Pine Tree Facts

A coniferous tree of the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae, there are over 115 pine tree species. Pine trees can reach a height of over 3 to 80 meters, but mostly are about 15 to 45 meters tall. Pine trees are famous for their Christmas spirit, as they are used to decorate homes as Christmas trees. There are many pine trees types like the Pines, Larches and Spruces.

Classification of Pine Trees
The scientific classification of pine trees is as follows:

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Pinaceae
Genus:	Pinus
Subgenera
Subgenus:	Strobus
Subgenus:	Ducampopinus
Subgenus:	Pinus

From the preceding table, you can find that pine trees are divided into three subgenera. This division is based on the characteristics of cone, seed and leaf. Let us have a look at the explanation below to understand this classification.

• Pinus subg. Stobus: These includes trees from the white or soft pine groups.
• Pinus subg. Ducampopinus: These are pines from the pinyon or foxtail group.
• Pinus subg. Pinus: These are trees from the yellow or hard pine group.

Pine Tree Types
There are about 35 pine tree species in America. They are classified as evergreen plants, as they do not shed their leaves even in winter. They are very hard, slow-growing trees that are resistant to drought and can survive in poor, sandy soil. The Norway pine and Ponderosa pine are pine tree types that can grow up to a height of 70 to 80 feet. The Western White Pine tree species can reach a height of 110 feet.

One of the slow-growing pine tree species is the Bristlecone pine that can reach a height of 25 feet. The Mexican pine is known for its long, beautiful foliage and looks similar to the Weeping Willow. Therefore, this gives rise to an interesting pine tree fact that it is also known as Willow pine. Other common varieties of pine trees include sugar pines, pirions, white pines, long leaf pines, red pines, foxtail pines, shortleaf pines, stone pines, bristlecone pines, Ponderosa pine, and Monterey pine

Pine Tree Identification
Pine tree identification is very easy, as these trees stand out among a group of trees. The pine trees are coniferous trees and have leaves that look like needles, are in fascicles or bundles. They have a deciduous sheath and the stems branch out in whorls of 'racemose arrangement'. The pine trees leaves are dark green in color and are variously arranged. The peculiarity of genus Pinus is they have different kinds of leaves. The first types are small membranous scales and second prismatic green needles in groups of 2, 3 or 5 dwarf branches in the axils of their scales.

Pine trees have different and distinct inflorescence of stamens and ovules. The cones of pine trees are ½ to 12 inches in size. The Longleaf pine tree species are up to 10 inches in size that makes it one of the largest pine cones. Another pine tree fact is that the smallest cone is just 3/4" to 2" in size and it belongs to the Mugo pine tree species. Pine trees are known to cross-pollinate naturally and produce naturally evolved and improved pine tree species.

Pine Tree Diseases
Pine tree diseases if not diagnosed early can lead to many ill consequences. If the pine tree diseases are not treated early on, you may have to remove the tree from your lawn permanently. The common pine tree diseases are diplodia blight, armillaria root disease, annosus root and butt rot, white pine blister rust, etc.

Facts About Pine Trees
Let us now take a look at some of the pine tree facts:

• The North American Real Christmas Trees are grown in all 50 states of United States and Canada too.
• Pine trees are the only species of trees that reproduce from seeds in a cone.
• They can grow in any soil and anywhere in the world.
• Of the seven continents, pine trees are found to be growing in six continents.
• Fully grown pine trees require full sun and very little water to survive.
• The southern pine tree beetle infests a single tree in thousands at once that makes it one of the most destructive pests.
• Pine trees are ornamental plants and harvested for making lawn decoration and furniture.
• One of the oldest surviving trees on earth is the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine that is over 4,840 years old.

This was a little insight pine trees. Many people enjoy making pine cone bird feeder and pine cone crafts for kids from the pine tree cones. There is a lot of information on white pine tree on the Internet that will help you learn more about pine trees. This article was just meant to help you understand a few of the pine tree facts. This Christmas season while decorating your Christmas tree, try some pine tree identification and learn more about these beautiful trees.