Field Guides > Tree Guides > Identifying common conifers
Identifying common conifers
Hello! This guide is here to help you quickly and easily identify some of our most common trees conifers. Simple scroll down and browse the cones and needles available to see which looks similar to the one you wish to identify, then click the link below each image to visit that tree’s profile page and see its other clues and check its identity. Please note, I have not yet completed all the tree profiles, so only some of them are linked.
Cedar
Cypress
Douglas Fir
Hemlock
Juniper
Larch
Norway Spruce
Scot's Pine
Yew
Using our conifers identification guide
When trying to identify a conifer, the things to look for, are:
- How its needles grow (single, bunches or rosettes)
- The texture of its needles (smooth, scaly, ferny)
- The length of its needles (long, short, equal, mixed)
- How the needle attaches to the twig or branch (straight on or attached by a peg)
- The size, shape and flexibility of the cone
- Whether the cone is standing upright or dangling down
- The shape of the cone scales and seed wings
- Whether it has ‘berries’ instead of cones