Here, you’ll find a list of conifers covering all major cone-bearing families. The species are organized by type, range, and key characteristics, from the most widespread to the rarest plants.
POPULARNorfolk Island Pine
Araucaria heterophylla
Yew pine
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Maidenhair tree
Ginkgo biloba
Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis
Port Orford cedar
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
Italian Cypress
Cupressus sempervirens
Monkey puzzle tree
Araucaria araucana
Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica
Asian bayberry
Nageia nagi
Mugo pine
Pinus mugo
Italian stone pine
Pinus pinea
Koyamaki
Sciadopitys verticillata
English yew
Taxus baccata
common juniper
Juniperus communis
red cedar
Juniperus virginiana
eastern white pine
Pinus strobus
Scots pine
Pinus sylvestris
creeping juniper
Juniperus horizontalis
coast redwood
Sequoia sempervirens
western redcedar
Thuja plicata
deodar cedar
Cedrus deodara
Chinese juniper
Juniperus chinensis
white fir
Abies concolor
Norway spruce
Picea abies
blue spruce
Picea pungens
dawn redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
eastern hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Japanese black pine
Pinus thunbergii
Austrian pine
Pinus nigra
lodgepole pine
Pinus contorta
Atlas Cedar
Cedrus atlantica
Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Tamarack
Larix laricina
Hinoki Cypress
Chamaecyparis obtusa
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa
Single Leaf Pinyon Pine
Pinus monophylla
Maritime Pine
Pinus pinaster
Giant Sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Lebanon Cedar
Cedrus libani
Wollemi-pine
Wollemia nobilis
Sawara Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera
Siberian Cypress
Microbiota decussata
Savin Juniper
Juniperus sabina
California Incense-cedar
Calocedrus decurrens
Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
Balsam Fir
Abies balsamea
Black Spruce
Picea mariana
Atlantic White Cedar
Chamaecyparis thyoides
Serbian Spruce
Picea omorika
New Caledonia pine
Araucaria columnaris
Japanese White Pine
Pinus parviflora
Japanese Red Pine
Pinus densiflora
Slash Pine
Pinus elliottii
Loblolly Pine
Pinus taeda
Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis
Grand Fir
Abies grandis
Japanese Plum-yew
Cephalotaxus harringtonia
Sugar Pine
Pinus lambertiana
Aleppo Pine
Pinus halepensis
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Conifers are gymnosperms — plants whose seeds develop exposed on cone scales. Flowering plants, by contrast, enclose their seeds inside fruit. This reproductive difference defines the group.
615 species are classified across 8 families. Though it’s a small group compared to the 300,000+ flowering plants, they still dominate vast boreal forests and mountain ecosystems.
Pinaceae is the largest family, with around 240 species distributed almost entirely across the Northern Hemisphere. It includes pines, spruces, firs, and larches that, like Scots pine, often become the backbone of boreal forests.
Cupressaceae (around 140 species) spans both hemispheres and includes junipers, cypresses, and redwoods. Araucariaceae (around 41 species) is mostly in the Southern Hemisphere and includes plants like Monkey Puzzle. Taxaceae, with 29 species, is the smallest of the four and includes trees like the English yew.
Most plants in the group do keep their needles year-round. However, a small number shed needles each autumn, making them deciduous despite bearing cones.
This distinction splits the conifers list into two clear types:
Type | Needle Retention | Examples |
Evergreen | Needles persist for 2–7 years, replaced gradually | Scots pine, Norway spruce, English yew |
Deciduous | Needles shed each autumn | European larch, Dawn redwood, Bald cypress |
Note that deciduous species don't belong to a single family. For example, larch is in Pinaceae, while dawn redwood and bald cypress are in Cupressaceae.
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