Pines

The pines are species of trees in the genus Pinus, of the family Pinaceae and phylum Coniferophyta, the cone-bearing plants (conifers). Relatives of the pines include other conifers such as fir, Douglas fir, spruce, hemlock, cypress, and redwood. Pines and these other conifers are all considered gymnosperms, because they bear their seeds naked, rather than within an ovary as in the angiosperms (flowering plants). There are about 100 different species of pines in the world.