Conifers of Colorado
Conifer =
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Member of the phylum Coniferophyta
Most familiar, most successful of all
Gymnosperms (cone-bearing plants)
Includes pines, spruces, firs, junipers & cedars
Evergreens :
-sheds only a few needles at a time
-slow growing
-can do year-round photosynthesis
Conifer (continued)
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Needles (modified leaves) conserve water
Needles gathered together @ base, clusters
of 2-5
Needles in a little sheath, sheath gone after
one year
Seeds in woody scaled cones, mature in
2 seasons
Pines
(genus Pinus)
Needles:
•Scattered over twig singly
•Sharp pointed
•Four sided
Cones:
•Pendant w/ parchment-like scales
•Fall off tree whole
Bristlecone Pine
Pinus aristata
•Life span: 5,000 years (oldest tree)
•Elevation: 10,000 to 12, 000 feet
Piñon Pine
Pinus edulis
• Short scrubby tree prefers dry, open, south-
facing slopes, lower altitudes
• Cones open readily to yield large seeds
(Piñon nuts)
Single-leaf Piñon Pine
Pinus monophylla
• Needles solitary,
gray-green, rigid,
sharp-pointed, curved
toward branch
•Prefers stony,
dry slopes,
common on
the Western
slope of
Colorado
Lodgepole Pine
Pinus contorta variety latifolia
•Tall, slender, used for tee-pee poles
•Grows in thick stands
•Elevation 7-11 thousand feet
•Cones with long prickles toward base
Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis
• Prefers stony, dry slopes & canyons
• Branches flexible, planted to
minimize avalanche damage
• Trunk often crooked
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa
•Prefers open park-like spaces
•Elevation 5-8 thousand feet
•Needles 3-7 in., clusters of 2 or 3
•Cones have spines
•Black bark when young, a.k.a.
“Black Jack Pine”
•Yellow bark with thick plates when
mature
See Pine Needle Page
Spruces
(genus Picea)
• Needles sharp, (OUCH!) four sided, attached singly on all sides of
twig
• Needles leave scars on twig when broken off that look like a grater
• Cones hang down, have parchment-like scales
Colorado Blue Spruce
Picea pungens
• Colorado state tree, widely used as an ornamental tree
• Color: silver blue to green-blue
• Young needles soft, adult needles very prickly, diamond-shaped in cross-section
• Twigs not hairy; cones 3.5 in.w/ ragged margins; bark dark gray, thin, & scaly
• Prefer moist soil, north slopes
Engelmann Spruce
Picea engelmani
• Often
used as an ornamental, also for timber & paper pulp
• Color green, needles 4-sided in cross-section
• Cones less than 2 in., light chestnut brown
• Twigs hairy; bark purplish brown or cinnamon red
• Prefers moist, north slopes
Firs
(genus Abies)
• Needles (blunt & fairly soft) grow directly from branch
• Includes: True firs (flat, plump needles) & Douglas-firs
(flat, linear needles)
• Cones erect, not conspicuous
in true firs; cones pendant w/
3-pronged tongues in
Douglas firs
White Fir
Abies concolor
•Color: silver blue to silvery green
•Needles: 2 in. or more, 2-3 in.
long, flat, & straight
•Bark very thick, rough, ash gray
w/ deep furrows & wide ridges
in older trees
•Cones large, erect, pale green or
deep purple
Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
• Bark: whitish gray & smooth on young trees, red-brown, deeply furrowed in
older trees
• Needles: ¾ - 1 ¼ inches long, flat, grooved upper surface
• Cones pendant w/ 3-pronged tongues
Alpine/Subalpine Fir
Abies lasiocarpa
•Color: blue-green to silvery
•Prefers high mountains
•Needles: flat, 1-1.8 in. w/ silvery lines of
stomata on both surfaces & blunt tip, point
up
•Bark: smooth, thin, pale grayish white,
some brown fissures w/ reddish inner bark
•Cones: densely clustered, cylindrical,
2¼ - 4 inches long, deep to pale purple
•Compact spire-like crown
Corkbark Fir
Abies lasiocarpa variety arizonica
•Very similar to Alpine/Subalpine Fir
•Differences:
1. Cone scales
2. Bark ashy-gray, soft, corky
Junipers
(genus Juniperus)
•Cones reduced to small bluish berries
•Needles reduced to little green scales on twigs about ½ in,
sometimes spreading
•Usually below 9,000 feet
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
•Pea-size blue berries
w/ gray waxy
covering
•Bark gray to redbrown, scaly w/
ridges; twigs slender
•Berries have two
seeds
Utah Juniper and One-Seed Juniper
Juniperus utahensis & J. monosperma
Utah: needle scales yellow green; berries w/ 1 seed, brown with
gray waxy covering; bark gray, thin, w/long scales; short twisted
trunk
One-Seed: common in semi-arid rocky soils; berries w/ 1 seed,
brown with gray waxy covering; bark gray, scaly; short twisted
trunk, open crown w/ stout branches
Cedars
(genus Cedrus)
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Many “Cedars” as they are
called, are actually Junipers, or
other species altogether
Needles: ½ - 2 in. long,
w/ sharp tips, grow in clusters
& are blue-green to silvery
Can grown in most soil types
Pyramidal shape
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
 Not really a Cedar, rather a Juniper
 Can reach heights of 40-50 feet
 Thin fibrous bark ~ ¼ to ¾ inch thick
 Sold commercially to the public
 Small fleshy berries (cones) w/ 1-4 seeds/cone
Atlas Cedar
Cedrus atlantica
 Can reach heights of 40-60 feet
 Needles: ¾ to 1½ inches, bluegreen
 Cones: 2¼ - 4 in. when mature,
turn brown