Conifers of California
What is a Conifer?
The name ‘conifer’ comes from Latin
and means ‘cone bearing’. All
conifers bear their male and female
reproductive organs in separate
cones (strobili) rather than in
flowers.
Most conifers are evergreen trees
and shrubs. There are a very few
exceptions.
The conifers belong to the group of
seed plants known as the
gymnosperms. Gymnosperm literally
means ‘naked seed’. This is the main
characteristic which differentiates
them from the more advanced
flowering plants (angiosperms)
which bear their seeds encased in an
ovary that becomes the fruit.
Trees usually bear both male and
female cones. Male cones produce
pollen grains which are transported
to the female cones by wind. The
seeds subsequently develop within
the female cones.
Magnified young female cone
Leaf Types in Conifers
Scales: tiny, like
roofing shingles
Awl: triangular in
cross-section, like
the tool for sailmaking
Linear: long and
narrow, also
known as shortneedle
Needle: really
long and really
narrow, also
known as long-
Female cone types
In some genera, such as Juniperus
(juniper) and Taxus (yew) these may
be fleshy.
The foliage of conifers is either needlelike or scale-like.
Conifer Families in California
• Pinaceae—Pine Family
• Cupressaceae—Cypress Family
• Taxaceae—Yew Family
Pine Family in California
Pinaceae
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•
•
•
•
Abies—true firs
Picea--spruces
Pinus—pines
Pseudotsuga—Douglas-firs
Tsuga--hemlocks
Pine Family in California
Abies—true firs
• Erect cones with deciduous scales
• Linear leaves (needles)
attached singly
Pine Family in California
Picea—spruces
• Pendant cones
• Linear leaves (needles)
on pegs
Pine Family in California
Pinus—pines
•Pendant , woody, persistent cones
•Needles in bundles
Pine Family in California
Pseudotsuga—Douglas-firs
•Pendant , woody, persistent cones
with exserted 3-toothed bracts
•Linear, single needles
Pine Family in California
Tsuga—hemlocks
•Pendant , woody, persistent cones
•Droopy leader
Cypress Family in California
Cupressaceae
Cypress Family in California
Cupressaceae
•Calocedrus—incense-cedar
•Chamaecyparis—whitecedar
•Cupressus—cypresses
•Juniperus—junipers
•Sequoia—coast redwood
•Sequoiadendron—giant sequoia
•Thuja--arborvitae
Cypress Family in California
Calocedrus decurrens, incense-cedar
scale-like leaves, duck-bill cones
Cypress Family in California
Chamaecyparis
Scale-like leaves, sphaerical cones,
droopy leader
Cypress Family in California
Cupressus
Scale-like leaves, stiff branches,
spherical woody cones
Cypress Family in California
Juniperus
Scale-like or awl-like leaves, berrylike cones
Cypress Family in California
Sequoia
Linear or awl-like leaves, small
woody cones
Cypress Family in California
Sequoiadendron
awl-like leaves, small woody cones
Cypress Family in California
Thuja plicata, western redcedar
scale-like leaves, small woody cones
Yew Family in California
Taxaceae
Taxus brevifolia—Pacific yew
• Linear leaves, red juicy aril, purplish bark
Yew Family in California
Taxaceae
Torreya californica—California-nutmeg
• Linear spine-tipped leaves, olive-shaped
aril
Identifying Conifers of California—
key characters
•Female cones—shape, woody vs. fleshy,
persistent vs. deciduous; bract shape
•Leaf type(s)—linear, needles, scales, awls
•Growth habit—tree, shrub, subshrub; stiff
or droopy branches, flat or 3D branches
•Bark—fibrous, furrowed, platy, jigsaw
puzzle pieces, color
•Geographic range
•Habitat
http://www.conifercountry.com/conifers.htm
Conifers of the Klamath Region