Conifers of Colorado

Conifer = Member of the phylum Coniferophyta Most familiar, most successful of all

Gymnosperms (cone-bearing plants)

Includes pines, spruces, firs, junipers & cedars Evergreens :

-sheds only a few needles at a time-slow growing-can do year-round photosynthesis

Conifer (continued) Needles (modified leaves) conserve water Needles gathered together @ base, clusters

of 2-5 Needles in a little sheath, sheath gone after

one year Seeds in woody scaled cones, mature in

2 seasons

Pines(genus Pinus)

Needles: •Scattered over twig singly•Sharp pointed•Four sided

Cones:•Pendant w/ parchment-like scales•Fall off tree whole

Bristlecone PinePinus aristata

•Life span: 5,000 years (oldest tree)

•Elevation: 10,000 to 12, 000 feet

Piñon PinePinus edulis

• Short scrubby tree prefers dry, open, south- facing slopes, lower altitudes

• Cones open readily to yield large seeds (Piñon nuts)

Single-leaf Piñon PinePinus monophylla

• Needles solitary, gray-green, rigid,

sharp-pointed, curved toward branch

•Prefers stony, dry slopes, common on the Western

slope of Colorado

Lodgepole PinePinus contorta variety latifolia

•Tall, slender, used for tee-pee poles

•Grows in thick stands

•Elevation 7-11 thousand feet

•Cones with long prickles toward base

Limber PinePinus flexilis

• Prefers stony, dry slopes & canyons

• Branches flexible, planted to minimize avalanche damage

• Trunk often crooked

Ponderosa PinePinus ponderosa

•Prefers open park-like spaces

•Elevation 5-8 thousand feet

•Needles 3-7 in., clusters of 2 or 3

•Cones have spines

•Black bark when young, a.k.a.“Black Jack Pine”

•Yellow bark with thick plates when mature

See Pine Needle Page

Spruces(genus Picea)

• Needles sharp, (OUCH!) four sided, attached singly on all sides of twig

• Needles leave scars on twig when broken off that look like a grater

• Cones hang down, have parchment-like scales

Colorado Blue SprucePicea pungens

• Colorado state tree, widely used as an ornamental tree

• Color: silver blue to green-blue

• Young needles soft, adult needles very prickly, diamond-shaped in cross-section

• Twigs not hairy; cones 3.5 in.w/ ragged margins; bark dark gray, thin, & scaly

• Prefer moist soil, north slopes

Engelmann SprucePicea engelmani

• Often used as an ornamental, also for timber & paper pulp

• Color green, needles 4-sided in cross-section

• Cones less than 2 in., light chestnut brown

• Twigs hairy; bark purplish brown or cinnamon red

• Prefers moist, north slopes

Firs(genus Abies)

• Needles (blunt & fairly soft) grow directly from branch

• Includes: True firs (flat, plump needles) & Douglas-firs (flat, linear needles)

• Cones erect, not conspicuous in true firs; cones pendant w/ 3-pronged tongues in Douglas firs

White FirAbies concolor

•Color: silver blue to silvery green

•Needles: 2 in. or more, 2-3 in. long, flat, & straight

•Bark very thick, rough, ash gray w/ deep furrows & wide ridges in older trees

•Cones large, erect, pale green or deep purple

Douglas FirPseudotsuga menziesii

• Bark: whitish gray & smooth on young trees, red-brown, deeply furrowed in older trees

• Needles: ¾ - 1 ¼ inches long, flat, grooved upper surface

• Cones pendant w/ 3-pronged tongues

Alpine/Subalpine FirAbies lasiocarpa

•Color: blue-green to silvery

•Prefers high mountains

•Needles: flat, 1-1.8 in. w/ silvery lines of stomata on both surfaces & blunt tip, point up

•Bark: smooth, thin, pale grayish white, some brown fissures w/ reddish inner bark

•Cones: densely clustered, cylindrical, 2¼ - 4 inches long, deep to pale purple

•Compact spire-like crown

Corkbark FirAbies lasiocarpa variety arizonica

•Very similar to Alpine/Subalpine Fir

•Differences:1. Cone scales2. Bark ashy-gray, soft, corky

Junipers(genus Juniperus)

•Cones reduced to small bluish berries

•Needles reduced to little green scales on twigs about ½ in, sometimes spreading

•Usually below 9,000 feet

Rocky Mountain JuniperJuniperus scopulorum

•Pea-size blue berries w/ gray waxy covering

•Bark gray to red- brown, scaly w/ ridges; twigs slender

•Berries have two seeds

Utah Juniper and One-Seed JuniperJuniperus utahensis & J. monosperma

Utah: needle scales yellow green; berries w/ 1 seed, brown with gray waxy covering; bark gray, thin, w/long scales; short twisted trunk

One-Seed: common in semi-arid rocky soils; berries w/ 1 seed, brown with gray waxy covering; bark gray, scaly; short twisted trunk, open crown w/ stout branches

Cedars(genus Cedrus)

Many “Cedars” as they are called, are actually Junipers, or other species altogether

Needles: ½ - 2 in. long, w/ sharp tips, grow in clusters & are blue-green to silvery

Can grown in most soil types Pyramidal shape

Eastern Red CedarJuniperus virginiana Not really a Cedar, rather a Juniper Can reach heights of 40-50 feet Thin fibrous bark ~ ¼ to ¾ inch thick Sold commercially to the public Small fleshy berries (cones) w/ 1-4 seeds/cone

Atlas CedarCedrus atlantica Can reach heights of 40-60 feet Needles: ¾ to 1½ inches, blue-

green Cones: 2¼ - 4 in. when mature,

turn brown