A Guide To Identifying Evergreens

While strolling through the Ryan Pinetum one day, I arrived at a conundrum! Before me stood two tall evergreens. The one on my left had boughs laden with needles that drooped down toward the ground, and the tree reached its triangular apex far above my head. The one on my right had branches spiraling out, perpendicular to its trunk, that formed a less extreme triangular shape. I could tell that the trees were both evergreens, but I had no idea what kind of tree they were! I decided that I wanted to be able to identify evergreens at a glance, and know the difference between pines, spruces, firs, and other species. 

Thanks to the Arboretum’s tree labels, I quickly found out what kind of trees I was looking at. The tree on my left was a Norway spruce (Picea abies), identifiable by its signature drooping branches. The tree on my right was a Nikko fir (Abies homolepis), identifiable by its sparser distribution of branches in a spiral around its trunk. Once I got closer, I noticed that in addition to shape, the needles of both trees were very different. The spruce (genus Picea) had sharp, stiff, and square-shaped needles that I could roll back and forth between my fingers. The inch-long “needles [were] attached individually to the branches via short wooden, peg-like structures called pulvini” (Young 2019). The fir (genus Abies), on the other hand, had softer, flat needles with a streak of white on the underside. Instead of being attached to the branch via a peg, the fir’s needles had a suction-cup-like attachment to the branch. To this day, when I’m uncertain whether the tree I’m identifying is a fir or a spruce, I check out the needles and compare their shapes! 

Spruces and firs are just the tip of the evergreen iceberg. They are both in the family Pinaceae, which also includes pines (genus Pinus), hemlocks (genus Tsuga), and cedars (genus Cedrus). Other common evergreens include cedars, cypresses, junipers, and arborvitae, which can all be found on Haverford’s campus. These trees are all evergreen conifers, meaning that they stay green year-round and produce cones. Not all conifers are evergreens, and not all evergreens are conifers! Three notable deciduous conifers on campus are the American larch (Larix laricina), the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), and the stunning dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) (Rose 2016). The larch, bald cypress, and dawn redwood all change colors with the seasons, going from green to a dark red-orange before losing their leaves. This makes these trees easy to identify, especially in the fall. 

Of all the evergreens, one of the most well-known is the pine tree! The pine tree (genus Pinus) exists in many shapes and sizes. The easiest way to identify a pine is by its needles. Much thinner than the needles of a spruce or fir, pine needles appear almost feather-like from afar. They can be anywhere from 1 to 2 inches long, and grow in bundles of 2-5 needles (Young 2019). While spruce needles are held together by pulvini, pine needles are held together in a sheath called a fascicle (Young 2019). Despite their name, pines and other evergreens do not actually stay green forever. Instead of changing with the seasons, however, their needles last much longer, hence their name. Pine needles can last about three years before turning brown and falling from their branches (Sanchez 2023). Some spruces have needles that last for seven years! (Sanchez 2023).

While pine needles are the longest of the evergreens, the shortest needles belong to the hemlock (genus Tsuga). Hemlock needles are flat and, like firs, grow out from either side of their branches like a comb (Sanchez 2023). Also similar to firs, they have a white stripe on the underside of the needle. Common species of hemlocks on campus include the southern Japanese hemlock (Tsuga sieboldii) and the eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Another common evergreen is the cedar (genus Cedrus), which is a tall pyramidal tree with thin needles and large cones (Nature Hills Nursery 2024). Cedars have fine needles that grow in spirals that offshoot from the central branch. Cedars that can be found on campus include the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) and the deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara). 

While some trees like the white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and western red cedar (Thuja plicata) also have the common name “cedar,” they are actually arborvitae trees. Another misnomer is the eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), which is actually a juniper. Junipers are most commonly shrubs, but can also grow in the form of thin, vertical trees. Blue juniper berries are a feature of junipers, but are not actually berries, and instead are the seed cones of these trees. Both junipers (genus Juniperus) and arborvitaes (genus Thuja) belong to the family Cupressaceae, which also includes cypresses (genus Cupressus). Trees in this family tend to have scaly interlocking leaves instead of needles. The cypress is another common evergreen that features on Haverford’s campus. Like junipers and arborvitae, cypresses have scale-like leaves instead of needles. With some exceptions, they tend to grow tall and thin, like the Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) and the Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica). 

Whether a spruce or fir, pine or cedar, arborvitae or cypress, all evergreens are different and can be identified by their unique features. The next time you’re walking on the Nature Trail during winter, make note of the evergreens. See if you can identify them at a glance, then check out the tree tag to see if you’re right! 

References:

Nature Hills Nursery. 2024. “How To Identify Evergreen Trees Part 5: The Cedar Tree.” Nature Hills Blog. https://naturehills.com/blogs/garden-blog/how-to-identify-evergreen-trees-part-5-the-cedar-tree.

Pino, Melissa. 2023. “Cypress Tree Guide - What Are They + 14 Common Species.” Planet Natural Research Center. https://www.planetnatural.com/cypress-tree/. 

Rose, Nancy. 2016. “Not All Conifers are Evergreen.” Arnoldia- Harvard University Arnold Arboretum. https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/not-all-conifers-are-evergreen/.

Sanchez, Anita. 2023. “A Field Guide to Evergreen Trees.” Landis Arboretum. https://landisarboretum.org/news/a-field-guide-to-evergreen-trees. 

Young, Curtis E.  2019. “Is It Pine, Spruce, or Fir?” Ohio State University: Agriculture and Natural Resources. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-80.