Pine cone
Coniferous trees grow upward rather than outward and
have a triangular shape. The leaves on a coniferous tree
are either long, pointed needles, or are small, flat scales.
Seeds of coniferous trees grow in cones. When a
cone opens its scales, the seeds fall out.
There are three
major groups of conifers—firs, spruces and pines—and they can be identified by their needles. The firs
have short needles with blunt tips. The spruces have four-sided
needles that are very sharp. The pines have needles that
grow in bunches, wrapped together at the base.
Are coniferous trees the same as evergreen trees? No, not all evergreen trees are conifers (cone bearing trees). Some trees that are evergreen don't have cones. These include laurels, acacias, sumacs and eucalyptus trees that come from places where there is plenty of warmth and water all year round (e.g. California, the Mediterranean, Australia). And these evergreens actually have leaves and not needles!
