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A Natural History of Conifers
A compelling account of the extraordinary relatives of ordinary garden conifers.
Leading expert Aljos Farjon provides a compelling narrative that observes conifers from the standpoint of the curious naturalist. It starts with the basic question of what conifers are and continues to explore their evolution, taxonomy, ecology, distribution, human uses, and issues of conservation. As the story unfolds many popular misconceptions are dispelled, such as the false notion that all conifers have cones. The extraordinary diversity of conifers begins to dawn as Farjon describes the diminutive creeping shrub Microcachrys tetragona , whose strange seed cones resemble raspberries, and the prehistoric-looking Araucaria meulleri .
The taxonomic diversity of conifers is huge and Farjon goes on to relate how, over the course of 300 million years, these trees and shrubs have adapted to survive geological upheavals, climatic extremes, and formidable competition from flowering plants. All who seek to learn more about the early history of life on our planet will cherish this book.
Leading expert Aljos Farjon provides a compelling narrative that observes conifers from the standpoint of the curious naturalist. It starts with the basic question of what conifers are and continues to explore their evolution, taxonomy, ecology, distribution, human uses, and issues of conservation. As the story unfolds many popular misconceptions are dispelled, such as the false notion that all conifers have cones. The extraordinary diversity of conifers begins to dawn as Farjon describes the diminutive creeping shrub Microcachrys tetragona , whose strange seed cones resemble raspberries, and the prehistoric-looking Araucaria meulleri .
The taxonomic diversity of conifers is huge and Farjon goes on to relate how, over the course of 300 million years, these trees and shrubs have adapted to survive geological upheavals, climatic extremes, and formidable competition from flowering plants. All who seek to learn more about the early history of life on our planet will cherish this book.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2008
238 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 6, 2013
- Angiosperm ovules are enclosed in the ovary.
- Gymnosperm ovules are exposed; seeds are produced in a cone.
- Conifers have a distinctive compound cone that originally developed in the Carboniferous about 310 mya.
- Unclear whether the yews are conifers, but now generally considered to be.
- Conifer wood lacks vessels; has tracheids with large bordered pits instead. All conifers contain resin in the wood.
- Many conifers are 2000 - 5000 years old. Fossil remains appear in areas where they no longer grow.
- Podocarpus is a largely tropical genus where the cones are reduced to produce a single seed with a tough coat. The bracts and seed scales of the aborted ovules are fused to produce an inflated succulent, brightly coloured receptacle under the seed. Birds are the main dispersers.
- Conifers are known from most ecosystems, the major exception being tropical lowland rain forest, where the angiosperms entirely out compete them.
- New Caledonia is an island of conifers, many places lacking any grass whatsoever.
- An evolutionary tree indicates that the earlier conifers in the Carboniferous did not last long. The conifers diversified in the Triassic, with the greatest abundance in the Cretaceous. A general loss of diversity occurred toward the end of the Tertiary.
- In northern climates, fire can destroy large coniferous forests. Also, new land is provided in deposition area along rivers.
- Conifers require that land be prepared by other pioneer plants and the establishment of mycorrhizal fungi.
- Conifers produce many small light seeds with wings that disperse well in the wind. Therefore, burns come back through reseeding, not resprouting.
- Conifers can adapt to extremely poor soils, such as the 28 species that grow on the Plaine des Lacs in New Caledonia where the ultramafic soils are heavy in toxic metals.
- Conifers have an advantage in that they accumulate a large leaf surface over several years (cohorts), that may exceed that of a similarly sized angiosperm. Per unit, the leaves and wood of angiosperms are more efficient, however.
- Fast growing grasslands can exclude confires. However, over-grazing or fire prevention can suppress the grasses, allowing the return of the conifers. Junipers have returned to the American West in this way.
- One adaptation of conifers to poor soils is the symbiosis of the roots with mycorrhizal fungi, thereby greatly increasing the effective size of their root systems. The mushrooms normally seen in forests are mostly not mycorrhizal fungi.
- The small leaves of conifers are an advantage for slow growth in temperate climates, so long as there is light and water can flow. Small leaves are resistant to insects.
- The giant conifers do not successfully produce young trees until a major event (fire, volcano) levels a piece of the forest. The seeds of the large trees are strong competitors in the new area.
- The large trees are very resistant to fire. Douglas Fir can have bark that is 25 cm thick.
- Some conifers have evolved to rely on birds for seed dispersion. In Europe, the Arolla pine has evolved with the Eurasian Nutcracker. In the U.S., the Clark's Nutcracker works with the Whitebark and Limber pines. The Eurasian Nutcracker caches 25000 seeds (avg 5 seeds per cache) and apparently remembers them all. Will dig snow tunnels to caches of 130-300 cm length.
- Conifers protect themselves from large herbivores with sharp spiny leaves and toxins such as terpenes, in the leaves.
- Insect protection is through resins and the terpenes. More than 30,000 pine terpenes have been identified.
- Dwarf mistletoes are a major parasite, that spreads slowly. Pines with drooping needles can shed the mistletoe seeds.
- One parasitic conifer has been found that parasitizes another conifer.
- Giant redwoods have re-iterated trunks where essentially a new tree grows from existing branches. One tree has a class 6 iteration (iteration from iteration from ...)
- Canopy soil in crotches of big trees can be as much as 2 m. deep, and forms the basis of entire ecosystems.
- New Caledonia has 44 species of conifer, all of which are endemic. Nearly half of the 41 species of Araucariacae are found in N.C. N.C. has more than 3000 plant species in 156 families with about 80% endemism.
- The wood of conifers is known as softwood, while that of angiosperms is known as hardwood. Perhaps this originated in Europe where pine is much softer than oak. Worldwide, conifer wood is quite variable and slow growing species produce quite hard wood.
- During the Industrial Revolution, the newly wealthy developed a large interest in natural history. Collecting conifers became very popular. Many pinetum / pineta - gardens of conifers - were established in England.
- The sequoia was originally given the name Wellingtonia in 1853. Americans wanted in called Washingtonia. Both names had been previously used. Resolved in 1939 when Buchholz gave it the name Sequoiadendron.
- Some plants show unusual characteristics in their juvenile stages. They can be given cultivar names only to find that they return to true form when mature. These are called reversions.
- Conifers, especially dwarf types, are currently of high horticultural interest in the U.K., Japan and other countries.
- Witches brooms occur of two types. One is the tree's reaction to parasites or pathogens. The other is due to a mutation in the leaf bud. This type can produce cones and seeds. When the seeds germinate, half develop normally, the other half turn out dwarfish. This can be a source of new cultivars.
- Some conifers seem to produce more variation / cultivars than others. One dwarf conifer - Chamaecyparis obtus - produces many variations in cultivation, but few in nature.
- Of the 13 species of Araucaria in New Caledonia, 9 grow on ultramafic soils and are in danger of extinction due to mining.
- In some cases, pines can be invasive, as in the heathlands of the Netherlands and the tablelands of South Africa.
- Gymnosperm ovules are exposed; seeds are produced in a cone.
- Conifers have a distinctive compound cone that originally developed in the Carboniferous about 310 mya.
- Unclear whether the yews are conifers, but now generally considered to be.
- Conifer wood lacks vessels; has tracheids with large bordered pits instead. All conifers contain resin in the wood.
- Many conifers are 2000 - 5000 years old. Fossil remains appear in areas where they no longer grow.
- Podocarpus is a largely tropical genus where the cones are reduced to produce a single seed with a tough coat. The bracts and seed scales of the aborted ovules are fused to produce an inflated succulent, brightly coloured receptacle under the seed. Birds are the main dispersers.
- Conifers are known from most ecosystems, the major exception being tropical lowland rain forest, where the angiosperms entirely out compete them.
- New Caledonia is an island of conifers, many places lacking any grass whatsoever.
- An evolutionary tree indicates that the earlier conifers in the Carboniferous did not last long. The conifers diversified in the Triassic, with the greatest abundance in the Cretaceous. A general loss of diversity occurred toward the end of the Tertiary.
- In northern climates, fire can destroy large coniferous forests. Also, new land is provided in deposition area along rivers.
- Conifers require that land be prepared by other pioneer plants and the establishment of mycorrhizal fungi.
- Conifers produce many small light seeds with wings that disperse well in the wind. Therefore, burns come back through reseeding, not resprouting.
- Conifers can adapt to extremely poor soils, such as the 28 species that grow on the Plaine des Lacs in New Caledonia where the ultramafic soils are heavy in toxic metals.
- Conifers have an advantage in that they accumulate a large leaf surface over several years (cohorts), that may exceed that of a similarly sized angiosperm. Per unit, the leaves and wood of angiosperms are more efficient, however.
- Fast growing grasslands can exclude confires. However, over-grazing or fire prevention can suppress the grasses, allowing the return of the conifers. Junipers have returned to the American West in this way.
- One adaptation of conifers to poor soils is the symbiosis of the roots with mycorrhizal fungi, thereby greatly increasing the effective size of their root systems. The mushrooms normally seen in forests are mostly not mycorrhizal fungi.
- The small leaves of conifers are an advantage for slow growth in temperate climates, so long as there is light and water can flow. Small leaves are resistant to insects.
- The giant conifers do not successfully produce young trees until a major event (fire, volcano) levels a piece of the forest. The seeds of the large trees are strong competitors in the new area.
- The large trees are very resistant to fire. Douglas Fir can have bark that is 25 cm thick.
- Some conifers have evolved to rely on birds for seed dispersion. In Europe, the Arolla pine has evolved with the Eurasian Nutcracker. In the U.S., the Clark's Nutcracker works with the Whitebark and Limber pines. The Eurasian Nutcracker caches 25000 seeds (avg 5 seeds per cache) and apparently remembers them all. Will dig snow tunnels to caches of 130-300 cm length.
- Conifers protect themselves from large herbivores with sharp spiny leaves and toxins such as terpenes, in the leaves.
- Insect protection is through resins and the terpenes. More than 30,000 pine terpenes have been identified.
- Dwarf mistletoes are a major parasite, that spreads slowly. Pines with drooping needles can shed the mistletoe seeds.
- One parasitic conifer has been found that parasitizes another conifer.
- Giant redwoods have re-iterated trunks where essentially a new tree grows from existing branches. One tree has a class 6 iteration (iteration from iteration from ...)
- Canopy soil in crotches of big trees can be as much as 2 m. deep, and forms the basis of entire ecosystems.
- New Caledonia has 44 species of conifer, all of which are endemic. Nearly half of the 41 species of Araucariacae are found in N.C. N.C. has more than 3000 plant species in 156 families with about 80% endemism.
- The wood of conifers is known as softwood, while that of angiosperms is known as hardwood. Perhaps this originated in Europe where pine is much softer than oak. Worldwide, conifer wood is quite variable and slow growing species produce quite hard wood.
- During the Industrial Revolution, the newly wealthy developed a large interest in natural history. Collecting conifers became very popular. Many pinetum / pineta - gardens of conifers - were established in England.
- The sequoia was originally given the name Wellingtonia in 1853. Americans wanted in called Washingtonia. Both names had been previously used. Resolved in 1939 when Buchholz gave it the name Sequoiadendron.
- Some plants show unusual characteristics in their juvenile stages. They can be given cultivar names only to find that they return to true form when mature. These are called reversions.
- Conifers, especially dwarf types, are currently of high horticultural interest in the U.K., Japan and other countries.
- Witches brooms occur of two types. One is the tree's reaction to parasites or pathogens. The other is due to a mutation in the leaf bud. This type can produce cones and seeds. When the seeds germinate, half develop normally, the other half turn out dwarfish. This can be a source of new cultivars.
- Some conifers seem to produce more variation / cultivars than others. One dwarf conifer - Chamaecyparis obtus - produces many variations in cultivation, but few in nature.
- Of the 13 species of Araucaria in New Caledonia, 9 grow on ultramafic soils and are in danger of extinction due to mining.
- In some cases, pines can be invasive, as in the heathlands of the Netherlands and the tablelands of South Africa.
June 6, 2019
"Uneven" is perhaps the best summary of this book that I can provide. It is jam-packed with information, but that information varies wildly in its technical jargon and depth. Some concepts are explained thoroughly, while others are sprung upon you as a complex set of adjectives very specific to Farjon's field of study. Also (although a minor point), it strikes me that Farjon fails to provide a satisfactory concluding chapter.
September 10, 2018
I loved this book, Not quite an easy read but it connects most of the dots for the gymonsperms. With a little help from your cell phone to explain some of the terminology and if you like amature botany as I do, you will love this book too.
March 21, 2015
I love plants, and especially conifers, so I naturally had to read this book by the world's preeminent expert on this group of plants.
I loved the text, especially the chapters on relations between taxa and on extinct conifers. Written for a general audience, it's an entertaining yet informative treatment of this group of plants. The photographs in the book are best described as "tree porn", and I mean that in the best way possible. Also included are wonderful original pen-and-ink botanical illustrations by the author. I would recommend this book for anyone with an appreciation for the botanical world.
I loved the text, especially the chapters on relations between taxa and on extinct conifers. Written for a general audience, it's an entertaining yet informative treatment of this group of plants. The photographs in the book are best described as "tree porn", and I mean that in the best way possible. Also included are wonderful original pen-and-ink botanical illustrations by the author. I would recommend this book for anyone with an appreciation for the botanical world.
August 14, 2022
Great guide to the life history of gymnosperms. A must have reference text for anyone interested in trees
Want to read
December 29, 2008Another Christmas gift, with lots of good info to (again) bore students and friends.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews