Appeared on Earth 350 million years ago, at the time of carboniferous, the conifers arrived long before the trees hardwood. Their decline, however, was to begin during thesecondary era, 150 million years ago, after significant climate change. Substituted from the tertiary era by the angiosperms, however, they have resisted to the present day.
The conifers are part of gymnosperms, that is, plants producing bare seeds not enclosed in a fruit. They are also vascular plants with seeds in cones, hence their name. All are woody plants occurring mainly in the form oftrees, some of them being shrubs.
Conifers, remarkable trees and shrubs
Each tree or shrub has its own characteristics. Found in various parts of the world, easy to grow in parks and gardens or trees in our forests, conifers adapt to almost all climatic conditions.
Species widely distributed on Earth
Over 600 cash of conifers are presently present on Earth. They are plant species more resistant to drought than angiosperms. This characteristic leads researchers from the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRAE) to take a particular interest in it. Indeed, conifers can be favored by the climate change which has been starting for some time in Mediterranean and temperate environments.
In this dossier, we will mainly discuss the characteristics of cedars, cypresses, douglas, juniper, larch, pines, firs (including the famous Christmas tree), sequoia, spruces or evenyew (including the drink and the leaves, by the way, are poisonous). You will therefore be unbeatable on conifers. Good reading.
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