Conifers

Pinus pseudostrobus

Conifers (order Coniferales or Pinales) are woody trees or shrubs with simple leaves and their reproductive structures arranged in compound or simple cones. They play a dominant role in a diversity of terrestrial biomes on six continents, and left a fossil record in Antarctica before going extinct.

The modern diversity of conifers is estimated at six families, 70 genera, and 630 species. Extant species diversity can be attributed to a combination of relicts and recent radiations. The conifer fossil record extends to the Carboniferous (ca. 299-318 million years ago), and modern families appear to have diversified long ago.