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Trees. They shade us in the summer, put oxygen in the air year round – they are mostly the same, right? Wrong. Conifers, while mostly considered to be an evergreen, cone-baring seed pant with needle-shaped leaves, it isn’t always the case. Not all conifers are evergreen (such as Larch, Chinese Swamp Cyprus, Pond Cyprus, Swamp Cyprus, Dawn Redwood, and the Ginkgo Biloba) and not all evergreens are conifers. And not all conifers are trees – some are shrubs (such as the Yew). And while most produce cones, some have a fleshy aril (fruit) that surrounds each individual seed. And for the trees that produce cones, it can take 4 months to three years to reach maturity.

Most recognizable examples of conifers include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, junipers, pines, hemlocks, and redwoods. Conifers tend to cover large areas of land, most commonly the boreal forests of the northern hemisphere, but they are also found in similar cool climates in mountain ranges further south. The narrow conical shape of northern conifers and their downward-drooping limbs help them stand against heavy snowfall. Many conifers have the ability to seasonally modify their biochemistry to make them more resilient against freezing.
Conifers hold great economic value, mainly for timber and paper manufacture; the wood of conifers is considered softwood.