
• Genus Common Names = Pine
• Pine trees can be divided into three subgenera,
  1. Pinus Subgenus Pinus; the yellow or hard pine tree groups.
  2. Pinus Subgenus Strobus; the white or soft pine tree groups.
  3. Pinus Subgenus Ducampopinus; the Foxtail or Pinyon tree groups.
• Number of Taxa in the Pinus Genus = 121

List of all Pine Trees, Pinus Genus - All known species, taxa on Earth, organized by scientific Latin botanical name first and common names second. Or Classified list of Pine species organized by Subgenus