plant-o-pedia

Most conifers are evergreen (do not lose their leaves in winter), are pollinated by wind, they have cones and do not flower. The main distinguishing characteristic of a conifer is that the seeds are not enclosed in a fruit; ­ they are said to be naked. Conifers share this characteristic with other gymnosperms like Ginkgo trees and cycads.

 

         Leaves          

The leaves of conifers are usually narrow, often resembling needles, or are reduced to small scales along the branchlets such as found in the Cupressaceae family. These leaves are tolerant of cold and help the tree reduce losing water .

A few species have the more familiar broader leaves, such as the Kauri pines (Agathis species). The pines and cedars (Family Pinaceae) have long narrow needles clustered in short shoots, while the Celery-topped Pine (Family Podocarpaceae) has flattened branchlets called phylloclades which resemble leaves.

Although the majority of conifers are evergreen and renew their leaves year round, some species, such as Bald Cypress and Dawn Redwood (Family Taxodiaceae), are deciduous.

Sometimes the juvenile leaves of conifers are very different from the adult leaves. This is well illustrated by the rare conifer, Wollemi Pine, (Wollemia nobilis) which has stiff dull yellowish green adult leaves arranged in four rows on the upper surfaces of the branches. The juvenile leaves are soft, dark green on top and waxy white underneath, and are arranged in two rows on the branches.