Botany
Colorado Conifers
Worksheet
Name
Date
Period
Identify the Following:
1. High mountains; Cones densely clustered, at first deep purple; Bark thin, smooth,
gray-white
2. Grows along streams; Prefers north, moist slopes; Needles blue-green and silvery, 1 to 1
¼ inches, arranged on twig in all directions
3. Often grows near junipers; bark gray on surface, underneath reddish-brown, diagonal
ridges; needles in bundles of two, dark green/yellow when adult; cones shiny brown
yellow at maturity, open in fall to give edible nut
4. Needles flattened, upper surface with groove, lower with white lines; Needles spiral
around twig; Resembles hemlock; Cones w/ rounded scales & 3-pronged bracts
5. Cones with thin scales, with long deciduous prickles at tips, ¾ to 2 inches long; Needles
with minutely toothed margins; Prefers well-drained high mountains; Slender tree, grows
in thick stands
6. Thin ¼ to ¾ inch bark; Berries often contain multiple seeds; Found often in urban
landscaping
7. Needles 1-1/2 inches long, covered with pitch/resin specks; Old trunks red-brown, with
shallow furrows and ridges; Needles in bundles of five; Prefers 10 to 20 thousand feet
elevation
8. Needles in pairs, alternately on twig and perpendicular to it; Berry has two seeds and is
bluish or black; 20 to 50 in height; Found in open hillside stands in dry conditions; Good
for fence posts due to slow decay
9. Prefers the western slope; Needles single, green-gray, stiff, sharp-pointed, curved toward
branch; Cones with thick, four-sided scales
10. Needles pea-green; Cones upright on branch, scales not as long as wide; Bark thick, hard,
light gray; Mature trees with deep furrows/ridges
11. Prefers canyons and dry slopes; Cones 3 to 10 inches long with very thick scales without
prickles, large size seed; Needles in clusters of five, fairly flexible, silky
12. Blue-green needles, up to 1½ inches long; Cones about 2-4 inches when mature, brown;
Height of up to 60 feet
13. Averages 100 feet in height; Flexible needles, blue-green, crowded on upper side of twig;
Cones less than 2 inches long, jagged toothed; Main trunk smooth and clean; Bark peels
in thin flakes
14. Needles in clusters of two or three; Bark very dark on young trees, mature trees with
orange layers; Scales on cones w/ broad pyramid tips w/ small prickles
15. Bark gray and scaly; Prefers rocky soils; Trunk is often twisted; Berries usually waxy with
a gray color, and contain only one seed