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Which pine species are classified as soft pines?
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Pine
A stand of stone pines (Pinus pinea) in Doñana National Park near Seville, Spain.
In botany, the genus Pinus is often divided into two subgenera: Haploxylon (soft pines) and Diploxylon (hard pines). Soft pines are characterized by having one fibrovascular bundle in their leaves, whereas hard pines have two.1
Common examples of soft pines include:
- White pines (such as the American white pine, Pinus strobus)21
- Sugar pines1
- Piñon pines1
These species are distinguished by their relatively soft timber, needles typically arranged in bundles of five, and stalked cones that lack prickles. Additionally, soft pines generally contain less resin than their hard pine counterparts and possess deciduous leaf cluster sheaths.1