Pines and needles

Needles can stay green for more than 45 years. Cedar needles contain oils used in perfumes and colognes.

Tufts of needles

The smallest of all pines, this tree usually grows only up to 10 ft (3 m) in height.

This Asian cedar has distinctive drooping branches.

pines can live for more than 5,000 years.

This tree gets its name from the use of its foliage during Christmas in Mexico.

The pine family contains more than 200 types of conifer trees, including pines, firs, spruces, larches, and cedars. Although they may look similar, these cone-bearing trees have distinct patterns of needlelike leaves that can be used to tell them apart.

The needles of pines, including those of the bristlecone pine and sugar pine, grow in clusters of two to five—each cluster from a single bud. Cedar needles, such as those of the Lebanon cedar, also grow in clusters, but these may contain 15–45 needles and are typically

Young silver fir trees are often used as Christmas trees in Europe.

Sharply pointed needles

This slow-growing but resilient tree has a life span of 150–600 years.

Needles grow in bunches of five and can be 4 in (11 cm) long.

This wide-spreading tree can reach up to 130 ft (40 m) in height. It is the national emblem of Lebanon and appears on its flag. Short needles turn golden yellow and orange in fall.

Whorls of needles

shorter than pine needles. Firs, such as the European silver fir, have flat needles that grow individually from the branch. Spruces, including the blue spruce and the sitka spruce, have sharp four-sided needles. Larch needles are particularly unusual because, unlike most conifers, they are not evergreen but deciduous. In fall, the light blue-green needles of the tamarack larch change color before falling off, turning the wooded mountains glorious golden colors.

This tall tree can grow rapidly, reaching more than 310 ft (95 m) in height.