Cosmopolitan Conifers Trivia Quiz

Named after the former capital of Russian Alaska, the Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is the largest species in the genus Picea of the family Pinaceae (the spruces), and one of a handful of tree species that have been documented to grow over 100 m (330 ft) in height. It is also a very long-lived tree, with some known individuals having reached over 700 years in age. Like most conifers, it is an evergreen, with stiff, dark blue-green needles and slender, pendulous cones.

The Sitka spruce is native to North America's Pacific Northwest, from the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska to northern California. It is one of the dominant tree species in the temperate rainforests that still cover large parts of that region, and often grows close to the coast. These imposing trees provide food for the ungulates that inhabit those forests, while bald eagles and peregrine falcons nest among its branches.

The Sitka spruce was, and still is, an important tree for the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Though decades of logging have greatly reduced its population, the species is listed by IUCN as Least Concern (2011). The cover photo depicts Sitka spruce in the rainforest environment of Spruce Island, Alaska.

The coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the only living species in its genus, which belongs to the family Cupressaceae. This evergreen conifer is the tallest living tree species on Earth: a specimen named Hyperion currently holds the record of tallest living tree, with a height in excess of 116 m (380 ft), and an estimated age of 600 to 800 years. As its name implies, the coast redwood has very thick, reddish-brown bark; its leaves are scale-like and dark green, while the cones are small and ovoid. A distinctive feature of this tree is its straight trunk, with a nearly conical crown.

Until the mid-19th century, coast redwoods grew abundantly along much of the California coast, whose foggy conditions are essential to their growth. Unfortunately, because of intensive logging - their wood being highly prized for its beauty and durability - their habitat has shrunk to a narrow strip of land in north-central California. In their native range, many redwoods are preserved in various state and national parks: however, the species (listed by IUCN as Endangered in 2011) has been successfully introduced to New Zealand, the Australian state of Victoria, parts of South Africa, and even the eastern US.

Unlike most other conifers, larches (genus Larix of the family Pinaceae) are deciduous, and lose their needles in their autumn. They are native to the Northern Hemisphere, where they grow in cooler climates, both in mountains and lowland areas. The tamarack (Larix laricina), also known as American larch, is native to Canada, though it also occurs in the upper northeastern US, and in an isolated population in Central Alaska. These trees, whose light blue-green needles turn bright yellow in the autumn, are smaller in size than other larch species, reaching an average height of 20 m (65 ft), with a slim trunk. Among the dominant tree species of Canadian boreal forests, tamaracks are highly resistant to cold, and favour wet or moist soils, in particular peat bogs.

Unfortunately, because of their slender build and thin bark, tamaracks are very susceptible to fires and damaging agents such as parasitic insects and fungi. Their wood, however, is prized for its durability and flexibility, and used for a variety of purposes. The species is listed by IUCN as Least Concern (2011).

The bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one of three species in its genus, part of the family Cupressaceae. This deciduous conifer is native to the southeastern US, where it grows in a wide range of soils. It is, however, associated with the swampy areas of the region, in particular with the bayous of Louisiana - where it is known as "cipre" and was adopted as the state tree in 1964. This cypress is a tough, adaptable tree that can grow to a height of 40 m (120 ft); its trunk is often surrounded by distinctive structures known as "knees". Its green needles turn a vivid yellow or russet colour in the autumn.

Like many conifer species, the bald cypress is long-lived, with two specimens (one in North Carolina and the other in Florida) estimated to be around 2,700 years old. This species grows best in warm, humid climates, though larger trees are more tolerant of colder and drier conditions. The bald cypress is often cultivated for ornamental purposes, and its tough, rot-resistant heartwood is prized as a construction material. The species is listed by IUCN as Least Concern (2011).

Piñon (also spelled pinyon) pines are a group of pines (genus Pinus of the family Pinaceae) native to southwestern North America, which produce edible nuts widely used as food by the Native American peoples of that region. The piñon group includes eight true species and four related ones, all native to Mexico: the big-cone piñon (Pinus maximartinezii) is one of the latter. It is a handsome, though small (5-15 m/16-49 ft) tree, with fascicles of long, slender needles of a striking deep green to blue-green colour. It owes its common name to its unusually large cones, which yield equally large seeds.

The big-cone piñon is restricted to two small areas of the southern Sierra Madre Occidental (which runs through northwestern and western Mexico), where it grows at moderate altitudes, in dry, temperate conditions. The species was discovered by accident in 1964 when its unusually large nuts (piñones) drew the attention of a Mexican botanist in a local market. These nuts, unfortunately, have almost caused this rare tree's demise, as overharvesting has severely limited its reproduction. Because of that, the big-cone piñon is classified as Endangered by IUCN (2011), and has also been declared endangered by the Mexican government.

The distinctive appearance of the monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) explains its equally distinctive common name - which refers to the difficulty a monkey would experience in climbing it. As its specific name implies, this evergreen tree of the family Araucariaceae is native to the region of southern Chile known as Araucanía, as well as central Chile and western Argentina. Also known as pewen or Chilean pine, the monkey-puzzle tree grows to a height of 30-40 m (98-131 ft); because of its close resemblance to prehistoric species, it has been called a living fossil. Unlike most other conifers, this tree's leaves are scale-like, triangular in shape and remarkably thick and tough; it produces male and female cones that have different shapes and produce large, edible seeds similar to pine nuts.

Once common throughout its range, the monkey-puzzle tree has been negatively impacted by logging, grazing (especially by introduced mammal species) and forest fires. Though logging was banned in 1990, a number of severe forest fires in the past couple of decades have destroyed large areas of Araucaria forest that included some very old trees. Because of that, the monkey-puzzle tree is listed by IUCN as Endangered (2011). Widely cultivated for ornamental purposes, it is Chile's national tree.

Native to the Himalayas and the Mediterranean region, the genus Cedrus of the family Pinaceae includes some of the world's most iconic trees, such as the magnificent Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani). The Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria, was once considered a subspecies of the Lebanon cedar, to which it is very similar. It is a large tree (up to 40 m/131 ft in height), with the genus' distinctive columnar trunk that in older specimens divides into several erect branches. Its blue-green needles and large, upright cones resemble those of firs (which are their closest relatives).

Atlas cedars grow on mountainsides, where the climate is more humid, forming forests either on their own or with other trees native to the region; these forests provide a habitat to another native species, the Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus). Both these iconic creatures, the tree and the primate, are endangered, their range having grown much smaller mainly because of human intervention. The Atlas cedar has been listed as Endangered by IUCN since 2013.

The huge western red cedar (Thuja plicata) of the Pacific Northwest of North America is not related to the true cedars, as it belongs to the family Cupressaceae.

The yew family (Taxaceae) comprises six extant genera of coniferous trees found mainly (though not exclusively) in the Northern Hemisphere. The largest of these genera is Taxus, whose type species is Taxus baccata, known as the common, English or European yew. Native to most of Europe, as well as Northwest Africa and parts of the Middle East, it is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree - usually around 10-20 m (35-65 ft) in height, though taller specimens have been recorded. Yews grow mainly in woodlands; most parts of the tree are very poisonous to humans, with the exception of the bright red, fleshy arils (modified seed cones). These trees make up in girth and lifespan what they may lack in height: some individuals in the British Isles are believed to be over 2,000 years old, with trunk girths in excess of 15 m (49 ft).

The long association of yew trees with archery is reflected in their generic name, which comes from "toxon", the Greek word for bow. Their wood, also prized in woodworking and furniture-making, is remarkably elastic - a quality that makes it ideal in the making of bows, in particular the famed longbows developed in England and Wales in the Middle Ages. Though many yew trees were felled in the past, both for their wood and to prevent livestock from being poisoned by their seeds and leaves - threatening the survival of the species - the common yew is listed by IUCN as Least Concern (2010).

With its distinctive, umbrella-shaped crown, the stone pine (Pinus pinea) is one of the most easily recognizable conifer species, and one of the symbols of the Mediterranean landscape. Found in much of the Mediterranean basin, this beautiful tree grows to an average height of 12-20 m (40-65 ft); it has thick, reddish-brown bark, mid-green needles, and large, ovoid cones that produce delicious seeds called pinoli in Italian and piñones in Spanish. It often forms forests that thrive on the coast as well as in the interior. The stone pine has also become naturalized in regions of the world with a similar climate, such as South Africa, California and New South Wales.

Cultivated for thousands of years for their nuts (one of the main ingredients of pesto sauce), stone pines are also popular as ornamental trees. Associated with the city of Rome, where they are found in city parks and along the famed Appian Way, they even have a piece of music dedicated to them - the tone poem "I pini di Roma" (The Pines of Rome, 1924) by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. Though the species is listed by IUCN as Least Concern (2016), it is vulnerable to pests such as the western conifer seed bug, an invasive insect species from North America, which has inflicted extensive damage to Italian stone pines.

The common name "hemlock" for the trees of the genus Tsuga (family Pinaceae) stems from the supposed similarity of the smell of their crushed leaves with that of Conium maculatum, the poison hemlock - which, being a flowering plant, is completely unrelated. The ten living species of Tsuga are native to North America and Eastern Asia: the Himalayan hemlock (Tsuga dumosa) is one of six Asian species. Like all its close relatives, it thrives in cool, temperate areas with high rainfall, and is well adapted to cold, snow and ice. The Himalayan hemlock is a relatively tall tree, growing to an average height of 20-25 m (65-80 ft), with a somewhat slender trunk and oblique or horizontal branches; its needles are flat, green and shiny, with silvery undersides.

Also grown as an ornamental species, the Himalayan hemlock occurs from northern India in the west to the mountain regions of Vietnam in the east, where it grows in forests at medium to high altitude. Its light brown, fine-grained wood is used in construction and furniture-making. IUCN lists the species as Least Concern (2010).

Firs belong to the genus Abies of the family Pinaceae. The genus comprises a large number of species native to the mountain regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where they occur as far south as the highlands of Central America. The Manchurian fir (Abies holophylla) is native to the mountains of North Korea, northern China and the Russian territory of Primorsky Krai. Like all firs, it is an evergreen that can grow to a height of 30 m (100 ft), with a slender trunk and a narrow, conical crown. Its flattened needles are bright green, with a whitish-green underside, and its yellow-brown cones stand upright, as typical of firs.

This handsome tree (also known as needle fir), is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant. In the wild, it grows in forests together with other conifers, at relatively low elevations. With declining populations and loss of habitat due to extensive logging and forest fires, the Manchurian fir is classified by IUCN as Near Threatened (2010).

Kauri belong to the genus Agathis of the family Araucariaceae, whose members are all native to Southeast Asia and Australasia. They are massive trees with very large, straight trunks, covered with smooth, light grey to grey-brown bark. The southern or New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) is the largest in the genus, growing to up to 50 m (164 ft) in height and attaining trunk girths of over 20 m (65 ft). Kauri are also among the world's most voluminous trees along with Californian sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), and can live for over 2,000 years. They have tough, leathery leaves - typically broader than those of other conifers - and globose seed cones.

Southern kauri are found in the northern regions of New Zealand's North Island, where they tower above the other trees of the forests that grow in that warm, subtropical climate. The number of trees, however, was negatively impacted by heavy logging in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Kauri wood is highly prized for its strength and beauty, and in the past was extensively used in shipbuilding. In the same period, kauri gum (semi-fossilized resin) was also frequently harvested, to be mainly employed in the production of durable varnishes. Now kauri remain in small pockets of their original range: in New Zealand they were classified as Nationally Vulnerable in 2017, though in recent years the situation seems to have improved.