Conifers

Pine Family (Pinaceae)





Conifer Trees


Conifers -- Pine Family (Pinaceae)

The conifers are members of the Pine Family (Pinaceae), but not all of them are pine trees (Pinus).
Fir trees (Abies) are also in this family, as are Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga) and spruce (Picea).

Members of this family do not have flowers -- instead, their seeds develop in cones.



The conifer trees most commonly found at high elevations in the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains are:
   Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis)
   Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa)
   Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
   Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)

Other species occur at lower elevations, and in other mountain ranges of the state. Some of these are:
   Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
   Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis)
   Single-leaf Pinyon (Pinus monophylla)
   Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)
   Western Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva)
   White Fir (Abies concolor)
   Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)



Limber pine with fir trees



Little Cottonwood Canyon
Wasatch Mountains
Salt Lake County, Utah

References

Photographed
by Sandra Bray