Identifying common conifers

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