║ Needles are arranged in ☄ bundles of  5   3 3 (some 2) 2 (some 3) 2 :

Bundles of 5

needles=soft, flexible;  bark=dark furrowed;  🇨🇦 Canada and 🇺🇸 USA east of the 🗻︎ Rocky Mountains
eastern white pine  Pinus strobus

🗻︎ mountainous western 🇨🇦 Canada and 🇺🇸 USA
whitebark pine  Pinus albicaulis

🗻︎ mountainous western 🇨🇦 Canada and 🇺🇸 USA
limber pine (🗻︎ Rocky Mountain white pine)  Pinus flexilis

Bundles of 3 (some 2)

needles=long (13–20 cm) (5–8 in), not twisted
ponderosa pine  Pinus ponderosa

Bundles of 2 (some 3)

needles=long (8–13 cm) (3–5 in), slender;  twig=whitish
shortleaf pine  Pinus echinata

Learn more about pines genus Pinus (Pinus spp.)

Part of 🌲︎ cedar / fir / hemlock / larch / pine / spruce  family Pinaceae in 🌲︎ conifer  order Pinales.

Native throughout the 🌐︎ Northern Hemisphere, particularly temperate regions, but into the arctic and tropics (and from there, a bit into the 🌐︎ Southern Hemisphere).  🗺 Map of 4 species (section contorta) by county (🇺🇸 USA-48), ** 3 species covered above, 🗺 map by county (🇺🇸 USA-48) (color key).   Invasive > 🌐︎ global

In these areas (particularly 🇨🇦 Canada AB BC SK, and 🇺🇸 USA AZ CA CO ID MO MT NV NM OR SD UT WA WI WY):

  • do not move pine logs, stumps, branches, firewood nor untreated lumber,
due to possible infestation by the insect mountain pine beetle (MPB)  Dendroctonus ponderosae, which carries various species of 🍄︎ fungus (mushroom)  kingdom Fungi.

🏛🌲︎ State trees of North Carolina.

Uses by native peoples
(Ethnobotany database)

Pinus hosts caterpillars of 247 species
of butterflies and moths, in some areas.
  This plant is also known to be a host for (in areas where invasive) 🐝︎ spotted lanternfly (SLF)  Lycorma delicatula.

🔍︎ 🔍︎ images Discover Life Encyclopedia of Life Gymnosperm database Michigan Flora Minnesota Wildflowers Flora of North America USDA PLANTS db Wikipedia