17 native Conifers of Washington State leaf Identification notes

Location: Pac Forest Lodge
Time: Evening, March 31
Materials: Hand lense and branch specimens of all 17 native WA conifers.

Incense Cedar: Very serrated ventrical scales. Ventrical scales stick out further at tip of leaflet and at each individual scale set, than dorsal scales.
Yellow Cedar: Elongated and more cylindrical scales, greater ability for leaflets to cross over themselves and lose geometric shape. Ventrical and dorsal scales point outwards at roughly equal distances.
Western Redcedar: Geometrically feathered shapred leaflets, with rounded inflexion at the tips of scales due to ventrical scale length and slight inward curve. Short flat scales.
Noble Fir: Two distinct stomata on top and bottom of needles, gives a blueish tint in cold environments. Geometric symmetry to tree and branches.
Subapline Fir: One very thick stomata on the top of the needle, two stomata underneath. Otherwise similar to noble fir.
Juniper: Very three dimensional scaled leaflets. Radial dispersal of ventrical scales, and produces berries instead of cones.
Pacific Silver Fir: Full 180 degree array of needles on top side of branch, making the woody top of the branch not visible. No needles stem from the bottom 180 degrees of branch, leaving underside of branch bare, with woody stem visible. Prominent 2 stomata underneathe needle, no stomata on top of needle.
Western Larch: Alternate bunches of needles that are deciduous. Scarcity of bunches of needles leaves much of the woody branch visible.
Sitka Spruce: Stiff and very sharp pointed needles that are painful to grab. Bluish green coloured needles.
Western Hemlock: Short, flat, round, and blunt needles, unequal in length. Feathery flat splay of needles from branch. Untidiness of needle uniformity keeps needles from being completely flat coming off the branch.
Mountain Hemlock: Radial distribution of short, blunt, flat, round tipped needles of unequal length. Neeldes taste citrus-like, strong taste which hangs around in mouth for a long time.
Douglas-Fir: pointed needles radially scattered off of branch. Flat scar on branch visible when needles are removed. Groove on upper surface of needle.
Pacific Yew: Needles flat and very abruptly pointed at the tip, and evenly lengthed. Two prominent stomata underneathe needle, red coloured patches of bark. Branch with neeldes appears very flat.
Lodgepole Pine (Shore Pine): Needles in bunches of two..
Ponderosa Pine: Needles in bunches of three.
Western White Pine: Needles in bunches of five. Geometric whirls of branches off of main trunk.

Posted on June 1, 2012 07:47 AM by robertmarsh