Week 2 - Conifer Id Flashcards
ID this Conifer
Needle-like leaves that are arranged spirally on the twigs. These leaves are linear, about 15 to 25 millimetres long, and 2 millimetres wide.
They have a glossy green colour and are often flattened in cross-section
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Sequoia sempervirens ‘Coast Redwood’
The seed cones are ovoid and much smaller than GiantRedwood, 15–32mm long,with 15–25 spirally arranged scales/ leaves.
Pollination is in late winter with maturation about 8–9months after.
Location: At the back of TEAGASC classrooms
ID this Conifer
Needle-like, about 1 to 4 cm long, and arranged spirally on the twigs. Leaves are dark green on the upper surface and have a lighter green underside.
The needles are flat, slightly curved, and have a pointed tip.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Taxus baccata ‘Yew’
Small, “cones” called arils. These arils are often red, berry-like structures surrounding a single seed.
Yews are dioecious, meaning individual trees are either male or female.
Location: By river at back of classrooms
ID this Conifer
Scale-like and arranged in flattened sprays. Each scale is about 2 to 4 millimetres long, overlapping like tiles on a roof.
The leaves are green to yellow-green in colour and have a glandular dot on the underside.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Thuja plicata ‘Western Red-Cedar’
Small, woody cones.
The cones are typically about 8 to 12 millimeters long and have a distinct shape.
They are green when young and turn brown as they mature.
Each cone contains several small, winged seeds.
Location: Crossing first bridge towards Rose garden from classrooms.
ID this Conifer
Scale-like and arranged in flattened sprays. Each scale is about 2 to 4 millimetres long, overlapping like tiles on a roof.
The leaves are green to yellow-green in colour and have a glandular dot on the underside.
The foliage has a feathery appearance, forming flattened fans.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Lawson cypress’
Small cones that are typically about 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter.
The cones are globular and may have a bluish tint when immature.
Each cone contains numerous small seeds.
Location: Mill Field
ID this Conifer
Needle-like and arranged individually on the branches. Each needle is about 1 to 2 centimetres long, slender, and sharp-pointed.
Needles are individually attached to the branches. The needles have a glossy dark green colour, and can have a blue tint.
The leaves spiral around the branches, giving the tree a dense appearance.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Picea omorika ‘Serbian spruce’
Cylindrical cones that are about 6 to 10 centimeters long.
The cones are pendulous, meaning they hang downward from the branches.
Location: Mill field, in grass on left before Socrates on right.
ID this Conifer
The leaves are spirally arranged but twisted at the base to lie in two horizontal ranks.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Taxodium mucronatum ‘Bald Cypress’
Leaves are 1–2 cm long and 1–2 mm broad. The leaves are deciduous to semi-deciduous.
Location: Across Socrates’ bridge, close to lake.
ID this Conifer
Needle-like and arranged in clusters or fascicles. They are soft and long. Each fascicle typically contains 20 to 30 needles.
The needles are about 2 to 5 centimetres long, flexible, and appear in tufts at the ends of short shoots.
They are green to bluish-green in color.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Cedrus deodara ‘Deodar Cedar’
Cones are barrel shaped. More of an pronounced indent, can be hard to see sometimes.
Approx. 9cm tall, similar to those of the Atlas Cedar and Cedar of Lebanaon
Location: Ashtown - At the back of the Golf Course.
ID this Conifer
The needles are short (25mm) and in clusters of 10 to 35.
Each cluster is located on a short side shoot called a spur.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Cedrus libani ‘Cedar of Lebanon’
Cones are barrel shaped and 9cm tall when mature, similar to those of the Atlas Cedar and Cedar of Lebanaon.
Cones have more of a flat top, although this is not always the case.
Location: The very end of the gardens, following the path along the river.
ID this Conifer
Leaves are lanceolate, linear, arranged spirally along the branches.
They have a leathery texture and are dark green.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Podocarpus nubigenus ‘Cloud Podocarp’
2-4 cm long and 3-4 mm wide, stiff.
Brighter green above, 2 very faint light blue-white stomatal bands below.
Location: Follow the path towards the bandstand and along the path with various Lime trees (Tilia sp.) on the left at the crossroad, follow left – on the grass near lake.
ID this Conifer
The leaves are evergreen, stiff and viciously pointed!
Each leaf is about 3 to 6 centimetres long, arranged spirally around the branches.
The leaves are sharp-pointed and densely cover the branches, giving the tree its distinctive appearance.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Araucaria araucana ‘Monkey Puzzle’
Monkey Puzzle produces large, spherical cones that are about 10 to 20 cm in diameter.
The cones have a woody structure with thick, pointed scales.
They take several years to mature, and each scale contains a single seed.
The seed cone disintigrates over time on the tree.
Seeds are a highly sought after edible nut.
Location: Straight on from Podocarp, to left off path from Rockery to new fernery.
ID this Conifer
Needle-like and arranged in whorls, typically forming flattened sprays.
Sharply-pointed, awl-shaped, fragrant, green to blue-green needles are spirally arranged.
Foliage may bronze in cold winters.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Japanese Red-Cedar’
Cones ripen to brown in the first year and persist 1-2 years more on the tree.
Branchlet growth sometimes temporarily continuing through cone.
Natural Distribution Japan
In the same family as Taxus - Taxodiaceae
Location: Back up on the previous path leading towards rockery.
ID this Conifer
Leaves stiff, densely and spirally arranged, spreading in 2 rows.
Glossy deep green, linear-lanceolate, straight or slightly curved.
3 - 6.5 cm long by 1.5 - 5 mm thick by 0.3 - 1.2 mm wide, with finely serrated margins.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Cunninghamia lanceolata ‘Chinese Fir’
Moderately cold-hardy plant, -15 to -20°c
Female cones ovoid or rounded, 2.5-5 cm long by 3-4 cm wide, solitary or several together.
Cone-scales brown with serrate margin.
The female cones are normally situated lower in the crown than the male cones.
Native to the warm temperate zone of southeast China.
Location: Heading towards rockery on the left.
ID this Conifer
Needles are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath.
The needles are finely serrated, and 9–16 cm long.
Very large cone - Outer end of seed scale thick, elongated, narrowed, reflexed.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Pinus ayacahuite var. veitchii ‘Mexican White Pine’
Cones are long and slender, 15 – 40 cm long
4 – 6 cm broad when closed, opening to 6 – 10 cm.
The scales are thin and flexible.
Location: At back left of the wall of the rockery.
ID this Conifer
Scale-like and arranged in opposite pairs, giving them a distinctive appearance.
Each scale is about 2 to 4 millimetres long, and the foliage has a flattened, fern-like aspect.
Very slow growing plant (UK), seedlings only grow about 3cm a year for the first 6 - 10 years and do not attain 30cm a year even when well established.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Thujopsis dolabrata ‘Hiba cedar’
Cones are 1 - 1.6cm diameter,subglobose (not having the perfectshape of a sphere or ball).
Typically mucronate (ending abruptly in a short sharp point) below apex, each fertile scale with 3-5 seeds.
Natural Distribution
Central Japan
Timber is highly prized in Japan.
Location: At the crossroads on front of the rockery, take a right and follow the path to the centre.
ID this Conifer
Needles are long and slender, measuring around 12 to 20 centimetres in length.
They are borne in clusters of five, forming distinct fascicles. The needles have a flexible texture and a bluish-green colour.
Abaxial (bottom) side green, adaxial side (top) with multiple bluish-white stomatal lines
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Pinus wallichiana ‘Bhutan Pine’
Cone scales wedge-shaped, wide near the apex, grooved, ending in a blunt umbo; basal scales usually not, or only slightly, reflexed, very resinous.
Natural Distribution
Himalayan mountains from Afghanistan through Pakistan,India, Tibet (China: Xizang), Nepal and Bhutan to Burma.
Location: After Thujopsis, follow to the next crossroad and take a right, Multistem tree.
ID this Conifer
Leaves commonly in fascicles (bundles) of fives.
Usually 15cm long but occasionally up to 20cm.
Rigid and usually radiating all-round the shoot.
Light green, glaucous or sometimes yellowish green on newer foliage.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Pinus montezumae ‘Montezuma Pine’
Cones are also variable, from long-ovoid to ovoid or conical.
They are usually slightly curved,12-15 cm long and 7-10 cm widewhen open.
Dark spots along the outside of the cone.
Natural Distribution
Mexico, Guatemala.
Location: Up the path, near the back entrance to the Veg Garden on the right.
ID this Conifer
Short needle-like leaves are arranged spirally on new growth and in whorls at the tips of short spurs on older twigs.
There are 10 to 30 soft, light green needles on each spur.
This tree loses its needles over the winter.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Larix decidua ‘European larch’
Seed cones terminal on short shoots, on curved peduncles 5 - 10 mm long, ovoid.
2.5 - 4cm long, comprised of 25 - 35 seed scales.
Dark red maturing pale green, then bark brown.
Natural Distribution
Europe
Location: At the back of the Palm House.
ID this Conifer
Leaves on lateral shoots are one of the most distinctive features – leaflets crossing over on the back of the stem.
“Arranged to present four ranks, with two ranks at about 150-175° and the other two ranks lying between the first two at about 50-90°”.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Wollemia nobilis ‘Wollemi Pine’
The seed cones are green, maturing to brown,
6 – 12 cm long and 5 – 10 cm in diameter, and mature about 18–20 months after wind pollination. They disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds.
After a few years, each branch either terminates in a cone (either male or female) or ceases growth. After this, or when the cone becomes mature, the branch dies.
Location: At the back of the Giant Redwood, on front of Curvilinear House.
ID this Conifer
Evergreen. Leaves alternate, sharp, radiating.
Adult leaves mostly needle-like, triangular in cross section, somewhat divergent to strongly appressed.
Underside of leaf shows glands absent.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Giant Redwood’
Seed cones are 4 – 7 cm long and mature in 18 – 20 months, though they typically remain green and can stay closed for as long as 20 years.
Each cone has 30 – 50 spirally arranged scales, with several seeds on each scale, giving an average of 230 seeds per cone.
Cones are much bigger than Coast Redwood.
Location: On front of Director’s house.
ID this Conifer
Leaves are scale-like and arranged in flattened sprays.
The foliage is feathery and has a bright to dark green colour.
The leaves are typically arranged in opposite pairs along the stems.
Plant ID List 1 – Conifers
X Cuprocyparis leylandii ‘Leyland cypress’
Produces small,round cones that are about 1 to 2 cm in diameter.
These cones are often inconspicuous and may remain closed for extended periods.
Leyland Cypress is a hybrid between Cupressus macrocarpa (Monterey cypress) and Chamaecyparis nootkatensis
(Alaska cedar).
Location: Go to Botanics entrance to Glasnevin Cemetery, pass the herbarium, on the left, near entrance to native area.
