Pine Tree Identification

Pine trees belong to the group of evergreen trees, and have a high commercial decorative value. They are extensively used as Christmas trees, and as a popular landscape tree. The tall pine tree grows nearly 60 feet in height and spreads about 30 feet horizontally, whereas the dwarf variety grows only up to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. The dwarf variety is generally preferred for its use as a Christmas tree. Besides its decorative value, it is also used as timber, and turpentine is extracted from the sap and resin of some varieties.

Pines require a lot of sunshine, and very little or no water when they are fully grown. Though most pines can grow in any kind of soil, some need a specific type, such as the Bristlecone Pine, which requires well-drained soil. Pines can be easily distinguished from other trees based on two main features: they have narrow needle-like leaves, usually arranged in bundles of two to five, and they grow a bract of cones, which contain their seeds for propagation.

Pine Tree Identification

Pines are evergreen and resinous trees, and there are more than 100 known varieties. The most important of these fall under the evergreen, conifer, and softwood categories. Following is a list of the major pine trees found in the northern hemisphere.

Types of Pine Trees

Eastern White Pine: It is also known as Pinus Strobus, and mostly grows from Minnesota to Maine in the US. It is easily identifiable as it is the only five-needled pine tree. The leaves are slender and blue-green in color, and the cones are scaled and about 5 inches in height. The eastern white pine is the state tree of Maine and Michigan, while the western variety is the state tree of Idaho.

Sugar Pine: Also known as Pinus Lambertiana, the sugar pine was discovered by David Douglas. It can be easily identified by its height, as it is the tallest pine tree known, growing almost 175 to 200 feet tall. Some of the old trees have been around for nearly 500 years. It's soft, even-grained, and fine textured timber is considered matchless in quality and value. These pines have long, pendulous cones which hang on the tips of asymmetrical branches. They are found in the western slopes of the Cascade Range in north central Oregon, and all the way to the Sierra San Pedro Martir in Baja, California.

Longleaf Pine: The longleaf pine, also called Pinus Palustris, has the longest needles found on any native pine tree. These needle-like leaves grow nearly 18 inches in length, and in bundles of three. Longleaf pine seedlings form masses of long, green "needles" and stay in a protective state for several years, protecting the tree from the grasses around it, that are prone to fire during dry periods.

Red Pine: The red pine is known as Pinus Resinosa and Norway Pine. It is grown extensively in northern United States and Canada for its lightweight, close-grained, pale reddish wood, which is used to make pulpwood and timber. It is a medium-size tree with two needle-like leaves per bundle.

Jack Pine: This is a small to medium sized coniferous tree, that grows abundantly in America and Canada. It is also known as Pinus Banksiana and Spanish Oak. The needle-like leaves of this variety have an unusually shaped pair of lobes toward the leaf tip. It's wood is used as timber and also for fuel.

Besides the above, there are other pine varieties such as Ponderosa Pine, Slash Pine, Pitch Pine, etc. They are all harvested for commercial and ornamental purposes. In the wild, nature takes care of pine trees, but for those who use them in their landscaping designs, care and maintenance is required until they reach maturity.