Pine Trees

conifer · evergreen · forest · seeds

Needles in bundles. Pine trees don't have flat leaves like most trees. Instead, they have long, thin needles that grow in small bunches, usually 2 to 5 needles clustered together on the branch.

Cones hold seeds. Pine seeds grow inside hard, woody cones that look like little pinecones you might find on the ground. Each scale of the cone holds exactly two seeds, which eventually fall out and can grow into new pine trees.

Stay green all year. Pine trees are evergreen, which means they keep their needles all through winter while other trees lose their leaves. This helps them survive in cold climates where many other trees can't grow.

Only one genus. All pine trees belong to just one group called Pinus. This makes them special because most other tree families have many different groups within them.

Ancient survivors. Pine trees have been around for millions of years and can grow very tall and very old, making them some of the most successful trees on Earth.