Conifers are gymnosperms because they have naked seeds.
Conifers are a magnificent group of gymnosperm plants that produce seeds without fruit or flowers. They include some incredible trees such as the Giant Sequoias of North America that can grow over 110 m tall.
The conifers are by far the largest group of gymnosperms with around 630 species worldwide of a total approximation of around 860 species. The word ‘conifer’ is Latin for ‘cone bearing’ because conifers produce cones within which they produce pollen (male cone) and grow seeds (female cone).
Conifers are all woody plants, mostly trees plus a few shrubby species, they have either needle-like or scale-like leaves and most species are evergreen. They include the economically important pines and many other timber species that are exploited for use in construction and paper.
New Zealand conifersDISTRIBUTION OF CONIFERS
Conifer species are found throughout the globe and the only large land mass they are absent from is Antarctica. The most extensive conifer stands are found in the higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere through the boreal forests of North America, Asia and Europe.
Conifers are also common in tropical areas. A greater diversity of conifers is found in the tropics than higher latitudes but these areas tend to be dominated by broad-leaved angiosperm plants. The conifers have diversity hot spots in China, Borneo and Papa New Guinea and are absent from much of Africa, South America and Australia.