The Conifer
Conifers are a group of trees that produce seeds inside cones and evergreen needle-like leaves. The earliest conifers in the fossil record date from about 300 million years ago. The modern conifer order contains eight families and over 600 species, including pines, cypress, firs and yew. The Scots pine, the yew and the common juniper are the only ones native to Britain having colonised it after the last ice age.
Did You Know?
- Pine cones were the favourite food of the Parasaurolophus, one of the duck-billed dinosaurs that lived 60 million years ago. Their uniquely formed jaw and hundreds of teeth were perfectly adapted to eat the tough, chewy cones.
- Scots pines were planted to mark droveways helping travellers find their way. They were also planted around farmsteads to act as windbreaks.
- The Druids decorated pine trees in the wild with images of things they wished the waning year to bring – fruits for a successful harvest, love charms for happiness, nuts for fertility and coins for wealth.
- Children in Finland and Sweden make traditional toys called ‘Cone Cows’ using pine cones with sticks for legs. In Finland there is a park with giant pine cone cow sculptures large enough for children to ride on.
- The Egyptian staff of Osiris dating back 1224BC has a pine cone on it as does the Pope’s sacred staff.
- Many yews in Britain are known to be over 1000 years old.
- The yew often starts growing again when it is about 500 years old.