CONIFERS AMERICAN ARBORVITAE THUJA OCCIDENTALIS The American arborvitae is a popular evergreen tree It’s often used in landscaping and might be seen in local parks It’s slow growing and offers food and shelter to many kinds of wildlife including birds deer rabbits and red squirrels When its tiny scale-like leaves are crushed they release a strong piney scent HOW TO SPOT 30 to 45 feet 9 to 14 m Height Leaves Tiny scale-like leaves Cones 0 5 inch 1 3 cm long Seeds Range Northeastern United States and Canada Habitat Cool damp soil near water WHAT ARE EVERGREENS Evergreens are trees that lose and regrow their leaves gradually over a long period of time sometimes years This means they often appear green even during seasons when other trees shed their leaves
GIANT ARBORVITAE THUJA PLICATA The giant arborvitae is also known as the western red cedar It grows so tall that the base of its trunk often is buttressed This means it grows extra-thick folds to help support its height This tree’s crown is often cone shaped and has branches that arch upward Its tiny scale-like leaves have white marks on their undersides and its cones are tiny too The cones also have a dozen hook-shaped scales HOW TO SPOT Height 60 to 130 feet 18 to 39 m Leaves Tiny scales Seeds Cones 0 5 inch 1 3 cm long Range Pacific northwestern United States Habitat Most common in moist coniferous forests FUN FACT The name arborvitae is Latin for tree of life
CONIFERS BALD CYPRESS TAXODIUM DISTICHUM The bald cypress is a large swamp-loving tree It thrives in places where other trees might struggle Near the base of the bald cypress are pointed growths called cypress knees These are cone-shaped roots that rise up out of the water The bark of the bald cypress is reddish brown and peels in vertical strips In the fall the tree can also be recognized by its orange-brown leaves HOW TO SPOT Height 80 to 100 feet 24 to 30 m Leaves Flat needles 0 75 inch 1 9 cm long Seeds Round cones 1 inch 2 5 cm long Range Southeastern United States Habitat Swamps and near streams
MEDITERRANEAN CYPRESS CUPRESSUS SEMPERVIRENS In the wild a Mediterranean cypress grows in a broad horizontal shape But it’s more widely recognized in its cultivated form a narrow column A Mediterranean cypress’s leaves are very small and scale-like and have almost no scent Its branches grow in irregular-shaped sprays FUN FACT The Mediterranean cypress is also called the Italian cypress It has been planted in Italian gardens since the Renaissance era That’s more than 400 years ago HOW TO SPOT Height 40 to 70 feet 12 to 21 m Scales Leaves Seeds Egg-shaped cones 1 5 inches 3 8 cm long Range Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia Habitat Rocky soil often found in the mountains WILDFIRE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN CYPRESS The Mediterranean cypress is more resistant to fire than other tree species That’s because it usually doesn’t accumulate dead branches and leaf clutter In July 2012 a wildfire raged outside of Andilla Spain Tens of thousands of acres of trees were burned But almost 1,000 Mediterranean cypress trees appeared untouched Scientists are still trying to figure out how these cypress trees survived the fire
