Many kinds of pines grow in Arizona, along with several closely related trees. All are evergreen and have either needles or prickly green twig-like branch tips. We treat only a few varieties here:

• Ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum)
• Chihuahua (Pinus leiophlla variety chihuahuana)
• Apache (Pinus engelmannii)
• Mexican Pinyon (Pinus edulis)
• Southwestern White (Pinus strobiformis)

All of these trees produce a sticky resin. Ponderosa bark has a sweet vanilla-like smell when flaked.

In addition to these true pines, Arizona Cypress (also Smooth-bark Arizona (Cupressus glabra) and several varieties of juniper grow here, too. These pine-relatives are best identified by their twig-like leaves.

Yet a third set of pine-like trees grow in Arizona: firs and spruce. Spruce grow only at high elevations. Douglas Fir grows from low, shady, moist canyons to near mountain tops. It is easily identified by its dark green, short, flat needles, which give the twigs a flattened look.

Ponderosa	Chihuahua Pine	Apache Pine	Mexican Pinyon Pine	Southwestern White Pine
Bark reddish-brown Scaly	Bark black, often with reddish pattern	Very similar needles to Ponderosa, but longer		Bark

Arizona Cypress	Redberry Juniper (formerly One/Two Seed Juniper)	Alligator Juniper
	Bark ash-gray	Bark - looks much like alligator skin (see picture)

Douglas Fir	Spruce	White (or Silver) Fir
Bark	Bark	Bark