Below is a list and descriptions of native coniferous trees found in Minnesota. On the following page are pictures of these trees. They do not follow the order below. Test your knowledge after reading this page by clicking on each photo to see if you are correct.
Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)
Height 40 to 60' ; with continuous straight tapering trunk from root to top, with a diameter of 9 to 20" or more; spreading branches form a handsome, symmetrical, slender pyramid.
Bark: Grayish,; smooth, prominently marked by blisters filled with resin or balsam pitch.
Leaf: 1/2 to 1" long; needle-like, flat; with rounded point; dark green and lustrous above and silvery-white beneath; arranged on twig in two ranks; resinous and fragrant.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 2 to 4" long; purple; upright on branches; oblong; become ripe in the autumn of the first year; cone scale wider than long, seeds have very wide wings and when ripe, fall together with the scales of the cone, leaving the hard central axis standing upright on a twig like spike.
Range: Found in the forests of northern Minnesota and in a few scattered localities in the southeastern corner of the state. Usually associated with white spruce, from which it can easily be distinguished by its large upright cones and soft leaves. Thrives in cool, damp, places; very shade tolerant.
Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
Height: 20 to 30'; although under favorable conditions, it can attain a height up to 70'; straight trunk with a diameter up to 12"; with somewhat drooping branches, often associated with tamarack, balsam fir and white cedar. In cold swamps the growth is practically stagnant and trees 2" in diameter have been found to be 127 years old.
Bark: Grayish to reddish-brown; scaly.
Leaf: 1/2" long; needle-like, bluish-green, short, pointed, four-sided; found scattered thinly over branches.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 1/2 to 1-1/2" long; young cones purple, mature cones dark brown; oval shaped; remaining on trees indefinitely; open in the fall to liberate seeds, seeds are dark brown and winged, mature in one season.
Range: Northern and northeastern parts of Minnesota, extending as far south as northern Anoka County; common marsh or bog species; shade intolerant.
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
Height: 50 to 75'; straight trunk with a diameter of 24 to 36"; upright branches spreading and nearly horizontal; leading shoot in young trees usually drooping; twigs slender.
Bark: Cinnamon-red to gray; deeply divided into narrow rounded ridges; covered with thick, flat scales.
Leaf: 1/3 to 2/3" long; needle-like, flat but blunt, scattered and borne in many rows, but usually twisted into a two-rank arrangement; remains on twig for two or three years, but falls rapidly if twig is dried, leaving twigs roughened by woody, raised projections. Most buds are scaly and not resinous.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 1/2 to 3/4" long; pale green at first, turning reddish-brown in late autumn; scales almost as wide as long; borne at the end of the twig; ripens in the first autumn, seeds are winged and slightly resinous.
Range: Usually grows on acidic soil containing considerable organic matter; the hemlock barely reaches Minnesota, occurring native in Carlton County just southwest of Lake Superior; also a few scattered trees in Aitkin and St. Louis counties; very shade tolerant.
Red Pine (Pinus resinosa)
Height: 60 to 80'; sometimes 100'; straight trunk with a diameter of 30 to 40"; branches on mature trees form an open, rounded, picturesque head.
Bark: Reddish-brown; becomes divided into large plates as it matures, which gives tree its characteristic appearance and its common name, red pine.
Leaf: 4 to 6" long; needle-like; occurs in clusters of two; dark green, breaks cleanly when bent.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 2" long; light brown fading to gray; slightly concave cone scales are without spines or prickles and are free from resin; cones ripen about the middle of September of their second season but stay on branches until following spring or summer, seeds are dark or mottled brown, winged and widely scattered by the wind.
Range: Found in many parts of northern and northeastern Minnesota; popular for forest planting because of its disease and insect resistance; thrives on sandy loam or dry, rocky ridges; shade intolerant.
Tamarack (Larix laricina)
Height: 40 to 70'; upright trunk extending to top of tree with a diameter of 14 to 24"; spreading or ascending branches. Large trees are rare because most old specimens were killed many years ago by the larch sawfly.
Bark: Reddish-brown; rough with thin scales, twigs are light brown and covered with numerous tiny spurs or short branches.
Leaf: 1" long; needle-like, flat, soft, slender; borne in clusters on spurlike branches and distributed singly on terminal shoots; bright green in spring, turning dull yellow in September or October just before falling. Tamarack is the only conifer that sheds all its leaves each fall.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 3/4" long; young cones red or greenish; nearly spherical; open in the fall to liberate small winged seeds. Cones often remain on trees several years.
Range: Found mainly in swamps in the coniferous forest region of northern Minnesota; occasionally found in drier localities where it reaches larger size; also found southward scattered in cold swamps throughout the hardwood region as far south as the Twin Cities; very shade intolerant.
White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
Height: 50 to 60'; compact, pyramidal with a diameter of 24 to 36"; trunk often twisted, strongly tapered, and frequently divided into two or more direct stems; branches short and nearly horizontal; sometimes forms almost impenetrable thickets because dead branches are very stiff and persistent; in the open, develops a conical, symmetrical crown. There are numerous ornamental or garden varieties of white cedar known as arborvitae.
Bark: Gray to reddish-brown; separating in long, vertical, narrow shredded strips.
Leaf: 1/4" long; scale-like; green to yellowish green; arranged to make the small branches flat; pleasant, aromatic scent when crushed; pungent to the taste.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 1/2" long; oblong cone ripens in the fall of the first year; yellowish-brown; with six to twelve scales borne singly or in large clusters on ends of branches.
Range: Northern part of the state; usually grows in moist places where it is often found in dense pure stands; sometimes found on rather stony ground, singly or in small clumps as far south as Winona County; shade tolerant.
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Height: 25 to 50'; straight trunk more or less grooved and broad conical head, when growing in good locations it has a diameter up to 24"; trunk may be very divided or nearly prostrate on poor, rocky and dry soil.
Bark: Reddish-brown; peeling off in long, vertical shredded strips.
Leaf: 1/2 to 1 1/2" long; two kinds are usually found on the same tree; the more common kind is dark green, small and scale-like, clasping the stem in four ranks so that the stem appears square; the second kind usually appears on young growth, on vigorous shoots, or on branches in deep shade and is sharp pointed, spreading and whitened underneath.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 1/4" long; dark blue berry-like cone encloses one or two seeds in a sweet flesh; matures in one season; is a favorite winter food for some birds.
Range: Southern half of the state; dry, gravelly soil and rocky ledges; most abundant on river bluffs in the southeastern part where few other trees are found; shade intolerant.
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Height 80 to 100'; straight trunk and regular pyramidal shape with a diameter up to 42"; soft gray-green foliage with spacing of branches for many feet when growing in the forest; on young trees, branches extend horizontally in whorls (circle arrangements), marking successive years of upward growth.
Bark: Greenish-gray; on young trees, but thick, deeply furrowed and grayish-brown on older trees.
Leaf: 2 1/2 to 5" long; needle-like; bluish-green on upper surface, whitish beneath; occurs in bundles of five; soft, flexible.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 4 to 8" long; cylindrical with thin and usually very gummy scales, each containing two small winged seeds; cones mature at end of second season.
Range: Important throughout the northern, central, and eastern parts of the state; also found scattered along the Mississippi River as far south as Houston County; thrives on fertile, well-drained soil. White pine blister rust, white pine weevil, and deer browsing are problems that take a heavy toll on the tree's survival; shade tolerant.
Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana)
Height: 25 to 60'; straight trunk; diameter 8 to 20"; top or crown of spreading branches and scant or open foliage. Small dead branches often remain on trees for many years.
Bark: Dull red-brown; irregularly divided into small scales.
Leaf: 3/4 to 1-1/2" long; stubby, flat, grayish-green; two in a bundle and slightly twisted; remain on branches for about three years.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 1 1/2" long; often strongly curved, brown when ripe, turning gray later, sometimes remaining on branches unopened and containing good seeds for many years; small winged, triangular seeds can be carried far in strong winds. Many trees have ripe cones when their seven years old.
Range: Found in abundance in north, central and northeastern Minnesota; occurs generally in pure stands on poor, sandy soil; usually the first of the pines to spring up and occupy land following fire; hardy and thrives on soil too poor for white or red pine; very shade intolerant.
White Spruce (Picea glauca)
Height: 40 to 60', occasionally 100'; straight trunk; long with a diameter of 24"; stout branches form broad conical head.
Bark: Dark gray or gray-brown and scaly.
Leaf: 1/3 to 3/4" long; needle-like, four-sided, crowded along branches; pale blue when young, dark bluish-green when mature; sharply pointed; has a slightly disagreeable odor when crushed.
Fruit: (seed)
Cones: 2" long; slender; cone scales round and soft at ends; cone thin and flexible when mature; narrow-winged seeds mature in one season; cones drop during winter after opening and shedding seeds.
Range: Extensively found in the forests of northern Minnesota, reaching outward to the St. Croix Valley; thrives on dry soils associated with pine and on moist soils and in swamps with black spruce and tamarack; also found associated with mixed hardwoods; intermediate in shade tolerance.