Summary ²

A pine is any conifer in the genus Pinus, /ˈpiːnuːs/, of the family Pinaceae. Pinus is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The Plant List compiled by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts 126 species names of pines as current, together with 35 unresolved species and many more synonyms.

Identifying Factors ³

Members of the genus Pinus can be easily identified by the presence of fascicles (bundles of needles in disposable short shoots). Fascicles typically contain 2, 3, or 5 needles. Female cones are hanging, persistent, and serotinous. This means the cones are not dropped, but rather the seeds are released when triggered by an environmental factor (light, rain, fire, etc). The male cones are not typically in umbels but they can be in some species. Pines are evergreens.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Ali Burçin Titizel, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/gti861/5609152843/
2. Adapted by junipursa from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus
3. (c) junipursa, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• VASCAN by Canadensys

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