• Pinus albicaulis Whitebark Pine
• Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine
• Pinus arizonica Arizona Pine (see Pinus ponderosa)
• Pinus attenuata Knobcone Pine
• Pinus balfouriana Fox-tail Pine
• Pinus banksiana Jack Pine
• Pinus californiarum (see Pinus monophylla)
• Pinus cembroides Mexican Pinyon
• Pinus clausa Sand Pine
• Pinus contorta Lodgepole Pine
• Pinus coulteri Coulter's Pine
• Pinus discolor Border Pine (see Pinus cembroides)
• Pinus echinata Short-leaf Pine
• Pinus edulis Two-needle Pinyon
• Pinus elliottii Slash Pine
• Pinus engelmannii Apache Pine
• Pinus flexilis Limber Pine
• Pinus glabra Spruce Pine
• Pinus jeffreyi Jeffrey Pine
• Pinus lambertiana Sugar Pine
• Pinus leiophylla Chihuahuan Pine
• Pinus longaeva Intermountain Bristle-cone Pine
• Pinus monophylla Single-leaf Pinyon
• Pinus monticola Western White Pine
• Pinus muricata Bishop Pine
• Pinus palustris Long-leaf Pine
• Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine
• Pinus pungens Table Mountain Pine
• Pinus quadrifolia Four-leaf Pinyon
• Pinus radiata Monterey Pine
• Pinus remota Paper-shell Pinyon (see Pinus cembroides)
• Pinus resinosa Red Pine
• Pinus rigida Pitch Pine
• Pinus sabiniana Digger Pine
• Pinus serotina Pond Pine
• Pinus strobiformis Southwestern White Pine
• Pinus strobus Eastern White Pine
• Pinus taeda Loblolly Pine
• Pinus torreyana Torrey Pine
• Pinus virginiana Virginia Pine
• Pinus washoensis Washoe Pine

The genus Pinus containing the pines is the most diverse group of conifers, both in terms of number of species and in ecological and morphological divergence. There are between 100 and 120 species of pines depending on how narrowly the species are defined. The species occupy a wide variety of ecological habitats from high montane forest to lowland desert. Similarly the shape and form of the species differs from tall, conical species to squat, spreading species.

The genus Pinus is dominant in the Northern Hemisphere and most species occur in boreal or montane environments, although many live in the dry woodlands of the interior of North America (such as the Pinyon Pines). The southern most native extension of the range is a species from Sumatra in Indonesia. Pines now occur throughout the world because they have been extensively planted both as ornamentals and timber trees as far south as New Zealand and southern Patagonia in South America.

The genus Pinus contains the oldest living organism, the Bristle-cone Pine (Pinus longaeva) with individuals nearly 5000 years old. This record may have been lost to a specimen of Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) that may be upwards of 12,000 years old.

The Pines are typically divided into two major subdivisions; the soft pines (subgenus Strobus) and the hard pines (subgenus Pinus). Most of the characters separating these two major groups are technical. The relatively easy characters to see are:

Soft Pines: The sheath holding the needles together in the leaf bundle is shed at the end of the first growing season. The needle bundles contain 5 needles and the stomata on the needles are confined to the lower surface. Each needle (leaf) contains a single vascular bundle.

Hard Pines. The sheath holding the needles (leaves) together in the leaf bundle is retained after the first growing season. The needle bundles contain between 1 and 6 needles (leaves) and the stomata are not restricted to the underside of the needle. Each needle contains a double vascular bundle.

Some systematists recognize a third major subdivision of the pines (subgenus Ducampopinus) containing the Pinyon and Foxtail Pines.

The pines are an extremely important economic groups with species used as both lumber and pulp in the paper making industry.

Identification Features:

The leaves (needles) are elongated and occur in bundles of between 1 and 6 needles held together at the base. The female seed cones are diverse in structure, but distinctly "pine cone" like.