Conifer

Conifer Temporal range: 307–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Carboniferous–Present
Large conifer forest composed of Abies alba at Vosges, Eastern France
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Subclasses, orders, and families
Cupressidae Araucariales Araucariaceae Podocarpaceae Cupressales Sciadopityaceae Cupressaceae Taxaceae Pinidae Pinales Pinaceae Gnetidae (traditionally excluded but cladistically included) Ephedraceae Welwitschiaceae Gnetaceae Cheirolepidiaceae † Palissyales † Voltziales † Cordaitales †
Synonyms
Coniferophyta Coniferae Pinophytina

Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (/pɪˈnɒfɪtə, ˈpaɪnoʊfaɪtə/), also known as Coniferophyta (/ˌkɒnɪfəˈrɒfɪtə, -oʊfaɪtə/) or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant conifers are perennial woody plants with secondary growth.^[a] The great majority are trees, though a few are shrubs. Examples include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews.^[1] As of 2002, Pinophyta contained seven families, 60 to 65 genera, and more than 600 living species.

Although the total number of species is relatively small, conifers are ecologically important. They are the dominant plants over large areas of land, most notably the taiga of the Northern Hemisphere, but also in similar cool climates in mountains further south. Boreal conifers have many wintertime adaptations. The narrow conical shape of northern conifers, and their downward-drooping limbs, help them shed snow. Many of them seasonally alter their biochemistry to make them more resistant to freezing. While tropical rainforests have more biodiversity and turnover, the immense conifer forests of the world represent the largest terrestrial carbon sink. Conifers are of great economic value for softwood lumber and paper production.

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