Pinus is comprised of trees, occasionally shrubs, which are evergreen, highly resinous, and monoecious. This genus is more important in timber-production than any other conifer genus. Lumber, plywood, poles, pilings, pulp, paper, turpentine, rosin (formerly from naval stores), pine "nuts", Christmas trees, and pine straw and bark mulch are all obtained from pine trees.
Pine trees share many characteristics. For a more descriptive
comparison, click on the cone:
Worldwide, 90 to 100 species of pines are naturally distributed in temperate regions and mountains of tropical regions in the northern hemisphere, extending from the northern tree-growing limits of the Arctic south to North Africa, the Phillippines, and Central America. One species, Pinus merkusii, occurring in Sumatra, is the only pine species that naturally crosses the equator into the Southern Hemisphere. However, several species, especially loblolly pine, have been planted in the Southern Hemisphere.
Pinus is divided into 4 subsections in eastern North America:
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