What kind of tree is a conifer?
Coniferous trees have small, waxy and usually narrow leaves (needles or flat scales). ‘Coniferous’ means that it is a cone-bearing tree. The most common conifers are spruces, pines and firs. Alternative names used for coniferous trees are evergreens, softwoods and (appropriately enough) conifers.
What is the difference between a conifer and a pine?
Like deciduous trees, conifers can be identified by their ‘leaves.’ The ‘leaves’ of conifers are of course their needles. On true pine trees, the needles are arranged and attached to the branches in clusters of two (red pine group), three (yellow pine group), or five (white pine group) needles per cluster.
What is the difference between evergreen and coniferous?
While most conifers are also evergreens, these two terms are not synonyms: ‘conifers’ refers to the unique way of reproducing by cones, and ‘evergreens’ refers to the nature of the tree’s leaves.
Is a Christmas tree a conifer?
There are several types of conifer that can be brought indoors for decorating at Christmas. Most are available as cut trees, but container grown and containerised trees (dug up with roots and plunged into pots) are also available.
Where do conifers grow well?
Conifers are most abundant in cool temperate and boreal regions, where they are important timber trees and ornamentals, but they are most diverse in warmer areas, including tropical mountains.
Is a cedar tree a conifer?
cedar, any of four species of ornamental and timber evergreen conifers of the genus Cedrus (family Pinaceae), three native to mountainous areas of the Mediterranean region and one to the western Himalayas.
How do I identify a conifer?
One method of conifer identification is to look closely at their cones – these are the mature female flowers of conifer trees. They protect the tree’s seeds, opening to release them when conditions are right for germination.
Is Maple a conifer?
There are a few species of deciduous trees that grow and drop needles instead of leaves, but this will be discussed in the Deciduous Conifer section below. Common deciduous trees are oak, maple, and birch to name a few.
Is a cypress tree a conifer?
Although many conifers are evergreen, bald cypress trees are deciduous conifers that shed their needlelike leaves in the fall. In fact, they get the name “bald” cypress because they drop their leaves so early in the season.
Is a conifer a tree or a bush?
Whilst conifers are traditionally thought of as conical evergreen trees with a single, straight trunk and side branches, they actually come in a huge range of shapes and sizes, ranging from large trees to small prostrate ground cover plants. The name ‘conifer’ comes from Latin and means ‘cone bearing’.
Do conifers lose their leaves?
Evergreen conifers shed needles just as deciduous trees lose leaves; it just happens over a longer period of time. “The difference is that with deciduous trees they do it all at once in a shorter time span,” he said. “Evergreen conifers shed needles from summer through fall.
What are Christmas trees actually called?
Modern Tannenbaum (Christmas trees) are traditionally decorated in secret with lights, tinsel and ornaments by parents and then lit and revealed on Christmas Eve with cookies, nuts and gifts under its branches.
What is the real name of Christmas tree?
Norway spruce Picea abies (the original tree, generally the cheapest) Silver fir Abies alba. Nordmann fir Abies nordmanniana.
Do conifers need a lot of water?
Water your new conifer 2-3 times per week for the first two weeks after planting and then regularly for the first 3-6 months until the roots are established. After this initial period, your new conifer only requires watering during extended dry spells.
What is special about coniferous trees?
Many coniferous trees have the ability to patch themselves up. If attacked by a burrowing insect the tree can secrete a scented, gummy resin that fills over the hole and hardens, protecting the tree from further damage. The scent can also deter insects from coming too close.
