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Conifers are trees that produce their seeds in cones. They also are usually
evergreen -- that is, they generally keep their needle-shaped leaves all
year round.
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Pines are in plurals.
Every pine needle is attached to the branch in groups of 1 - 5, each group wrapped in a papery sheath called a fascicle. |
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Spruces are square and sharp.
The needles of spruce trees are square in cross section. They are stiff and very sharp, all except the brand new bright green growth at the tips of the branches in the spring. |
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Firs are flat and friendly.
Fir needles are flat in cross section and generally pliable. The ends of the needles are rounded and soft to the touch. |
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Junipers are jagged.
If you look closely at a juniper twig, the needles are scalelike, jagged, triangular, and somewhat resemble scales on a snake skin. |
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Each type of conifer has its own unique cone. When the branches are too
far off the ground to identify a conifer by the needles, you can look on
the ground around the tree for its cones, and identify it that way.
