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[edit]Etymology
The modern English name pine derives from Latin pinus which some have traced to the Indo-European base *pīt- ‘resin’ (source of English pituitary.[2] In the past (pre-19th century) they were often known as fir, from Old Norse fyrre, by way of Middle English firre. The Old Norse name is still used for pines in some modern north European languages, in Danish, fyr, in Norwegian fura/fure/furu, Swedish, fura/furu, and Föhre in German, but in modern English,fir is now restricted to Fir (Abies) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga).
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[edit]Taxonomy, nomenclature and codification
Main article: Pinus classification
Pines are divided into three subgenera, based on cone, seed and leaf characters: * Pinus subg. Pinus, the yellow or hard pine group * Pinus subg. Ducampopinus, the foxtail or pinyon group * Pinus subg. Strobus, the white or soft pine groups
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[edit]Distribution
A Khasi Pine in Benguet, Philippines
Huangshan Pine (Pinus hwangshanensis), Anhui, China
Pines are native to most of the Northern Hemisphere, and have been introduced throughout most temperateand subtropical regions of the world, where they are grown as timber and cultivated as ornamental plants in parks and gardens. One species (Sumatran Pine) crosses the equator in Sumatra to 2°S. In North America, they range