| Pinophyta Fossil range: Late Carboniferous - Recent | ||||||
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Cordaitales † |
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. The Pennsylvanian is a subperiod of the Carboniferous period lasting from roughly to Ma (million years ago Araucaria heterophylla (synonym A excelsa) is a distinctive conifer, a member of the ancient and now disjointly distributed family Araucariaceae The Araucariaceae are a very ancient family of Conifers They achieved maximum diversity in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods when they existed almost Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant Conifers This order was formerly known as the The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars The Araucariaceae are a very ancient family of Conifers They achieved maximum diversity in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods when they existed almost Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere Conifers with 18-19 genera and about 170-200 species of Evergreen Trees and The Koyamaki ( Sciadopitys verticillata) or Japanese Umbrella-pine, is a unique Conifer endemic to Japan. The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution The family Cephalotaxaceae is a small grouping of Conifers with three genera and about 20 species closely allied to the Taxaceae, and included in that family The family Taxaceae, commonly called the yew family includes three genera and about 7 to 12 species of Coniferous Plants or in other interpretations A taxon (plural taxa) or taxonomic unit, is a name designating an organism or a group of Organisms In Biological nomenclature according to Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being trees with just a few being shrubs. A cone (in formal botanical usage Strobilus, plural strobili is an organ on Plants in the division Pinophyta ( Conifers Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Vascular plants (also known as tracheophytes or higher plants) are those Plants that have lignified tissues for conducting A woody plant is any vascular Plant that has a perennial stem that is above ground and covered by a layer of thickened Bark. A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree Typical examples of conifers include cedars, douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauris, larches, pines, redwoods, spruces, and yews. Cedar ( Cedrus) is a genus of Coniferous Trees in the Plant family Pinaceae. Douglas-fir is the common name applied to coniferous Trees of the Genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. Junipers are Coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small Genus of 21 species of Evergreen Trees in the Larches are Conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living Species of the Genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae The family Taxaceae, commonly called the yew family includes three genera and about 7 to 12 species of Coniferous Plants or in other interpretations Species of conifers can be found growing naturally in almost all parts of the world, and are frequently dominant plants in their habitats, as in the taiga, for example. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests Conifers are of immense economic value, primarily for timber and paper production; the wood of conifers is known as softwood. Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon printing upon or packaging Softwood is a generic term used in Woodworking and the Lumber industries for Wood from Conifers (needle-bearing trees from the order Pinales The division contains approximately 630 living species. [1]
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Evolution
The earliest Conifers date back to the late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) period. The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period about 359 The Pennsylvanian is a subperiod of the Carboniferous period lasting from roughly to Ma (million years ago
Taxonomy and naming
The division name Pinophyta conforms to the rules of the ICBN, which state (Article 16. The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature ( ICBN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal Botanical names that are given to 1) that the names of higher taxa in plants (above the rank of family) are either formed from the name of an included family (usually the most common and/or representative), in this case Pinaceae (the pine family), or are descriptive. A taxon (plural taxa) or taxonomic unit, is a name designating an organism or a group of Organisms In Biological nomenclature according to The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. In the latter case the name for the conifers (at whatever rank is chosen) is Coniferae (Art 16 Ex 2), which is also in widespread use. Older scientific names (no longer allowed) are Coniferophyta and Coniferales.
According to the ICBN it is possible to use a name formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name of an included family, in this case preferably Pinaceae, by the appropriate termination, in the case of this division -ophyta. The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature ( ICBN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal Botanical names that are given to The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars Alternatively, "descriptive botanical names" may also be used at any rank above family. Descriptive botanical names: Article 16 of the ICBN rules that a name above the rank of family may be either descriptive or formed from the name Taxonomic rank ( rank, category, taxonomic category is an abstract term used in the Scientific classification, or Taxonomy, of organisms Both are allowed.
This means that if the conifers are regarded to be a division they may be called Pinophyta or Coniferae (if regarded as a class they may be called Pinopsida or Coniferae; if regarded as an order they may be called Pinales or Coniferae (but see also Coniferales)). The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant Conifers This order was formerly known as the
Commonly the conifers are considered equivalent to the Gymnosperms, particularly in areas with a temperate climate where they may be the only commonly occurring gymnosperms. Gymnosperm (Gymnospermae are a group of Spermatophyte seed-bearing Plants with Ovules on the edge or blade of an open Sporophyll, which are However, these are two different levels of grouping: conifers are the largest and economically most important component group of the gymnosperms, but nevertheless they comprise only one of the four groups.
The division Pinophyta consists of just one class, Pinopsida, which includes both living and fossil taxa. Subdivision of the living conifers into two or more orders has been proposed from time to time. The most commonly seen in the past was a split into two orders, Taxales (Taxaceae only) and Pinales (the rest), but recent research into DNA sequences suggests that this interpretation leaves the Pinales without Taxales as paraphyletic, and the latter order is no longer regarded as distinct. The Plant order Taxales was in the past treated as a distinct order in the division Pinophyta, class Pinopsida and included only those species in the family The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant Conifers This order was formerly known as the Molecular biology is the study of Biology at a molecular level In Phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic if the group contains its most recent common ancestor but does not contain all A more accurate subdivision would be to split the class into three orders, Pinales containing only Pinaceae, Araucariales containing Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae, and Cupressales containing the remaining families (including Taxaceae), but there has not been any significant support for such a split, with the majority of opinion preferring retention of all the families within a single order Pinales, despite their antiquity and diverse morphology. The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism
The conifers are now accepted as comprising six to eight families, with a total of 65-70 genera and 600-630 species (696 accepted names) [1] . The seven most distinct families are linked in the box above right and phylogenetic diagram left. In other interpretations, the Cephalotaxaceae may be better included within the Taxaceae, and some authors additionally recognise Phyllocladaceae as distinct from Podocarpaceae (in which it is included here). Phyllocladus is a small genus of conifers, now treated in the Family Podocarpaceae. The family Taxodiaceae is here included in family Cupressaceae, but was widely recognised in the past and can still be found in many field guides. The Taxodiaceae was at one time regarded as a distinct Plant family comprising the following ten genera of Coniferous Trees Athrotaxis
The conifers are an ancient group, with a fossil record extending back about 300 million years to the Paleozoic in the late Carboniferous period; even many of the modern genera are recognisable from fossils 60-120 million years old. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. The Paleozoic or Palaeozoic Era (from the Greek palaio (παλαιο "old" and zoe (ζωη "life" meaning "ancient life" The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period about 359 Other classes and orders, now long extinct, also occur as fossils, particularly from the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. Fossil conifers included many diverse forms, the most dramatically distinct from modern conifers being some herbaceous conifers with no woody stems. A(n herb (ˈhɝb or /ˈɝb/ see pronunciation differences) is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties flavor scent or the like Major fossil orders of conifers or conifer-like plants include the Cordaitales, Vojnovskyales, Voltziales and perhaps also the Czekanowskiales (possibly more closely related to the Ginkgophyta). Ginkgo is a genus of highly unusual non-flowering plants with one extant species G
Morphology
All living conifers are woody plants, and most are trees, the majority having monopodial growth form (a single, straight trunk with side branches) with strong apical dominance. The size of mature conifers varies from less than one meter, to over 100 metres. The world's tallest, largest, thickest and oldest living things are all conifers. The tallest is a Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), with a height of 115. Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living Species of the Genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly 2 metres. The largest is a Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), with a volume 1486. Sequoiadendron giganteum ( Giant Sequoia, Sierra Redwood, or Wellingtonia) is the sole species in the genus Sequoiadendron 9 cubic metres. The thickest, or tree with the greatest trunk diameter, is a Montezuma Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum), 11. Taxodium mucronatum, also known as Montezuma Cypress, Sabino, Ahuehuete (name derived from the Nahuatl language) is a species 42 metres in diameter. The oldest is a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva), 4,700 years old. The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine ( Pinus longaeva) is one of the Bristlecone pines a group of three species of Pine found in the higher Mountains
Foliage
The leaves of many conifers are long, thin and and have a needle like look about them, but others, including most of the Cupressaceae and some of the Podocarpaceae, have flat, triangular scale-like leaves. The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars The Coast Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii var menziesii) a variety of Douglas-fir, is an Evergreen Conifer native The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is a cypress in the genus Chamaecyparis, family Cupressaceae, known by the name Lawson's Cypress In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere Conifers with 18-19 genera and about 170-200 species of Evergreen Trees and Some, notably Agathis in Araucariaceae and Nageia in Podocarpaceae, have broad, flat strap-shaped leaves. The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small Genus of 21 species of Evergreen Trees in the Nageia is a Genus of Conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. In the majority of conifers, the leaves are arranged spirally, exceptions being most of Cupressaceae and one genus in Podocarpaceae, where they are arranged in decussate opposite pairs or whorls of 3 (-4). In many species with spirally arranged leaves, the leaf bases are twisted to present the leaves in a flat plane for maximum light capture (see e. g. photo of Grand Fir Abies grandis). Grand Fir or Giant Fir ( Abies grandis) is a Fir native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, occurring at altitudes of sea Leaf size varies from 2 mm in many scale-leaved species, up to 400 mm long in the needles of some pines (e. g. Apache Pine Pinus engelmannii). The stomata are in lines or patches on the leaves, and can be closed when it is very dry or cold. In Botany, a stoma (also stomate; plural stomata) is a tiny opening or pore found mostly on the underside of a Plant Leaf The leaves are often dark green in colour which may help absorb a maximum of energy from weak sunshine at high latitudes or under forest canopy shade. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi ( Φ) gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body north or south of the Conifers from hotter areas with high sunlight levels (e. g. Turkish Pine Pinus brutia) often have yellower-green leaves, while others (e. The Turkish pine ( Pinus brutia) is a Pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region g. Blue Spruce Picea pungens) have a very strong glaucous wax bloom to reflect ultraviolet light. Picea pungens ( Colorado Blue Spruce or Blue Spruce) is a species of Spruce native to western North America, from southeast Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays In the great majority of genera the leaves are evergreen, usually remaining on the plant for several (2-40) years before falling, but five genera (Larix, Pseudolarix, Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia and Taxodium) are deciduous, shedding the leaves in autumn and leafless through the winter. In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round Larches are Conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Pseudolarix is a monotypic genus in the family Pinaceae. The sole species Pseudolarix amabilis is commonly known as Golden Larch Glyptostrobus pensilis, also known as Chinese Swamp Cypress, is the sole living species in the genus Glyptostrobus. Metasequoia ( Dawn Redwood) is a fast growing Tree genus in the conifer family Cupressaceae of which Metasequoia glyptostroboides Taxodium is a Genus of one to three Species (depending on taxonomic opinion of extremely flood-tolerant Conifers in the cypress Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including The seedlings of many conifers, including most of the Cupressaceae, and Pinus in Pinaceae, have a distinct juvenile foliage period where the leaves are different, often markedly so, from the typical adult leaves.
Reproduction
See conifer cones for a more detailed discussion. Norway Spruce ( Picea abies) is a species of Spruce native to Europe. Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Japanese Larch ( Larix kaempferi; Karamatsu in Japanese) is a species of Larch native to Japan, in the mountains of Chūbu A cone (in formal botanical usage Strobilus, plural strobili is an organ on Plants in the division Pinophyta ( Conifers
Most conifers are monoecious, but some are subdioecious or dioecious; all are wind-pollinated. Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom Wind is the flow of Air or other Gases that compose an Atmosphere (including but not limited to the Earth's) Pollination in angiosperms and Gymnosperms is the process that transfers pollen grains, which contain the male Gametes (sperm to where the female Conifer seeds develop inside a protective cone called a strobilus (or, very loosely, "pine cones", which technically occur only on pines, not other conifers!). The cones take from four months to three years to reach maturity, and vary in size from 2 mm to 600 mm long.
In Pinaceae, Araucariaceae, Sciadopityaceae and most Cupressaceae, the cones are woody, and when mature the scales usually spread open allowing the seeds to fall out and be dispersed by the wind. The family Pinaceae ( pine family) is in the order Pinales and includes many of the well-known Conifers of commercial importance such as Cedars The Araucariaceae are a very ancient family of Conifers They achieved maximum diversity in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods when they existed almost The Koyamaki ( Sciadopitys verticillata) or Japanese Umbrella-pine, is a unique Conifer endemic to Japan. The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs Wind is the flow of Air or other Gases that compose an Atmosphere (including but not limited to the Earth's) In some (e. g. firs and cedars), the cones disintegrate to release the seeds, and in others (e. Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. Cedar ( Cedrus) is a genus of Coniferous Trees in the Plant family Pinaceae. g. the pines that produce pine nuts) the nut-like seeds are dispersed by birds (mainly nutcrackers and jays) which break up the specially adapted softer cones. This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. Pine nuts are the edible Seeds of Pines (family Pinaceae, genus Pinus) Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The nutcrackers ( Nucifraga) are a Genus of two Species of Passerine Bird, in the family Corvidae, related The jays are several Species of medium-sized usually colorful and noisy Passerine Birds in the Crow family Corvidae Ripe cones may remain on the plant for a varied amount of time before falling to the ground; in some fire-adapted pines, the seeds may be stored in closed cones for up to 60-80 years, being released only when a fire kills the parent tree.
In the families Podocarpaceae, Cephalotaxaceae, Taxaceae, and one Cupressaceae genus (Juniperus), the scales are soft, fleshy, sweet and brightly coloured, and are eaten by fruit-eating birds, which then pass the seeds in their droppings. Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere Conifers with 18-19 genera and about 170-200 species of Evergreen Trees and The family Cephalotaxaceae is a small grouping of Conifers with three genera and about 20 species closely allied to the Taxaceae, and included in that family The family Taxaceae, commonly called the yew family includes three genera and about 7 to 12 species of Coniferous Plants or in other interpretations The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution Junipers are Coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. These fleshy scales are (except in Juniperus) known as arils. Distinguish from Aryl, which is a type of organic chemical radical In some of these conifers (e. g. most Podocarpaceae), the cone consists of several fused scales, while in others (e. g. Taxaceae), the cone is reduced to just one seed scale or (e. g. Cephalotaxaceae) the several scales of a cone develop into individual arils, giving the appearance of a cluster of berries.
The male cones have structures called microsporangia which produce yellowish pollen. A sporangium (pl sporangia) is a Plant or fungal structure producing and containing Spores Sporangia occur in angiosperms, Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of Pollen is released and carried by the wind to female cones. Pollen grains from living pinophyte species produce pollen tubes, much like those of angiosperms. When a pollen grain lands near a female gametophyte, it undergoes meiosis and fertilizes the female gametophyte. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of In Plants and Algae that undergo Alternation of generations, a gametophyte is the multicellular structure or phase that is Haploid, containing In Biology or life science meiosis (pronounced my-oh-sis is a process of reductional division in which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half The resulting zygote develops into an embryo, which along with its surrounding integument, becomes a seed. For other meanings see Zygote (disambiguation. A zygote (from Greek ζυγωτός zugōtos "joined" or "yoked" An embryo (from Greek:, plural, lit "that which grows" from en- "in" + bryein "to swell be full" is a multicellular A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Eventually the seed may fall to the ground and, if conditions permit, grows into a new plant.
In forestry, the terminology of flowering plants has commonly though inaccurately been applied to cone-bearing trees as well. Forestry is the Art and Science of managing forests tree Plantations and related Natural resources. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group The male cone and unfertilized female cone are called "male flower" and "female flower", respectively. After fertilization, the female cone is termed "fruit", which undergoes "ripening" (maturation).
Life cycle
- To fertilize the ovum, the male cone releases pollen that is carried on the wind to the female cone. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of
- A fertilized female gamete (called a zygote) develops into an embryo. For other meanings see Zygote (disambiguation. A zygote (from Greek ζυγωτός zugōtos "joined" or "yoked" An embryo (from Greek:, plural, lit "that which grows" from en- "in" + bryein "to swell be full" is a multicellular
- Along with integument cells surrounding the embryo, a seed develops containing the embryo. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored
- Mature seed drops out of cone onto the ground.
- Seed germinates and seedling grows into a mature plant.
- When mature, the adult plant produces cones.
Other facts
Although the total number of species is relatively small, conifers are of immense ecological importance. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of They are the dominant plants over huge areas of land, most notably the boreal forests of the northern hemisphere, but also in similar cool climates in mountains further south. Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests Northern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is North of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'
Many conifers have distinctly scented resin, secreted to protect the tree against insect infestation and fungal infection of wounds. Resin, not to be confused with Rosin, is a Hydrocarbon Secretion of many Plants particularly coniferous trees. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ Fossilised resin hardens into amber. Amber is Fossil tree Resin, which is appreciated for its color and beauty
They Might Be Giants recorded a song about conifers called C Is for Conifers on their 2005 album Here Come The ABCs. They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American Alternative rock band which began as a duo of John Flansburgh and John Here Come the ABCs is a 2005 DVD and audio CD release by They Might Be Giants, aimed at young children learning the alphabet
Notes
Image Gallery
 Longleaf Pine |
External links
- ToLweb: Conifers
- Pinophyta - The Gymnosperm Database
- 300 million-year-old conifer in Illinois - 4/2007
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