AusBonsai

Hey,
There is a stand of these Pines along the water race in South west Sydney. Someone told me they were Japanese Black Pines. I was sceptical and had a closer look.
Anyone got a good idea for Pines?
What's the best identifying features?
Thanks
Oliver

radiata

Easy thanks.

Pine Id is a combination of:
a - how many needles in a sheath. That lets us know which sub-group the species belongs to.
b - cones. Size, shape and the protrusions on each cone scale are diagnostic.
c - bark. Different species have different bark colour and pattern.
d - overall shape and size of the tree. Some species are typically wide and spreading, a few grow as flat top, some are tall and skinny.

Put all that together along with some guesses based on likelihood of a species being in that area gives us a fairly good idea.
JBP does not have 3 needles so definitely not JBP
Radiata is one of the species that usually has 3 needles and it is widely grown in Aust so that's likely.

Thanks Shibui for the more in-depth response.
I appreciate it.