Meaning & use
coniferous trees
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“coniferous trees” is a form of “coniferous tree”.
Meaning
nounpluralbiology
Trees that bear their seeds in cones and usually have narrow needle-shaped leaves, such as pines, firs and spruces.
Grammar: Plural form: coniferous trees grow in cold regions; singular coniferous tree.
Patterns
- forests of coniferous trees
Pines and spruces are common coniferous trees in northern forests.
Coniferous trees cover much of Canada and Scandinavia.
Their needle-like leaves help coniferous trees survive heavy snow.
Word forms
| singular | coniferous tree |
|---|
Common combinations
- forests of coniferous trees
- Vast forests of coniferous trees cover the mountain slopes.
- evergreen coniferous trees
- Evergreen coniferous trees keep their needles all year.
- plant coniferous trees
- Foresters plant coniferous trees for timber.
- coniferous trees and deciduous trees
- Coniferous trees and deciduous trees grow side by side in mixed woods.
Synonyms and how they differ
- conifers
- Conifers is the shorter, more common noun for the same trees and is used in everyday science writing.
- evergreens
- Evergreens refers to trees that keep their leaves all year, which includes some non-conifers like holly.
- softwoods
- Softwoods refers to the timber from these trees in the lumber trade, not to the living trees.
- needle-leaf trees
- Needle-leaf trees describes their foliage and is a less formal wording used in geography lessons.
Opposites
Word family
- conifer noun
- a tree that produces cones
- cone noun
- the hard woody case that holds a conifer's seeds
- coniferous adjective
- bearing cones
- evergreen adjective
- keeping green leaves all year
Commonly confused: coniferous trees or deciduous trees? coniferous trees or conifer?
coniferous trees vs deciduous trees
Deciduous trees lose their leaves each autumn, while coniferous trees usually keep their needles.
coniferous trees vs conifer
Conifer is a noun for one tree, while coniferous is an adjective meaning cone-bearing.
Practice
Pines, firs and spruces are all examples of ____, which carry their seeds in cones.
Choose one answer.
Coniferous trees bear cones and have needle leaves, matching pines, firs and spruces. Deciduous trees lose broad leaves, which makes that tempting option wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “coniferous trees”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.