Pine Tree
Pine (tree) is a common name for a medium-size family of trees, mostly evergreen, of widespread distribution in the temperate areas of the northern hemisphere, and for its representative genus. The family, which contains about 210 species placed in 10 genera, has enormous economic importance as a source of timber and pulpwood, among other products. Members of the family characteristically have helically arranged, needlelike leaves. In several genera—for example, pine, cedar , and larch —the leaves are borne in clusters that are actually short branches, or spurs, on which the leaves are arranged in tight helices. Pines are divided into two groups, based on the scale leaves and other characteristics. The soft pines have leaves in bundles of five, and the scale leaves fall away from mature leaf bundles. Their wood is soft and has a coarse grain. Well-known soft pines are the eastern white pine, of northeastern North America; piñon pine, of the Southwest, the seeds of which are edible; bri...