They're all Christmas trees to me... Identifying Different Conifers: Things with Needles

Here at the Plantations, we have one gardener in particular who loves his conifers.  This gardener is Phil.  Before I worked with Phil, I called every tree that had needles either a pine tree or a Christmas tree.  Now, I know better.  After reading this post, you will too!

I think it's really cool knowing how to identify different conifers.  It makes you look more closely at the trees you pass, and appreciate them more.  I definitely enjoy the beauty of coniferous trees more now that I look closely at them.

Conifers in California.  Christmas trees? (Picture from Wikipedia)

Let’s start with the easiest category: conifers with needles.  We’ll take care of conifers with scaly leaves a little later.

When most people think of a coniferous tree, they often think “pine tree,” as in a tree that makes pinecones.  Well, which trees are actually pine trees?

Pine trees have needles that come in bunches of two, three, or five.  Their needles are usually pretty long and floppy, so it’s hard to hang ornaments on them if you use them as your Christmas tree.  But the needles do give the tree a very pleasant fluffy, fuzzy look:

Here’s a pine tree with needles in bunches of five:

One bunch of five needles.

Pinecones have thick, woody scales, making them great for crafts and decoration.  They actually take two years to mature, so you might find young cones and old cones on the same tree.

A classic pinecone.  Picture from wikipedia.

When you go to get a Christmas tree, you’re usually going to want to buy a fir tree.  So let’s talk about those next.

Fir trees have needles that come one at a time. 

A fir tree!  This one has a very nice blue color.

Their needles are actually flat: you can hold them flat between your finger and thumb.  If you look at the underside of the needle, you will often see two white stripes:

These are actually stripes of little holes called “stomata” that the plant uses to breathe.  The needles also have various types of points.  They can be round or pointy with either one or two lumps or points.  Finally, and perhaps most awesomely, they attach to the twig with a little suction-cup-like foot.  If you pull off a needle, you’ll see this foot easily.

A good view of the suction cup foot, and the two white stripes, and the fact that this needle is flat!

Fir trees have cones that always stay pointing up in the air.  So if you see a tree with droopy cones, it’s not a fir tree.

Spruce trees are not the trees you want for Christmas trees.  Unless maybe you have a cat and don’t want the cat climbing the tree.  You will know a spruce tree immediately from its pointy, prickly needles.  Pine trees can be kind of prickly, but usually fir trees are not.  So, remember: “Prickly pine, spiky spruce, friendly fir.”

A spruce tree!  Looks similar to a fir tree at first glance, doesn't it?

Spruce needles, besides being pointy, have a square profile.  So if you roll a needle between your finger and thumb, you will feel the little ridges.  (Use caution procuring the needle from the plant.  They are sharp!)

Look how prickly this guy looks!

This is a needle that I broke in half.  See the square profile?  You can at least see that it's not flat like a fir needle.

Spruce cones have more papery scales than pinecones.  They start pointing upright, but then droop as they mature.

So, those are the three most common types of conifers with needles.  You will see these trees all over the place.  But what about some other kinds of conifers with needles?  I'll talk about these trees in the next post.