Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

conifer

 
(kŏn'ə-fər, kō'nə-) pronunciation
n.
Any of various mostly needle-leaved or scale-leaved, chiefly evergreen, cone-bearing gymnospermous trees or shrubs such as pines, spruces, and firs.

[From New Latin Cōniferae, family name, from Latin, feminine pl. of cōnifer, cone-bearing : cōnus, cone (from Greek kōnos) + -fer, -fer.]

coniferous co·nif'er·ous (kō-nĭf'ər-əs, kə-) adj.

Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Any member of the order Pinales, woody plants that bear their seeds and pollen on separate, cone-shaped structures. They constitute the largest division of gymnosperms, with more than 550 species. Most are evergreen, upright trees and shrubs. They grow throughout the world (except in Antarctica) and prefer temperate climate zones. Conifers include the pines (Pinus), junipers (Juniperus), spruces (Picea), hemlocks (Tsuga), firs (Abies), larches (Larix), yews (Taxus), cypresses (Cupressus), bald cypresses (Taxodium), Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga), arborvitaes (Thuja), and related groups. They include the world's smallest and tallest trees. Conifers supply softwood timber used for general construction, mine timbers, fence posts, poles, boxes and crates, and other articles, as well as pulpwood for paper. The wood is also used as fuel and in the manufacture of cellulose products, plywood, and veneers. The trees are the source of resins, volatile oils, turpentine, tars, and pharmaceuticals. Conifer leaves vary in shape but generally have a reduced surface area to minimize water loss. Especially in the pines, firs, and spruces, the leaves are long and stiff and are commonly referred to as needles. Cypresses, cedars, and others have smaller, scalelike leaves. Conifers were the dominant type of vegetation just before the advent of angiosperms (see flowering plant).

For more information on conifer, visit Britannica.com.

A cone-bearing tree or shrub of the gymnospermous order; a softwood which includes cypress, firs, pines, and spruce.


conifer (kŏn'ĭfûr) [Lat.,=cone-bearing], tree or shrub of the order Coniferales, e.g., the pine, monkey-puzzle tree, cypress, and sequoia. Most conifers bear cones and most are evergreens, though a few, such as the larch, are deciduous. Conifers are widely distributed over the world but are mostly found in the highlands of temperate regions. The conifers, the ginkgoes, and the cycads comprise the three most important groups of gymnosperms, i.e., plants without true flowers. Conifers are classified in the division Pinophyta, class Pinopsida.



A tree or shrub, often evergreen, usually with needlelike leaves, such as pine, spruce, or hemlock. A few conifers, including bald cypress, larch, and dawn redwood, have needlelike leaves but are deciduous. Another exception is the ginkgo, which has deciduous leaves that are fan shaped, not needlelike. Most conifers bear seeds in woody cones, but junipers, yews, plum yews, and ginkgoes have seeds with fleshy coats. See also gymnosperms.

Word Tutor:

conifer

Top
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Trees and shrubs that produce cones, such as pines.

pronunciation The forest was filled with many conifers.

Tutor's tip: We had to "confer" (to consult) with a tree specialist about the health of the "conifer" (an evergreen).

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'conifer'

Top
Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to conifer, see:
  • Botany and Plant Parts - conifer: cone-bearing gymnosperm, usu. with narrow, needlelike or small, scalelike leaves
  • Plants and Plant Parts - conifer: cone-bearing evergreen, usu. with narrow, needlelike or small, scalelike leaves


  See crossword solutions for the clue Conifer.
Translations:

Conifer

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - nåletræ

Nederlands (Dutch)
naaldboom, conifeer

Français (French)
n. - conifère

Deutsch (German)
n. - Nadelbaum, Konifere

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) κωνοφόρο (φυτό)

Italiano (Italian)
conifera

Português (Portuguese)
n. - conífera (f) (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
хвойное дерево

Español (Spanish)
n. - conífera

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - barrträd

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
针叶树, 松柏科植物

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 針葉樹, 松柏科植物

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 구과 식물, 침엽수

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 球果植物, 針葉樹

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) نوع من الشجر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אצטרובל, עץ מחט‬


 
 
Related topics:
broad-leaved evergreen
Diprionidae (invertebrate zoology)
Boring (family name)

Related answers:
What are the parts of a conifer? Read answer...
What does a conifer do for the ecosystem? Read answer...
Is a conifer a decomposer? Read answer...

Help us answer these:
Is a male conifer bigger then a female conifer?
Do conifers have xylem?
What does conifers produce?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners. Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners, by Frances Tenenbaum. Copyright © 1997 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free Read more
Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
 Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved.  Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary. Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 HarperCollins Publishers All rights reserved.  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

Follow us
Facebook Twitter
YouTube