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Conifers of Colorado
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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
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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
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Pines(genus Pinus)
Needles: •Scattered over twig singly•Sharp pointed•Four sided
Cones:•Pendant w/ parchment-like scales•Fall off tree whole
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Bristlecone PinePinus aristata
•Life span: 5,000 years (oldest tree)
•Elevation: 10,000 to 12, 000 feet
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Piñon PinePinus edulis
• Short scrubby tree prefers dry, open, south- facing slopes, lower altitudes
• Cones open readily to yield large seeds (Piñon nuts)
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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
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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
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Limber PinePinus flexilis
• Prefers stony, dry slopes & canyons
• Branches flexible, planted to minimize avalanche damage
• Trunk often crooked
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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
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See Pine Needle Page
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Corkbark FirAbies lasiocarpa variety arizonica
•Very similar to Alpine/Subalpine Fir
•Differences:1. Cone scales2. Bark ashy-gray, soft, corky
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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