Pines are evergreen trees that live for 1000 years or more. There are several types of pine trees and each is different from one another. Scroll down to know more about types of pine trees.
Pine tree, also known as conifera, has recently become very popular as an ornament tree. There are several pine tree types, each with different characteristics. These different characteristics have separated the pine trees from others similar trees. They belong to the genus Pinus, and are further divided into subgenus Strobus – white or soft pines, and subgenus Pinus – yellow or hard pines. However, this is not enough for pine tree identification.
Pine trees are found in North America, Himalayas in India, and several other places throughout the globe. They are known as coniferous trees and evergreens as they are always covered with leaves. Their leaves are needle-shaped. Pine trees are famous for the pine cones that are also called ‘flowers’. These cones are further divided into males and females with the male cone being 1-5 cm long and the female cone being 3-60 cm long. The male pine cones fall soon after having shed their pollen while the female pine cone takes longer, 2-3 years. These cones are eaten by birds and squirrels. Acidic soil helps the pine trees to grow better. All these facts aside, the most important thing is that these trees look aesthetic and are used as Christmas trees too. Here’s a list of pine tree types.
Himalayan Pine Tree
Himalayan pines grow well in the hardiness zones 5-7 of North America. They can grow up to 50 feet tall and 35 feet in width. The bark is smooth and gray when the tree is young and becomes dark and hard as the tree matures. The branches are few and are spread out. The trunks do not have any branches. The needles are soft and blue-green in color and grow in the bundles of 5, and are up to 4 inches in length. The cones are slender in shape and do not have any thorns on them, and the roots are deep.
White Pine Tree
White pines have several species and all are valuable for their timber. Their high quality wood is soft, and can be used in woodworking. The white pines are further divided into Western white pine and the Eastern white pine. The Western white pine grows slowly and requires a reasonable amount of moisture in the soil. The Eastern white pine grows rapidly and is one of the favorite types for landscaping, growing up to 70 feet height. However, the younger trees are more susceptible to diseases than the older ones.
Ponderosa Pine Tree
Also known as the Western yellow pine, Rock pine, or the Bull pine, these are named so due to their heavy size. They are native to the British Columbia. The trees have a straight trunk with a large crown of branches at the top. The needles are thin with toothed edges, and grow in bundles of 3. The roots are deep inside the ground which not only helps to get enough water and nutrients but also to anchor the tree deep into the ground. The cones of the ponderosa pine trees are narrow and oval shaped, and can reach up to 164 feet in height, in some cases.
Jack Pine Tree
Jack pines, are also known as Prince pine, Princess pine, Scrub pine, to name a few. These trees look shaggy and can grow in cold climates and in poor soils. These trees grow up to 100 feet in height and the roots penetrate deep into the soil as well as grow laterally on the ground. The leaves grow in clusters of 2, and are short. The cones are smaller and closed due to the resinous bond. These trees cannot be used for landscaping. An interesting fact is that when the trees are planted in the deserts, they grow bushy.
Bristlecone Pine Tree
These are one of those pine tree types that grow slowly. Being one of the oldest types, they are believed to be 4,700 years old. These trees do not grow very tall, and can reach up to 50 feet in height, when mature. This characteristic has given these trees the name shorties. They are famous as bonsai trees because of the rounded crown. The leaves are up to 5 inches in height and grow in bundles of 5. The cones are up to 4 inches in height. They are found in the mountain regions in the Western part of America.
Other than the above mentioned types, there are several more, have a look.
- Pitch Pine
- Lodgepole Pine
- Norway Pine
- Mexican White Pine
- Spruce Pine
- Colorado Pine
- Japanese Pine
- Scots Pine
- Sugar Pine
- Loblolly Pine
- Austrian Pine
- Virginia Pine
- Aleppo Pine
- Canary Island Pine
- Lacebark Pine
These deciduous trees are very important from the commercial perspective and people also like to have pine trees in their gardens.