Presented below is a photomicrograph of a pine needle cross section. This digital image was captured with the DXM 1200 ACT-1 control software in single-image acquisition mode utilizing fluorescence illumination.

Pine is the common name for species belonging to the genus Pinus, a member of the family Pinaceae, resinous trees with needle-like leaves. Consisting of about 262 species, this is the largest family of conifers and includes fir, larch, spruce, hemlock, cedar and Douglas fir.

Pine trees are cone bearing evergreens found worldwide, primarily in northern temperate regions. Typically they have woody stems covered in bark, which protects tissues that conduct nutrients and water. When harvested, they provide materials like lumber, turpentine, rosin, paper, pulp, fuel and even food (pine nuts). Pines are gymnosperms, non-flowering plants that produce naked seeds not enclosed in an ovary. In many pine species, winged seeds are distributed from cones by exposure to wind or fire.