Not Every Conifer Is A Pine (Conifer Tree ID)

foreign I'm Adam Harrington in today's video we are going to discuss conifers specifically how to identify different Conifer trees if you've ever wondered how to differentiate between Pines spruces Furs hemlocks larches and junipers then this video is for you this skill being able to identify the genus of a conifer isn't as difficult as you might imagine it to be you just have to learn the fundamentals you have to be observant and you have to practice not every Conifer is a pine and after watching this video you will understand why I also want to mention that if you are serious about learning how to identify trees I encourage you to check out my online tree identification course trees in All Seasons which you can find at learnyourland.com I created this course to help you become a successful identifier of trees in every season spring summer fall and winter if you want to sharpen your skills and learn how to identify over 100 trees head on over to learnyourland.com and you can learn more about this program so conifers let's start with the question what is a conifer well what do you picture in your mind when you think of a conifer I'll bet that most of you probably think of a Woody plant specifically a tree that has two physical features cones and Evergreen leaves or needles now not every Conifer has evergreen leaves but the evergreenness of most conifers as well as their cones are two physical features that most people probably think of when they think of conifers therefore cones and leaves are the two features that we will focus on in this video if you pay attention to them you will be able to differentiate between the different Genera of carnivores now many different Genera of conifers exist to simplify matters we are only going to focus on six Pine Spruce fur Hemlock Larch or Tamarack and Juniper obviously this video has an Eastern North American bias I can't help it it's where I live keep in mind though that this information does apply to other regions as well so let's start with the leaves if you want to learn the differences between conifers pay attention to the leaves now many people call the leaves of conifer's needles some conifers have needle-like leaves but many conifers do not Pines so true Pines in the pinus genus do have needle-like leaves and these leaves are evergreen what's unique about these leaves is that they are typically produced in bundles that typically contain between two to five leaves there are a few exceptions to this but within the pine genus bundles of between two to five needle-like leaves are the norm spruces have Evergreen leaves that are also needle-like but the leaves of spruces are produced individually and not in bundles these leaves radiate around the entire twig and in almost all spruces the leaves are four-sided and square in cross section so you can easily roll these leaves in your fingers Spruce leaves are attached to peg-like structures on the Twigs when Twigs die or when leaves fall off the tree the Twigs retain these peg-like structures making the Twigs feel rough to the touch Furs have Evergreen leaves that are less needle-like fur leaves are flat so unlike Spruce leaves fur leaves do not roll easily in your fingers fur leaves are produced individually and their undersides contain two white stripes that are easily visible hemlocks have Evergreen leaves that are born individually on Twigs leaves are flat and unlike fur leaves the leaves of hemlocks contain stock-like bases these stalks are attached to little peg-like projections on the Twigs the undersides of the leaves contain two white stripes that are easily visible larches which include tamarack trees have soft leaves that are produced mostly in tufted clusters that contain between 10 to 60 individual leaves these leaves are mostly flat and perhaps what's most striking about these leaves is that they are deciduous during the Autumn season the leaves turn yellow and they fall off the tree junipers which include Eastern red Cedars have Evergreen leaves of two types most often you will see scale-like leaves that are tightly pressed together on the branches but you will also see all shaped leaves that taper to a point and are prickly when you touch them when you learn the differences in leaf Anatomy between these six Genera of conifers you will feel more confident in saying that's a pine or that's a spruce that's a fur that's a Hemlock that's a large that's a juniper now as I mentioned earlier you can put a genus name on a conifer When You observe another feature cones specifically mature seed cones so conifers produced two different kinds of cones pollen cones and Seed cones for this discussion we're only going to focus on the mature seed cones and let's start with Pines in the pinus genus the mature seed cones of Pines are Woody they're conical to cylindrically shaped and the exposed area of the scales is thickened in some Pine species this area contains a spine or a prickle in other species it doesn't and in some species this area is raised into a pyramid-shaped bump the mature seed cones of spruces somewhat resemble the cones of Pines they're Woody and they're mostly located in the upper branches of the trees their egg to cylindrically shaped and the scales do not have any kind of prickle or spine the mature seed cones of furs are quite different than the cones of pines and spruces and these cones are actually some of my favorites to find at maturity they're Woody they're resinous and they are positioned upright typically in the upper crown of the tree these cones shed their scales individually in the Autumn season leaving behind spike-like structures the mature seed cones of hemlocks are Woody they hang downward their egg to oval shaped and their scales do not have any kind of prickle or spine the mature seed cones of larches are Woody and they are usually positioned upright they're egg shaped to somewhat rounded and the scales do not have any kind of prickle or spine now the mature seed cones of junipers are unique they look like berries they're usually rounded or somewhat egg-shaped and fleshy the scales of these cones are tightly fused together and they remain closed at maturity and they don't open while they are attached to the trees with their Piney resinous quality these cones are used as a seasoning as a spice and as the ingredient that gives gin its distinctive taste so looking at all the cones together we see that a few resemble one another but when we consider both the cones and the leaves of a particular genus we see that these two features when analyzed really help us achieve a positive genus ID now one viewing of this video is probably not enough to retain all this information so I encourage you to watch it a few times to really grasp the differences between conifers leaves and Seed cones aren't the only differentiating features bark is a good feature habitat is a good feature but leaves and Cones together can at least help you narrow down your ID to the genus Pine Spruce fur Hemlock Larch and Juniper and if you're interested in learning the differences between species for example between red Spruce white spruce black Spruce and Norway spruce and if you're interested in learning tree ecology biology physiology and Anatomy consider enrolling in my online course trees in All Seasons again if you go to learn your land.com and click on online courses you will be able to enroll or at least put your name on the notification list conifer tree ID isn't impossible you have all the tools you need to do it you just have to learn the fundamentals you have to be observant and you have to practice and if you're wondering what tree I've been standing next to the whole entire time this is the beautiful eastern white pine pine strobus one of my favorite conifers thank you so much for watching this video I will see you on the next one [Music]

Channel: Learn Your Land

Views: 79,292

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Id: 1Y4tmNoEC24

Length: 8min 41sec (521 seconds)

Published: Fri May 12 2023