Pine Trees in Russia

Pine trees are found in nearly all climates, including Russia. Pine trees are classified as conifers because they bear cones instead of fruit. Another characteristic of the pine tree is that it has needle clusters instead of leaves. The number of needles in each cluster further differentiates pines. Three pine trees found in Russia include the Scots pine, the Swiss stone pine and the dwarf Siberian pine.

Scots Pine

The Scots pine is native to Siberia. The tree grows to a height of 130 feet. The bark is red-brown when young, turning purple-gray as the tree ages, according to “Trees” by Colin Ridsdale. The tree has five blue-green twisted needles per cluster. Both the male and female flowers bloom in clusters. The cones are oval with raised scales and are green when young, turning brown in the second year.

Swiss Stone Pine

The Swiss stone pine grows to a height of 70 feet and is found at higher altitudes than any other pine. The bark is light brown with dark brown knots with resin pockets marking the tree when it is young. The five-needle clusters are stiff and shiny green on top with a whitish underside, according to “Simon & Schuster's Guide to Trees” by Paola Lanzara and Mariella Pizzetti. The flowers bloom in clusters and the cones grow upright on the branches.

Dwarf Siberian Pine

The dwarf Siberian pine is found on exposed mountainous slopes in eastern Siberia. The tree grows to a height of 20 feet. The bark is gray-brown and becomes fissured at it ages, according to “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees of the World” by Tony Russell, Catherine Cutler and Martin Walters. The five-needle clusters grow to four inches and are dark green. The cones are oval and purple when young, turning red- or golden-brown at maturity.

Pine Trees

They raise their branches to the sky in fields, front yards and other sun-soaked places around the world. They require little water and well-drained, preferably sandy soil. They can live well over 100 years, and some have even been found that are thousands of years old, such as the bristlecone pine that thrives in Nevada's Great Basin National Park. The branches of the pine tree grow laterally from a straight trunk that's covered in bark. Some pine tree species produce just one whorl of distinct branches a year that butts against the tip of the new shoot. The woody plants that become the towering trees that populate cities, forests and national parks across the country are beneficial to the environment as well as commerce. Pine parts are also used for the manufacturing of substances such as pulp and paper, rosin and the cleaning agent turpentine.