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Revision as of 21:53, 19 August 2002 by Karen Johnson (talk | contribs) (copying pine photos from conifer article)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Pines are a genus of coniferous tree, Pinus. Pine trees are resinous and evergreen; they have needles and cones, but no flowers or fruit. Both male and female cones grow on the same trees.
They grow well in acid soils, and often sprout after forest fires. Some species of pine need fire to germinate, and suffer under fire suppression regimes.
Pines are native to most of North America--ranging from the Arctic to Mexico and Nicaragua--and to the West Indies and Eurasia. Twenty-eight members of this genus can be found in the United States.
Pines are economically important as a source of timber. The seeds are commonly eaten by birds and squirrels, and the seeds of some species--called "pine nuts" in this case--are sold commercially for cooking and baking. The resin of some species is important as the source of turpentine.
Pinus Radiata (your common-or-garden pine tree) are commonly grown in plantations as a source of pulp for papermaking. This is because they are a fast-growing softwood capable of growing in close proximity to themselves, and because their resinous needles inhibit the growth of other plants (eg.weeds) in the area. Pine plantations are a serious fire hazard because their sap is highly flammable and almost explosive.
The family Pinaceae also includes firs, Douglas firs, larches, spruces, and hemlocks, with a total of approximately 200 species world-wide.
