Conifers

Ross W Whetten, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, USA

Published online: September 2005

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0003693

Seed-bearing plants are divided into two major groups: the flowering plants, or angiosperms, and a more ancient lineage, the gymnosperms. The largest and most widespread group within the gymnosperms is the conifers, which are present worldwide and play important ecological and economic roles in some regions.

Keywords: gymnosperms; plant evolution; seed plants

Figure 1. A dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) in autumn, showing the colour change and foliage loss typical of deciduous trees late in the growing season. Most conifers are evergreen, but some species are deciduous. The single dominant stem and overall pyramidal shape are typical of many conifers.
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 Further Reading
    book Biswas C and Johri BM (1997) The Gymnosperms. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
    book Dallimore W, Jackson AB and Harrison SG (1967) Handbook of Coniferae and Ginkgoaceae. New York: St. Martin's Press.
    book Judd WS, Campbell CS, Kellogg EA, Stevens PF and Donoghue MJ (2002) Plant Systematics A Phylogenetic Approach, 2nd edn. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.
    book Rushforth K (1987) Conifers. New York: Facts On File Publications.
    book Willis KJ and McElwain JC (2002) The Evolution of Plants. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Related Sub-Topics:

Diversification of Plants and Animals | Fossils and Evolution | Plant Evolution | Plant Ecology
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Article Title: Conifers
 
How to Cite close
Whetten, Ross W(Sep 2005) Conifers. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0003693]