There are about 100 species of pines. Almost all of them grow naturally only in the Northern Hemisphere. Pines are found in a wide range of environments, but they most often grow in sandy or rocky soils. They are especially common in the mountains of western and southeastern North America, southern Europe, and southeastern Asia. Others are small and shrublike.
Pines belong to a group of plants called conifers.
All conifers reproduce by means of cones that produce pollen and seeds. A pine differs from other conifers in the way its leaves grow. Nearly all pines have needles that grow in bundles of two, three, or five each. The leaves of other conifers grow in larger bundles or do not form bundles. Conifers closely related to pines include firs, larches, and spruces.