Conifers are the most important representatives of the gymnosperms subdivision. They are characterized by monopodial branching and open arrangement of ovules on macrosporophylls, or seed scales; sometimes the ovules sit at the ends of the shoots. 7 families belong to the class of conifers. The most important for our country are the families: Pine (Pinaceae), Yew (Tahaseae) and Cypress (Cupressaceae). The pine family includes four genera of woody species growing wild in the USSR: pine (Pinus), larch (Larix), spruce (Picea) and fir (Abies), and from the introduced ones - the genus Pseudotzuga.

In most species of conifers, the leaves (needles) are acicular, linear or scaly; they persist on plants for several years. In the genus larch, the needles fall off annually and develop again in the spring.

"Flowers" in conifers are in the form of spikelets and cones. Male (anther) spikelets and female cones are formed at the ends of shoots or in the axils of leaves (needles). Stamens with two, less often with a large number of anthers. Pollen with two air sacs, allowing it to spread over considerable distances in the air. Sometimes there are no air sacs (in larch), and pollen is only a short distance from the crown. Female cones - with numerous megasporophylls (seed scales), incorrectly called carpels, sometimes several, less often without them. The ovary is absent. Therefore, there is no real fruit either. In species that do not form cones (yew), the ovule sits at the end of the shoot, and the seeds are surrounded by a fleshy perisperm.

Most coniferous seeds have wings, which facilitates the spread of seeds over considerable distances. However, species with wingless seeds (cedar pines) are known, which are distributed by birds and some animals. Coniferous seeds ripen in the fall in the year of flowering or in the second, less often, the third year after flowering. In some species, the seeds spill out of the cones soon after they ripen, while in the majority they remain in the cones until the spring of next year, and then gradually fall out of the cones.

Seed germination in many species is usually high and, if properly stored, lasts for several years. The embryo usually contains from 2 to 15 cotyledons.

Coniferous wood, excluding primary wood, is without vessels and consists of tracheids. Annual layers (rings) are clearly visible.

The value of the conifers growing in our forests is extremely high. Coniferous forests occupy about 77% of the entire forested area of ​​the Soviet Union. They provide the most valuable timber for many sectors of the national economy and many other forest products.

P / p No.	Type of woody	Place of growth (place of collection)	Morphological, vegetative and generative characters. Physical and mechanical properties.
	Scots pine Pinus selvestris	It grows almost everywhere: from north to south from the zone of growth of forests to the Chernozem region. From west to east to the Amur.	Trees are 25-40m high. Barrel diameter 0.5-1.2m. Needles, 2 per bunch (double pine), crescent shape. The bark below is cortical, gray-brown lamellar, above it is cork, smooth, yellowish-brown. Cones are ovoid, gray-brown, with an apophysis. Slightly pink core, with time it becomes brown-red, sapwood is wide from yellow to pink, characterized by visible annual rings, many resin passages. Wood with an average density of 505kg / m 3. Handles well. Easily impregnated. Pine wood is not homogeneous. Occupies 1/6 of the area of ​​all forests in Russia.
	Weymouth pine P. strobus	North America	The tree is 30-67m tall, 1-1.8m in diameter. The trunk is straight. Needles 5 in a bunch (five-coniferous pines), triangular, long, soft. The bark from the bottom is gray-brown, scaly. Cones are long, scales without apophyses.
	Siberian pine (cedar) P. sibirica	Western and Eastern Siberia	Up to 35m height, 1.8m diameter. Needles 5 in a bunch (five-coniferous pines), triangular, bottom with stomatal gray stripes, curved, long. Shoots are thick, with brown pubescence. The bark is dark gray, scaly underneath. Cones are ovoid, scales are slightly curved. When ripe, the cones crumble.
	European spruce. Siberian spruce Picea alba, P. sibirical	Occupies 1/8 of the forested area. North and Center of the European part of Russia.	30-40m height. The needles are single, quadrangular. Smooth, gray, scaly crust at the bottom of the trunk. Nuclear-free, ripe woody species, wood is white with a yellow tint. Annual layers and resin passages are clearly visible. Cones with soft seed scales, serrated along the edge in the European spruce, and with a smooth oval edge in the Siberian spruce. Density 445kg / m 3. High knot density. Little warps.
	Siberian cedar	North-east of Russia to Transbaikalia	5-44m in height and 1.8m in diameter. The bark is dark gray, scaly underneath. Needles 5 in a bunch, from below with stomatal bluish stripes. Cones are broadly ovate, large, light brown with tightly appressed scales. Annual layers are noticeable. The transition from early to late wood is poorly expressed. There are few resin passages, but larger. The wood works well in all directions. Density 435kg / m 3. Resistant to rotting and worming. It has a beautiful texture and pleasant smell. Used in the production of pencils.
	Siberian fir Abies sibirical	Western Siberia	Up to 30m. The needles are single, two-row, flat, blunt, with a notch at the top. Nuclear-free, ripe woody breed. It resembles spruce wood. Soft. Density 400kg / m 3.
	European larch. Siberian larch. Larix dicidual, L. sibirical	North of the European part and Eastern Siberia	30-50m in height and 0.8-1m in diameter. The needles in bunches up to several dozen, short, flat, soft. The bark below is fissured, scaly, gray-brown. The kernel is reddish, the sapwood is narrow, yellowish-white. Well visible annual layers. Small and small resin passages. Cones are very small - Siberian L. In L. European - small, adherent to shoots. High strength, dense (665kg / m 3). Resistant to decay, beautiful texture, difficult to machine. Prone to internal cracking during drying.
	Pseudotsuga Menzies Pseudotsuga menziezii	North America	The needles are single, alternate, flat, soft with a pointed top. The bark is smooth, gray, with resinous nodules. Cones are oblong-ovate, with protruding scales in the form of a trident.
	Yew Berry Taxus beccata	Caucasus	25m height. The needles are flat, dark green, pointed on top, arranged in two rows. Tough. The bark is red-brown, finely fractured, narrow-lamellar. Reddish-brown kernel and narrow yellowish-white sapwood. Annual layers are tortuous. The core rays are not visible. It has a beautiful texture and is appreciated as a finishing material. Density 815kg / m 3. It stains well.
	Cypress Cupressus sempervirens	Caucasus	25m height. The leaves are small, scaly-shaped. The bark is pounded, brown, finely fractured, with longitudinal plates. Cones are spherical, woody, with a thorn on the scales.
	Common juniper Juniperus communis	Forest zone	Up to 10m height. Leaves are needle-shaped, 3 in a whorl. The bark is red-brown, peeling. Green cones-berries.

Juniper Cossack (J. sabina L.) Cones with a diameter of 5-7 mm, mature brown-black, with a bluish bloom, ripen in the fall in the second year after flowering. Undemanding to the soil. Grows on sands and rocky mountain slopes. Frost resistant. Very light-loving and drought-resistant. It is of great soil protection and agroforestry significance. It has long been used to consolidate loose sands in Central Asia. Wood can be used for fuel. Propagated by seeds, layering and cuttings. Since the needles, branches and pine berries contain an essential poisonous oil, the cultivation of Cossack juniper in public parks and gardens is not recommended.

Rod Tuya (Thuja Tourn.)

A genus of trees and shrubs of the thuja subfamily with scaly, opposite needles and flat, flattened shoots. Male spikelets are apical, small, rounded, sitting in the axils of the needles. Female spikelets are terminal, each scales, except for the upper pair, with 1-2 ovules. Cones are small, up to 10 mm long, elongated oval, with 3-6 pairs of criss-crossed scales, ripen in the fall in the year of flowering and fall off after the seeds open and fly out. Seeds are small, oval, diptera. Seedlings with two cotyledons. The primary needles are needle-shaped. Propagated by seeds, horticultural crops and cuttings. It tolerates a haircut well.

Common signs

The gymnosperms family includes about 700 species. Gymnosperms are propagated by seeds. Therefore, these are seed, not spore plants. However, their ovules and seeds are located more or less openly. They do not have pistils, like flowering plants, there are no ovaries and fruits.

Common signs of conifers

All conifers are trees, rarely shrubs. Their leaves are needle-like or scaly, evergreen (except for larch), weakly evaporating water. They have well-developed wood, but there are no real vessels. As a result, water moves more slowly than that of flowering plants, thereby reducing moisture evaporation. All conifers form a resin that heals wounds in places of damage. Conifers have male and female cones.

In Russia, the following genera of conifers are most common in nature: spruce, pine, fir, larch, juniper.

The structure of pine and spruce

Pine is a tall, slender tree. In old pines grown in the forest, the lowest branches are located at least 10 m from the surface of the earth; in lonely pines, the trunk is lower and thicker. The largest branches of the pine are in whorls, from which you can approximately determine the age of the tree (but not very old). The needles are arranged in two, on strongly shortened shoots. They are covered with thick skin; the stomata are in depressions. There are only two vascular bundles, and they do not branch. Such a structure allows pine, like most other conifers, to save moisture (after all, they do not have real vessels).

Spruce is no less tall tree. Spruce leaves are also needles, shorter and more prickly, running down the stem.

The ecological and biological features of spruce and pine are also different. The pine is light-requiring, it cannot grow under the canopy of spruce; needles exist for 2 - 3 years; can grow on poor soils, sands, rocks, swamps; a thick barrel plug allows you to endure not very strong fires; the root system is usually pivotal (superficial only in swamps). Spruce is shade-tolerant, grows well under the canopy of a pine; needles exist for 6-8 years (in the mountains - up to 15 years); grows well only on rich soils; the plug is thin, does not protect well from fires; the root system is superficial.

Thus, pine is in some respects more competitive than spruce, in others it is less. In general, this determines their complex relationship.

Reproduction of pine

Male cones are small, yellow, collected in large numbers in groups ("soshishia"). Each cone consists of an axis on which scales are located. On each scale, on its underside, there are two pollen sacs, where pollen ripens. Thus, the scales correspond to the stamens of flowering plants. The dust particle has two large air bags and is easily carried over tens and even hundreds of meters.

The female cone is the axis on which the scales are located. On the upper side of each scale, there are two ovules, which are turned by pollen passages to the base of the scales. When the dust gets on female cones, the latter are only about 5 mm long. Fertilization takes place only next summer. By this time, eggs are formed inside the ovules, and nutritious tissue - endosperm - appears. In the specks of dust, male gametes are formed - spermatozoa. They are devoid of flagella, like in flowering plants.

After fertilization, the ovule turns into a seed. It consists of a seed coat, endosperm and an embryo that develops from a fertilized egg - a zygote. Thus, the seed of pine, and other conifers, is generally similar to the seed of flowering plants. But the endosperm is of a different origin here. It was formed from the body of the outgrowth.

The periodization in the reproduction of pine is as follows.

First summer. The female cones are reddish, about 5 mm long. The ovules do not yet contain eggs and endosperm. The specks of dust fall on female cones.

Second summer. Female cones are green, about 3-4 cm long. Endosperm and egg cells were formed in the ovules. Fertilization occurs.

The coming winter. Female cones are brown, about 5-6 cm long. The ovules have turned into seeds. At the end of winter, the seeds, equipped with membranous wings, are spread by the wind.

It should be borne in mind that in the same pine, you can see female cones of different ages at the same time.

A variety of conifers. Pines account for about a third of all coniferous species. All pines have shortened shoots, but not necessarily with two needles - there are 3, 4 and 5. (For example, 5 needles in cedar pines that give "pine nuts". In Siberia and the Far East, where they grow, the population calls them cedars, which is inaccurate) Real cedars in Russia do not grow in the wild. Pine trees also differ from each other in the length of the needles (up to 30 cm long), the shape and size of the cones (in some pines weighing up to 2 kg).

Fir. It grows wildly in Siberia, the Urals, the Caucasus, and the Carpathians. It looks a bit like a spruce, but the needles are flat (the spruce has three-sided needles), and the cones stand like candles (they hang down from the spruce).

Larch. It grows wildly mainly in Siberia. The needles are in bunches, soft. Deciduous tree, often grown in cities.

Common juniper. A protected, slow-growing and disappearing tree species in many areas. Cones with very juicy scales, similar to berries.

Cypress. On the territory of our country, it is found only in culture in the Caucasus. The needles are not needle-like, but in the form of scales.

Thuja. Found in mid-latitudes, but also in culture. It looks like a cypress tree, but the shoots appear to be flattened.

Let's note some of the record figures inherent in conifers.

Evergreen sequoia (USA, areas near the Pacific Ocean) - the tallest tree in the world (up to 120 m).

The Nordmann fir (Caucasus) is the tallest tree in Russia (up to 60-70 m).

The bristlecone pine (USA, California) is the longest-living tree in the world, almost 5000 years old.

The value of conifers. Conifers are of enormous importance as forest-forming species. In moderately cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere, most of the forest area is occupied by coniferous forests. Their most valuable timber is used for construction. Coniferous forests are often cut down predatory. The most important task of forestry is the restoration of coniferous forests.



Rust of conifers in the photo

Rust more often affects Siberian, Korean, black pine and Cossack juniper. On the needles and branches, this disease of conifers manifests itself in the form of spindle-shaped swellings with yellowish mucous secretions of the fungus - the causative agent of the disease.

For the treatment of conifers from this disease and other ailments from chemicals, copper-containing preparations are effective (Bordeaux mixture and its substitutes "Abiga-Peak", "Oksikhom", "Hom", "Ordan"), at an air temperature above +22 ... + 24 ° С, sulfur preparations can also be used.

Good to know:

The source of spores is columnar rust, which affects currants, therefore, the proximity of these plants in the garden is undesirable.

Struck with rust, in the garden, it is a constant source of infection for the pear, since it is an intermediate host for this pathogen.

Fusarium disease
Fusarium disease

Affected by cytosporosis
Affected by phomosis

affected by fusarium, cytosporosis, phomosis... The causative agents of these coniferous diseases are pathogenic fungi. They cause spotting of shoots, bark, drying out and dropping of needles.

Using methods of combating diseases of conifers, plants are treated starting in spring at intervals of two weeks, until the signs of the disease completely disappear with the same drugs as against rust.

At the end of winter, a bronze phenomenon can be observed on the needles. This is an adaptive reaction of the body associated with a change in the composition and intensity of light. In the needles, anthocyanins are formed - substances of a red-violet color that protect the needles from excess ultraviolet rays.

As you can see in the photo, with this disease:

Coniferous tree needles acquire a bronze color
Coniferous tree needles acquire a bronze color

A defensive reaction of this type always occurs under extreme conditions, regardless of the season, when the temperature drops in summer, during drought and is not considered pathological.

It should be borne in mind that various diseases (rust, fungal spots) are mainly affected by old and poorly maintained conifers and shrubs.

Look at the photos of coniferous plant diseases that cause great harm to crops:

Diseases of conifers
Diseases of conifers

Diseases of conifers
Diseases of conifers

Protection of conifers from burns

Spring burn of conifers
Spring burn of conifers

Spring burn Is a non-infectious disease of conifers. Clear sunny weather after cold weather leads to browning of the needles, and sometimes the death of young plants, especially against the background of the still snow cover.

The sun and drying wind contribute to the loss of moisture in the needles, while the roots that are still in cold soil and have not woken up are not able to compensate for this loss.

In the spring, newly planted plants must be sprayed with water; for the winter they must be protected from frost and drying east winds with a non-woven white material such as Agril or Agrotex.

Sometimes this phenomenon is observed: trees planted in the fall, having a fresh and healthy appearance all winter, suddenly die in the spring. It is not the planting time that is to blame, but the involuntary injury of the roots during transplantation. The root system, which has a mass of suction roots, is disturbed by careless digging. The regenerative capacity of the suction roots is very low.

In winter, at subzero temperatures and high air humidity, the needles almost do not evaporate moisture, keeping a fresh look. But with the onset of warm days, this process is activated. The roots in the cold soil are not yet working and are not regenerating themselves. It is in such conditions that the phenomenon of "physiological drought" occurs - there is water, but the plant dies from the inability to use it. Therefore, when transplanting, the plant must necessarily be with a clod of earth.

Early spring is the most dangerous time for conifers. The sun shines with great intensity, daylight hours are lengthening. During the winter, the needles that have become unaccustomed from the sun begin to actively accumulate sugar. Chlorophyll, not having time to process solar energy, releases it in the form of oxygen - a very strong oxidizing agent. Oxidation of tissue causes burns. Especially destructive is the sharp change in the weather, when the sun peeps through after cloudy days. Such a transition contributes to the "burning out" of needles and cracks in the bark. Even severe frosts are not as terrible for needles as these weather transitions.

Gloomy weather in winter helps to withstand severe frosts. Indeed, at rest, when there is no intense light and heat, all processes are slow. True, varieties are known that retain deep dormancy even in intense sun. This is the "Skyrocket" form of the Virginian juniper; Cossack - "Blualps" form. They have a bluish shade of needles and waxy protection from the sun's rays.

To protect the tree as much as possible from winter burns, you need to choose a place so that direct sunlight falls only in the morning and evening hours. If this is not possible, protection should be provided in the form of awnings, synthetic nonwovens, etc. All of these materials must create grazing diffused light. This is an essential point in juniper culture.

Junipers need protection in the winter and from a clear snow surface that reflects the sun's rays. They are able to burn needles, it is aggravated by low air temperatures. One way to combat this coniferous disease is to scatter peat, humus, and earth under trees to dampen light reflections.

White, shiny surfaces, metal roofs, walls of houses can also give solar scorching glare.

What are the common features of the conifer class? Let's try to highlight the characteristic features of conifers

Characteristic features of conifers

Conifers have a number of common features:

a) life forms - trees, shrubs, no herbs;

b) the leaves are modified in the form of needles (spruce, pine) or scaly (cypress, thuja)

c) wood is well developed. The stem of conifers has a thin bark and massive wood, which is 90% tracheids and, unlike angiosperms, includes very little parenchyma.

d) In most conifers, a strong taproot is developed, from which long lateral roots extend. In addition to long roots, there are short, small roots, strongly branched and perform the function of suction and are often Mycorrhizal.

e) reproduce by seeds, but the seeds are located openly, there is no ovary, therefore, conifers are classified as gymnosperms;

g) conifers are of great economic importance. Wood is used in the woodworking, paper industry, in the manufacture of furniture, musical instruments. Conifers emit substances - phytoncides, which have useful properties, so many sanatoriums are located in coniferous forests.

variety of conifers

About 1/3 of all types of conifers make up pine trees. Pine trees differ from each other in the number of needles and their length. For example, in Siberian pine, it produces pine nuts, five needles. In Siberia and the Far East, where they grow, the population calls them cedars, which is wrong.

Spruce. Grows wild in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North America. It is the most important forest species. The trunk is straight, the crown is conical. The needles are tetrahedral, sharp. Hanging cones, up to 15 cm long.

Fir. Grows wild in Siberia, the Urals, the Caucasus, the Carpathians. It looks a bit like a spruce, but the needles are flat (the spruce has four-sided needles), and the cones stand like candles (they hang down from the spruce).

Larch. In the wild, it is found only in Siberia, where it forms larch forests. The needles are collected in bunches, soft, changing every year. Larch is often grown in cities.

Common juniper. Protected, slow-growing and disappearing timber in many areas. Cones with very juicy scales, similar to berries. Fragrant wood.

Cypress. Needles in the form of scales. Grows in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Thuja. It is found in the wild in mid-latitudes, but cultural and decorative species are also common. It looks like a cypress tree, but the shoots appear to be flattened.

Interesting facts about conifers

Among conifers, there are real champions. So, evergreen sequoia (USA, areas near the Pacific Ocean) - the tallest tree in the world - reaches 120 m, trunk diameter 10-12 m), life expectancy - 3-4 thousand years.

The Nordmann fir (Caucasus) is the tallest tree in Russia, up to 60-70 m.

Spinous pine (USA. California) is a long-lived tree with a life expectancy of almost 5000 years.

Walking through the coniferous forest in search of mushrooms, summer residents usually do not pay attention to the trees themselves. The fresh fragrant air and the rustle of fallen needles are enough.

The needles under your feet do not cause alarm: we know that the needles are changed leaves, and they also fall off, and new ones grow instead of the fallen ones. True, the needles do not fall off like the leaves - not every autumn, but in some special order, determined by the tree itself.

Schütte - coniferous disease

A completely different attitude to conifers on your own site. If a real needle falls, you understand that it's time to call an ambulance. And the needle falls, the twigs are bare. Such diseases are called shyute. The name comes from the German verb "schütten" - "to pour", that is, the needles crumble. The causative agents of the disease are fungi, they lead to a change in the color of the needles, their withering away and falling off. The disease has many faces, now several types of shute are known.

Common pine shute

Two types of mushrooms are harmful. In nurseries, one seedlings are destroyed, at the age of 6-14 years both are rampant, at an older age the second prevails. It is difficult to notice the onset of the disease: after all, at the time when the first signs appear (this is the end of October and the beginning of November), summer residents have already left their plots, having moved to the comfort of city apartments.

Diagnosis of the disease

Spores hibernate in old fallen needles, so infection is possible throughout the growing season, but more often it occurs at the end of summer, during the ripening period of the spores. First, yellow spots appear on the needles. Then the pycnidia of the fungus occupy part of the needles. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, the needles turn red and die off. From young three-year-old trees, it will fall off during the first year. In adult trees, usually from the lower branches, because the damage is not too great, and young plants die, because they are left without needles at all.

Prevention and treatment

1. Buy seedlings in nurseries where plantings are subject to phytosanitary control. This is at least some kind of guarantee. If the site is located near a pine forest, then the likelihood of the disease increases.
2. Do not plant pine trees in low places where water stagnation is possible. Loamy and heavy clay soils are also undesirable. To do treatments with fungicides "Fundazol", "Tsineb", colloidal sulfur (analogs of drugs can be found in the article) twice a summer: first- at the end of June (for the North-West - the first decade of May) or early July (this is the time of summer dispute); second- in the second half of July. This is the main treatment, it can be repeated (often in 3 doses with an interval of two weeks), but no later than the beginning of September. That is, the terms for the regions may be different - depending on the weather.

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Snow shute (facidiosis) of pine and spruce

The greatest harm is caused to 5-6 year old plants.

Diagnostics

The needles become infected in October or November, when there are slight subzero temperatures. A grayish-white coating appears on it, similar to a cobweb. This is the mycelium of the fungus that penetrates the stomata. He is able to do this even in the thickness of the snow, at a temperature of -5 ° C. The higher the snow, the stronger the damage to the trees. Take note of the temperature range of the snow cover for plants of different ages. Drawing from the textbook Churakov BP "Forest phytopathology".

In spring, the needles turn reddish, dry out, but do not fall off. Over time, the color changes to ash, the needles become fragile. The fruiting bodies are ripe.

Spores fly at the end of September and October, sometimes in the middle of winter, if there is a thaw.

Prevention and treatment

1. Plant plants in places where there is no drift of snow and drifts, away from pine forests.
2. Treatment with fungicides (Benomil, colloidal sulfur, Bayleton) after autumn rains to preserve the preparation on plants before leaving under the snow. For different regions, the timing and number of treatments may be different: for example, for Karelia it is November (for powder), when the plants are not completely covered with snow.

Shütte brown, or brown snow mold

Are ill,. They become infected in autumn, when spores fly from dead needles. The fungus lives and develops under the snow if the temperature in the layer is + 0.5 ° C. The best conditions are very humid and slightly warm. The snow has melted - the first signs of the disease are visible.

Diagnostics

On the needles, a dark mycelium in the form of a cobweb is visible, it braids around the needles and branches, as if gluing them together. The needles turn brown, die off, but do not fall off.

Prevention and treatment

In spring, accelerate the melting of snow, cut out diseased branches and burn them. Treatment with fungicides is the same as for other types of schute.

Schütte ate

The first signs are visible in the spring. Last year's needles change color to brown and dry out, but do not fall off. Spores fly in September or October, especially when it rains.

Prevention and treatment

The measures are the same as for ordinary shute.

Weymouth pine shute

Beautiful, and therefore loved by summer residents. In nature, it also exists, its range is Moscow, Smolensk, Oryol and Voronezh regions.

Another pathogen - Hyphoderma brachysporum, makes the needles turn brown and crumble in summer.

Prevention and treatment

The disease is considered poorly understood. Application of fungicides.

General protection rules

1. Removal and burning of fallen needles.
2. Growing in well-lit areas.
3. Elimination of plant thickening.
4. Cultivation of disease-resistant forms and varieties.

Do not forget that needles can fall off for several reasons.:

• part of the needles is renewed every year;
• with deterioration of soil conditions;
• when the atmosphere is polluted;
• if damaged by insects;
• in adverse weather conditions;
• due to illness .

The latter reason is the most common. At the first signs of the disease, it is better to immediately start looking for the pathogen and methods of treatment than to think that everything will pass by itself.