Here are a few simple rules you can use when looking at and feeling needles. When you’re looking at a tree with needles, one of the easiest ways to figure out the type of tree it is lies in those needles. Scales are short and overlap as in plates of armor. A Quick Guide to Coniferous Needlesįirstly, there are two major distinctions in conifer leaves: needles and scales. Coniferous trees typically have needles.īroadleaf trees are essentially the opposite of conifers. Though not scientifically conifers, alder trees also have cones and are pretty cool like that. Spruce, firs, redwoods, hemlocks, larches, cypress, these are all in that range. While cones can vary quite a bit, they’re typically immediately recognizable outside of the juniper and cypress families.Ĭoniferous trees are those with cones. This is the root of the beauty of fall foliage that we see as many trees turn yellow, orange and red come Autumn. Evergreen is the opposite of Decidous.ĭeciduous trees, on the other hand, lose their leaves for part of the year, and grow them back again typically in the spring. While most evergreens are also coniferous trees, there are some coniferous trees that lose their leaves, such as larches, and likewise, certain broadleaf trees keep their leaves all year round, such as the various live oak. Turns out, there’s a difference in both cases.Įvergreen means a tree doesn’t lose its leaves over the winter. I also assumed the term “broadleaf” was simply laymen’s for deciduous. I long thought that the terms evergreen and coniferous were interchangeable. Apple trees are an example of broadleaf trees, the seeds live inside of the apples themselves instead of a cone. Scientists refer to these trees as angiosperms, which means their seeds are covered in a fruit or a nut. Picture big maple leaves, the often oddly shaped leaves of oak trees, and anything else we typically consider a “leaf” vs. The scientific term gymnosperm is often applied to these trees, which simply means that they have seeds which are not covered by a fruit or nut.īroadleaf trees are everything else. Coniferous (as in, “bearing cones”) are pine trees and the like, which typically have pointy needles. The first step in identifying trees is to know your broadleaf trees from your coniferous. Juniper trees are prevalent throughout the southwestern deserts, their cones (seen here) referred to as berries. Douglas-fir, for example, thrive from the Pacific Northwest to the Sierra Nevadas to the Rocky Mountains. The types of trees you’ll find in each area vary widely, while at the same time certain types of trees can live across many regions. From there we can break down the types of environments range from coastal to mountainous (referred to as montane), deserts to plains. Here in the United States, we’re primarily a temperate forest (though some classifications put parts of Florida in a tropical zone). In a sort of reverse Catch 22, knowing the environment you are in will help you identify trees, while at the same knowing your trees will give you a much better understanding of your environment. What's 2 + 5?Īlso note that while I grew up in Pennsylvania, my interest in identifying these big ol’ guys hadn’t started until I’d been out West, so much of what I talk about here is from that experience. While not to be dismissed altogether, and certainly not in the long run, sometimes when you’re getting into looking at trees and wondering what types they are, what they’re good for and how they interact with the rest of the forest around them, you just want an easy in.įrom making a living to raising your kids, where to go and more! Email, please.
Things like “lanceolate” and “gymnosperms”.
If you pick up a book on tree identification, you’ll typically find them packed with scientific terms that are semi-explained, but all too often with more scientific terms. This guide aims to help you get past that first stage and comfortable enough to delve into books with more in-depth information. Well, the process of going from “That’s a tree” to “Yeah, that’s a Sitka spruce, they’re rad just for their size and shade, but one of their greatest attributes is how they block Pacific Ocean salt and wind, allowing Coastal Redwoods to grow” can be a long one, and the first steps often prove the toughest. And why would the world need such a guide? Travel Writers WantedĬan you string a few syllables together? Want to get paid to write great stories about living on the road? Pitch Us Your Idea A “For Beginners, by a Beginner” you might say.
Quite the opposite, it is advice provided by a novice tree identifier and humble naturalist as to what I have learned about tree identification.
#Leaf guide tree identification key how to
This is not an unabridged guide on how to identify trees.
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