Pinus thunbergiana, Japanese Black Pine

Size: tree or shrub, 15-25' average height at maturity, 20-30' spread

Buds: .5-.75" long, not resinous, gray or silvery white

Leaves: evergreen, 2 needles per fascicle, densely arranged, 2.5-4.5" long, twisted, fine-points, rigid, dark green

Twigs: glabrous, light brown when younger, blackish gray when older

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: ovoid to conical, 1.5-3" long, 1.25-1.75" wide, shiny light brown

Bark: blackish gray, fissures forming elongated irregular plates

Pinus aristata, Bristlecone Pine

Size: tree, 8-20' average height at maturity, irregular spread up to 40'

Leaves: evergreen, 5 needles per fascicle, 1-1.75", leaf sheaths curl back, dark green with whitish spots of resin

Twigs: light orange

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: cones brown, 2-4" long, cylindrical-ovoid, 1.5" broad, bristle-like prickle at edge of each scale

Bark: gray, green, smooth when young, rust-colored, fissured with age

Pinus bungeana, Lacebark Pine

Size: tree, 30-50' average height at maturity

Leaves: evergreen, 3 needles per fascicle, leaves in fascicle wide-spreading, 2-4" long, stiff, sharp, margins finely toothed, shiny light/medium/dark green

Twigs: shiny, gray-green, decurrent lines

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: ovoid cones, 2-3" long, 2" wide, light yellow-brown

Bark: bark of trunk exfoliating in irregular patches, forming a mosaic of whitish or brownish (or pinkish?) areas against a greenish gray bark

Pinus cembra, Swiss Stone Pine

Size: tree, 10-30' average height at maturity

Buds: globose or ovoid, acuminate tips

Leaves: evergreen, 5 needles per fascicle, densely set, 2-3" long, serrulate margins, rather stiff, dark green outside, inner sides have bluish white stomatic lines

Twigs: densely wooly, yellow-brown or orange in first year, gray-brown or black later

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: clustered, inconspicuous

Bark: gray-green, smooth when young, later gray-brown with scaly ridges and furrows

Pinus flexilis, Limber Pine

Size: tree, 30-50 average height at maturity, 15-35' average spread

Buds: ovoid, slender, sharp points, .38"

Leaves: evergreen, 5 needles per fascicle, densely crowded at ends of branchlets, 2.5-3.5", margins entire, leaves slender, rigid, curved or twisted in compact clusters, dark blue-green, 3-4 lines of stomata on each surface

Twigs: very flexible (can be tied in a knot), shining green

Flowers: monoecious, males clustered and rose colored, females purple

Fruit: cylindrical ovoid, 3-6" long, 1.5-2.25" wide, light brown and resinous

Bark: light gray or greenish gray when young, gray-brown with deep fissures dividing into scaly blocks on old trunks

Pinus densiflora, Japanese Red Pine

Size: tree, 40-60' average height and spread at maturity

Buds: cylindrical, resinosus, reddish brown

Leaves: evergreen, 2 needles per fascicle, slender, twisted and soft, in bunches that appear as if tufted, 3-5" long, bright to dark green, acute apex, margins finely toothed

Twigs: initially glaucous green glabrous or minutely downy, eventually orangish

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: cones, solitary or in clusters, conical-ovoid to oblong, 1.5-2" long and 1" wide, dull yellow

Bark: orangish to orange-red when young, peels in plates, grays at base in old age

Pinus mugo, Mugo Pine

Size: shrub, 4-10' average height and spread at maturity

Buds: oblong-ovoid, .25-.5" long, reddish brown, resinous

Leaves: evergreen, 2 needles per fascicle, which are often closely grouped together, short (1-3"), rigid, curved, margins finely toothed, medium to dark green, often yellow-green in winter

Twigs: prominent ridges, decurrent lines, green when young, later brown or blackish brown, often bushy with several stems, may be very short and dense

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: ovoid to conical ovoid, 1-2" long, .5-1" wide, gray-black at maturity

Bark: gray-brown, scaly, in irregular plates

Pinus nigra, Austrian Pine

Size: tree, 50-60' average height maturity, 20-40' spread

Buds: .5-1" long, abrupt sharp point, light brown, resinous

Leaves: evergreen, 2 needles per fascicle, very dense on branchlets, long (3-5"), flexible (unlike P. resinosa, do not break easily when bent), stiff, thick sharp point, straight or curved, shining dark green

Twigs: yellow-brown, ridged, decurrent lines, roughened by persistent leaf bases

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: ovoid, conica, 2-3" long, 1-1.25" wide, scales often tipped with a prickle, brown

Bark: dark brown furrows, gray or gray-brown flattened ridges

Pinus parviflora, Japanese White Pine

Size: tree, 25-50' average height and spread maturity

Buds: ovoid, nonresinous, .33", yellow-brown

Leaves: evergreen, 5 needles per fascicle, in brush-like tufts at ends of twigs, 1.25-2.5" long, stiff, twisted, blunt tips and finely toothed margins, no stomata outside, inner sides with 3-4 stomatic lines, blue-green

Twigs: greenish brown when young, later light gray

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: 1.5-4" long, ovoid to nearly cylindrical, often abundant even on young trees

Bark: smooth and gray when young, darker gray and platy/scaly when older

Pinus ponderosa, Ponderosa Pine

Size: tree, 60-100' average height at maturity, 20-30' spread

Buds: oblong, cylindrical, .8" long, resinous, reddish brown scales

Leaves: evergreen, usually 3 (sometimes 2) needles per fascicle, fragrant when broken, densely crowded on branchlets, 6-12" long, rigid, curved, margins minutely toothed, horny point, dark or yellowish green

Twigs: decurrent lines, vanilla fragrance when broken

Flowers: monoecious, males clustered, yellow, pistillate red, in pairs

Fruit: terminal cones, solitary or in clusters of 3-5, ovoid, 3-6" long, 1.5-2" wide, light red-brown, shiny

Bark: brown-black furrows on younger trees, yellow-brown to cinnamon-red in large flat scaly plates with deep fissures on older trees

Pinus resinosa, Red Pine

Size: tree, 50-80' average height at maturity

Buds: ovoid or narrow conical, .5", resinous

Leaves: evergreen, 2 needles per fascicle, densely arranged on branches, 5-6" long, flexible but break easily when bent (unlike P. nigra), slender, finely toothed margins, medium to dark green

Twigs: glabrous, stout, pale brown or yellowish green, twigs rough with fascicle bases, decurrent lines

Flowers: monoecious, clusters, males red, females reddish

Fruit: ovoid conical, 2" long, 1-2" wide, light brown

Bark: scaly and orange-red on young trees, large red-brown scaly plates when older

Pinus rigida, Pitch Pine

Size: tree, 40-60' average height at maturity, 30-50' spread

Buds: sharp-points, cylindrical, .25-.75", usually resinous

Leaves: evergreen, 3 needles per fascicle, 3-6" long, rigid, slightly curved and twisted, margins slightly toothed, usually yellow-green or pale green

Twigs: prominently ridged, decurrent lines, not fragrant when broken, green in first year, later orange-brown

Flowers: monoecious, males yellow, females light green and rose-tinted

Fruit: 2-3" long, 1-1.5" wide, ovoid or conical, light brown

Bark: dark and scaly when young, brownish yellow and separated by narrow fissures into plates when older

Pinus strobus, Eastern White Pine

Size: tree, 50-80' average height at maturity, 20-40' spread

Buds: .25", ovoid, sharp points, resinous

Leaves: evergreen, 5 needles per fascicle, 2-4", slender, soft and flexible, leaf margins serrulate, bluish green

Twigs: greenish brown, glabrous or pubescent, not densely wooly

Flowers: monoecious, males in clusters and yellow, females pink

Fruit: 3-7" long, 1.5" wide, cylindrical, often curved, light brown, resinous

Bark: smooth, gray-green when young, dark gray-brown when older, deep furrows and broad ridges

Pinus sylvestris, Scotch Pine

Size: tree, 30-60' average height at maturity, 30-40' spread

Buds: .25-.5", pointed, scales fringed

Leaves: evergreen, 2 needles per fascicle, 1-3" long, inner surface of needle is flat, often twisted, stiff, blue-green, often yellow-green in winter

Twigs: green when young, dull gray, yellow, or brown when older, decurrent lines

Flowers: monoecious

Fruit: ovoid-conic, 1.5-3" long, gray or dull brown

Bark: branches and upper trunk orange, gray-brown or reddish brown at base of trunk, fissured into irregular longitudinal scaly plates

Sciadopitys verticillata, Umbrella Pine

Size: tree, 20-30' average height at maturity, 15-20' spread

Leaves: evergreen, whorls at twig tips, 2-5" long, .13" wide, 2 kinds of leaves: conspicuous flat linear in whorls of 20-30 at twig tips (furrowed on each side) and small scale-like scattered on shoot

Twigs: green when young, later brown, stout, glabrous, flexible

Flowers: monoecious, females solitary and terminal, males in 1" racemes

Fruit: oblong ovate cone, upright, 2-4" long, 1-2" wide, green when younger, ripening to brown

Bark: rich orange-brown or red-brown, exfoliating in long shreds

Taxus baccata, English Yew

Size: shrub or tree, 30-60' average height at maturity, 15-25' spread

Buds: winter bud scales obtuse at apex, not keeled

Leaves: evergreen, spirally arranged, often 2-ranked, .75-1.25", linear, flattened, usually sickle-shaped, acute or acuminate tips, shiny dark green, 2 narrow pale green bands on underside

Twigs: greenish, surrounded at base by brownish scales

Flowers: usually dioecious, males globose, females look like small stalked conicle buds

Fruit: round juicy red aril surrounding a single brown seed

Taxus cuspidata, Japanese Yew

Size: tree or shrub, 10-40' average height at maturity

Buds: winder bud scales acute at apex, keeled

Leaves: evergreen, spirally arranged, often 2-ranked, often not distinctly 2-ranked, .75-1", linear, flattened, straight or slightly curved, cuspidate tip, dull dark green with 2 tawny yellow bands on underside

Flowers: dioecious, males globose, females look like small stalked conicle buds

Fruit: round juicy red aril surrounding a single brown seed

Bark: handsome reddish brown on older trees, exfoliating in strips