its green needles through all the seasons. Sometimes the pine and cypress are paired. At other times the pine, plum, and bamboo are considered as the "Three Friends of Winter". Many Chinese art works and/or literature (some involving pines) have been done using paper, brush, and Chinese ink: interestingly enough, one of the main ingredients for Chinese ink has been pine soot. See also El Pino (The Pine Tree) Pine barrens Pine-cypress forest Pine Tree Flag Tree of Peace References Bibliography External links 40 Species of Pine Trees You Can Grow by The Spruce , covers Californian species Pinus in Flora of North America Pinus in the USDA Plants Database Conifer Database Pinaceae