The most extensive order of coniferous plants (coniferales) includes families of teasing, cypress, pine, etc.. A total of more than 400 species of coniferous plants are found.

The order of conifer includes shrubs and trees that are sometimes huge sizes, such as a mammoth tree (sequoia) with a thickness of up to 20 m and a height of 150 m. The trunk of conifers is thickened thanks to Cambia. Wood in the main mass consists of tracheid with foreshadowed pores. Leaves - needles; It has a need-shaped or scaly shape. Conifers are one-bedroom or less often domestic plants. Women's cones (with the exception of tissue) consist of crumbling and seed scales sitting spiral on the axis. On seed scales are macrospangia (seeds), sitting openly, like all gone plants. Men's flowers contain a lot of light pollen grains that are wide. Spermatozoa for conifers no; Fertilization is performed using a pollen tube, according to which men's germ cells are promoted - sperm.

To the family of cypress (Cupressaceae), the Juniperus Communis, a shrub of northern forests with needle leaves, collected three in a muve, with black fleshy bumps - "berries" (Fig. 1), Juniper Cossack (Juniperus Sabina), cypress, Thuja et al.

Fig.1. Coniferous plants .
I - branch fir with bumps. II - fir bishi branch. III - pine branch: 1 - female cones of the first year; 2 - last year's female bump; 3 - discontinted (old) bump; 4 - "spikes" with male cones; 5 - a male bump, consisting of sports sprouts and sporangies; 6 - female. cone; 7 - seed scales and two seeds; 8 - Crescent and seed scales; 9 - seed scales and two seeds with walled appendages; 10 - pollen. IV - larch branch in summer. V - juniper branch with berry-shaped bumps.

Conifers belong to the Flashing Family, or Pine (Pinaceae): Spruce spruce, Siberian fir, European larch, ordinary pine, etc.

Pine Forest ordinary (Pinus Silvestris) - a light-affilome plant, grows under diverse conditions that impose a print on its appearance. Pine, growing on the square, the crown is waving, thick bumps grow up in all directions. In the pine forest of pine - a slim tree, the side branches dry out, and only the top has a green crown, in a swamp she is low, "spinning", sometimes in 100 years it reaches no more than meter. Pine has a monopodial method of branching, according to the number of mutual branches it is easy to determine its age. On cut-off stump, the age of pine can be determined by the number of one-year layers. Pines live up to 500 years.

Young long juicy pine runs on the top of the trunk and branches are covered with scaly brown leaves. In the sinus of these leaves, shortened (up to 2-3 mm) shoots with small scales and with two green needle leaves (cheese). The location of the shoots on the branches is spiral. The pine needles lives for about three years and gradually falls.

Pine - one-bedroom plant. In the spring at the ends of the "blooming" branches, annually formed women's reddish bumps are noticeable, below at the base of the shoots, last year's green cones are visible, and even lower - old, discontinuished cones, of which the seeds have already been poured. On other shoots, male yellow cones are visible, consisting of many small cones, in which pollen develops in the extensions.

Pollination occurs with a wind cross way. Many pollen wear in the air, and part of it falls on women's cones. Women's cones consist of crumbling scales and from seed scales. In the sinus of each seed scales, two seeds are opened. The seedness consists of cover, kernel, endosperma and two Archeganis, inside which develops on one egg cell (Fig. 2).

Fig.2. Semyapochka (macrosporangiy) pine on the longitudinal section (on the second year of life):
a - seedup cover; b - core of the seeds; in - primary endosperm; G - Archegani E egg cell; d - pollen tube; e - sperm; Well - pops.

Pollen, which fell on the female pine cones, is preserved between the scales on the seeds to next year And, well in the spring, gives a tube, at the end of which two sperm develops by this time. The tubule grows through the pops inside the seeds, the end is dissolved, and one of the sperm penetrates into the archeganis and fertilizes the egg cell.

Unlike coated in pine and other viced double fertilization, it does not occur, and the role of the second sperm remains unexplained. Second distinctive feature The vote (compared to the coated bridges) lies in the fact that the endosperm they appear before fertilization and in the endosperm by the time of fertilization are formed by Archegononia, which brings closers with fernal-like. Endosperm can be compared with the recent recent.

After fertilization, the seeds turn into seeds equipped with walled appendages. The ripe bump is revealed in winter in the second year, and the seeds are spread by the wind.

Pine seeds have a peel, endosperm (spare nutrient fabric) and germ.

Siberian cedar (Pinus Sibirica) also refers to the genus of pine. The needle of this pine is long, collected in bundles of 5 pieces. Corses are large, spherical, seeds with solid shell, rich in oil. They are called "cedar nuts."

Eugene erene (Picea Exelsa) differs from pine with its pyramidal form, shades. The needles were a short, tetrahedral, barbed, lives 7-9 years old and more. Women's "inflorescences" are reddish, larger than that of pine, men's smaller. Extralenned cones hanging down, without disintegrating during ripening (Fig. 1, I).

Fir Siberian (Abies Sibirica) has needles more flat, with two white stripes, more stupid than a fir. The fir bumps are vertically standing on the branches and disintegrate during maturation. The lower branches in the fir are easily rooted,

European larch (LARIX EUROPAEA) is a light-lubricated plant, with an annual, thin, soft falling joy, assembled in beams (10-12) sitting on shortened branches. In the spring on young shoots, you can see single copies of the needles, in the sinuses of which kidneys develop, turning next spring In shortened shoots with bundles of leaves. Larch cones are smaller than ate (Fig. 1).

In the Botanic gardens in the south of our country, Cedar Lebanese and Cedar Himalayan (Cedrus Libani and S. Deodara) are growing - large trees covered with beams of many years of needles.

In our country, coniferous plants - pine, spruce, etc. - occupy huge squares. The planned exploitation of forests makes it possible to benefit from poor soils. Wood conifers goes to construction, on various crafts, firewood. Of the coniferous, the resin, var, turpentine, rosin and other valuables are also mined.

Class coniferous - Pinopsida.

This class includes 2 subclass - Cordates ( Cordaitidae.) and coniferous ( Pinidae.).

Cordate Promotion - Cordaitidae

Cordate subclass ( Cordaitidae.) contains the only order - Cordate ( Cordaitals.), which includes one family - Cordaitaceae.. Cordate - long distinted plants. From the beginning of the coal period and before the beginning of the Mesozoic era, like giant plauinoid and seed ferns, Cordates accounted for a significant part of wetlands of coastal forests. Cordateitis led the modern coniferous forests, the height of the trees reached 30 m, the thickness of the barrel - 1 m. The length of the linear leaves was 1 m with a width of up to 20 cm. The strobils were one-sex.

It is believed that Cordates occurred from seed ferns and their ancient forms gave rise to coniferous.

Subclass Coniferous - Pinidae

Along with the coated bridge, conifers belong to the number of the most famous and economic plants. As in nature and in human life, coniferous in their meaning occupies second place after flowering, far surpassing all other groups of higher plants.

This is the most preserved and most numerous group of vote plants. Arriving at the end of the coal period, coniferous, like other gone, the greatest heyday was reached in the mesozoic. Currently, they have at least 560 species, combined in 55 genera and 7 families. Many conifers still play a significant role in the vegetable cover of the globe. On the extensive spaces of Northern Eurasia and North America, they form forests, often representing almost pure plantings of only one species. The largest number of pine species ( Piniis.), fir ( Abies.), ate ( Picea.) and larch ( Larix.) Concentrated near the coasts of the Pacific Ocean, especially in China. In the southern hemisphere, conifers are most abundant in the moderate regions of New Zealand, Australia and South America.

All coniferous - trees or shrubs with needleless or scratched leaves, but a number of representatives of lanceal leaves or broadcast (Araucaria - Araucaria., Gumboard - Podocarpus.).

Gigants meet among conifers vegetable world. Such, for example, sequoia evergreen ( Sequoia Sempervirens.), reaching 100 m of heights at the thickness of the barrel of 10 m; Mammoth Tree ( Sequoiadendron Giganteum.), whose copies have the thickness of the barrel to 12 m and age up to 4000 years; Swamp cypress ( Taxodium Mucronatum), growing in South Mexico, with a thickness of the barrel to 16 m. The record of longitution has established one of the types of pine - the age of pine is durable ( P. Longaeva.) found in Eastern Nevada (USA), determine approximately 4,900 years, i.e. almost five thousand years. Most coniferous - evergreen plants, but there are also deciduous, such as larchs.

The anatomical structure of coniferous stems is quite monotonous. It is characterized by more developed wood and less developed bark and core. Xylem coniferous by volume by 90-95% consists of tracheid. Unlike most dicotyledtic coniferous parenchymas in the wood, very little or it is completely absent.

Most conifers have no normal smallest windows in the wood, they arise at traumatic damage to the trunk. Resin (not traumatic) moves in secondary wood are characteristic only for a family of pine.

Leaves of coniferous seats or sometimes with a short cushion. They are usually dense, more or less hard and leathery. The spot is spiral (next), the contrary or mutual. In most cases, the leaves of conifers have a clearly pronounced xeroorphous structure: they are covered with a thick layer of cuticle; Epidermal cells are small with highly thickened walls; The dust is immersed in the recesses filled with wax grains that reduce evaporation. Under the epidermis of a sheet of many conifers, a peculiar mechanical fabric of the hypoderma is usually developed, consisting of 1-3 layers of elongated thick-walled cells, due to which the leaves acquire a solid outer skeleton, which gives them the characteristic rigidity. Many coniferous in the mesophyll are large resin canals.

Strobils of coniferous exclusively separation; Plants are one-bedroom, less frequently digest. The form and magnitude of the gateway is very variable.

Men's gates are usually formed by microspophilles, on the lower side of which are two microsphang - pollen bag, in which pollen is formed. Pollen grains will spread the wind. They are often equipped with two protrusions - air bags, which reduces their relative proportion.

Megastorobils are the most primitive, now extinct coniferous were collected on the tops of the shoots and were located in the sinuses of vegetative leaves. In the future, during the evolution, they have undergone significant reduction and in most cases have retained only one cushion called seed, the upper surface of which is two sicks. This scales remains to lie in the rudiment rudiment. The leaf's scratch-shaped rudiment is called a crooked scales. Seed and crooked scales can be separate, but sometimes they grow together.

Most coniferous flakes of scales form more or less dense assemblies, which are often called a female shishk or just a brush. The cones occur at the ends of the shoots one or more. Young cones are brightly painted, usually in reddish tones.

In other evolutionary lines of coniferous reduction of the gate assembly goes even further. And in some cases, for example in tissov family (Tahasaee), the formation of single megastrobils occupying a terminal position on shortened stuffing shoots and carriers only by one to one of the segments. And crumbling, and seed scales completely disappear.

The process of developing cones from conifers from the beginning of the formation before the formation of seed takes up to two years. Summer to the moment of ripening pollen isolated a small drop of adhesive liquid, the surface of which pollen grains are captured by the wind. Then the liquid is absorbed by the seed and pollen falls into the microdistricular chamber, continuing its development. Fertilization, however, happens much later. The bump continues to grow at this time, and its scales partially decide, reliably protecting ripening seeds. In most cases, ripening seeds are ready to leave dry, revealing, but still hanging on the branches of the cones only for the next year.

The germ of coniferous develops from the zygota is quite difficult. In parallel with the development of the embryo from the female gamethophyt fabric, a haploid endosperm is formed, and from the cover of the seed - the peel of the seed, and thus the entire seed turns into the seed.

The conifer subclass includes 7 orders of magnitude, of which 2 so far have been completely extinct and are not considered here.

Order Araucaria - Araucariales

Araukariev belongs to only one family of the same name ( Araucariaceae.), including 2 kind - araucaria ( Araucaria.) and Agathis ( Agathis.) With 35 species. For arakarium

large microatruts are characterized by numerous microsurophylls carrying 5-20 free microsoprans on the underside and often large cones, scales of which are formed by the complete captivity of the crumbling and seminal scales. Types of araucaria, very similar to modern formsAs the element of the Mesozoic flora existed already in Triassa, i.e. 200-240 million years ago. Currently these large majestic trees of archaic external view Preserved only in some tropical areas of the southern hemisphere. Many araucaries live to 2,000 years or more. The area of \u200b\u200bforests from Araucarium and Agathiis is largely reduced due to the burden for their valuable beautiful wood. Particularly high-quality wood, widely used earlier in shipbuilding, give agyatis. Giant Agatis South Agatis ( A. Australis.), Or Kauri, greeted previously extensive virgin forests of New Zealand. Pretty large oily seeds of many araucariums are edible, and their resin is used in the manufacture of natural varnishes.

Pine-Pinales

The order includes the only family of pine ( Pinasee), numbering 10 clans and at least 250 species commonly predominantly in the northern hemisphere. Some types of pine, spruce, fir and larches rise high in the mountains and come in the plague. The only form crossing the equator and coming into the southern hemisphere - Pine Mercise ( Pinus Merkusii.).

The family of pine includes 4 large kinds - fir, pine, spruce and larch, numbering several dozen, and even hundred (pine) species.

Pine - evergreen, less frequently deciduous plants, sometimes pinching shrubs. Most family representatives develop a powerful root system. On the roots of many forest-forming types of pine, spruce, fir and other pine are mycornis. For rare exception, pine is represented by large trees reaching in some cases 40-50 m in height and 0.5-1.2 m in diameter. The real giant of the plant kingdom is the western larch ( Larix Occidentalis), reaching 80 m heights at the diameter of the barrel of 1.5 m.

Wood pine is quite varied in color, texture and physical properties. For the peoples of extensive areas of Eurasia, North America and in part in Africa, it has long been the main building material. The legends have reached our days about the magnificent palaces of David and Solomon, many architectural details of which were made from the Kedar of Lebanese ( Cedrus Libani.). Wooden structures in the towns raised from the ordinary pine ( Pinus Sylvestris) and ate

european ( Picea abies), have been existed for several centuries. Thanks to long fibers (in the botanical sense it is the tracheide) wood pine has great importance and in the pulp and paper industry.

Girth pine ( Pinus.) - The largest in the family of pine - includes about 100 species. These are usually slim evergreen trees reaching a height of 30-45 m and in diameter of 1.2 m. The elongated spots are covered with brown flakes, in the sinuses of which are highly shortened shoots, beams from 2, 3, 5 (less often 4 and 8) Cheer's leaves. For our country, the greatest economic interest is an ordinary pine. Pine forests in Russia occupy a huge area, yielding only to larch. Pine grows on a variety of, mainly sandy soils. On the poor light lands, this universal woody breed has practically no competitors. Kidneys and cheeu, essential oil, turnetin, turnetin, turpentine, rosin, tar and charcoal different species Pines by wood processing and other parts of plants are widely used in industry and medicine.

Siberian pine, or cedar ( P. sibirica.), Outwardly different from the pine ordinary, first of all, the fact that the bundle of 5 leaves bears on short shoots. In addition to valuable wood, it gives large edible seeds - cedar nuts from which the cedar oil used in the technique is obtained.

Types of fir kind ( Picea.) - High slender trees, characterized by shadowlessness and reaching heights of 50-60 m and 1.5-2 m in diameter. Many of them live to 500-600 years. Fir have a characteristic pyramidal form of the crown. They have no shortened shoots. Quadrogenic or flat, at the end of the pointed leaves-cupllies are spiral, sit on oblong pads (crust folds), while remaining in a tree up to 7 years. Skin cones, picked (Fig. 28). White or slightly yellowish fir wheels is more valuable than pine. In Russia, the most widespread spruce European ( P. abies) and spruce Siberian ( P. Obovata.). On raw clay soils, fir usually displaces others. coniferous breeds. The fir wood is used in the woodworking industry, but it is especially valuable for the manufacture of musical instruments (violins, piano, alto and double bass). Blue and silvery ate Canadian ( P. Canadensis), Engelmann ( P. ENGELMANNII) and barbed ( P. Pungens.) often grown as decorative treesSustainable air-resistant cities. The birthplace of these firings is North America.

Types of kind of fir ( Abies.) - Large, sometimes huge trees reaching the height of 60-80 m and 2 m in diameter. Their flat soft leaves-chemical width of 1.5-3 mm make it easy to distinguish the fir from other coniferous having needle and scaly

Fig. 28. Pine:

vela European ( Picea abies): 1 - branch with young female and male cones, 2 - Mature female bump, 3 - seed scales with two seeds; Siberian fir ( Abies sibirica.): 4 - branch with ripened women's cones, 5 - seed scales with two seeds; 6 - branch with old and young female testers larch Siberian ( Larix Sibiriica.)

leaves. The bumps are reprehension, ripen in the first year in late autumn or in winter, after which they fall into separate scales (Fig. 28).

Most of the types of fir has a beautiful decorative dark green or aiysome conical crown, so they can often be seen not only in arboretum and botanical gardens, but also in park and alleged landings.

In the southern regions of Western Siberia and the Northeast of European Russia, Siberian Fir Fir ( A. Sibirica.). Fir wood is less valuable than pines and ate, and is used mainly in paper production. Essential oil, separate fractions of which are used for semi-synthetic camphor are obtained from fir-erections.

Larch ( Larix.) It differs from other pine so that resets the leaves for the winter. Larch leaves are soft, flat, with whitish rows of stomps, noticeable below. They are beams on shortened shoots (Fig. 28). In the Urals

and in Western Siberia, the larch of Siberian is widespread ( L. Sibirica.), in Eastern Siberia. And in the Far East - Larch Gmlin, or Dauroskaya ( L. Gmelinii.). Among the forest breeds of Russia, the larch occupy the most large square. The wood is heavy, durable, durable, with excellent mechanical properties. In Europe, starting from ancient times, wood larch European, or falling ( L. Decidua.), widespread for construction purposes. Amphitheatry. Ancient Rome, Piles of buildings of Venice are constructed from the wood of this larch, as it is characterized by high strength and resistant to rotting. Larch was considered best Material in shipbuilding. Its wood is valued and nowadays.

In kind cedar ( Cedrus.) Four views. Three of them are found in the countries of the Mediterranean, and one species dwells in the Himalayas. All cedar has a particularly valuable wood having a beautiful color and a pleasant fragrance. On the Black Sea coast, decorative cedars Lebanese ( S. Libani.), Atlas ( S. Atlantica.) and the Himalayan ( S. deodara.).

In addition to the listed birth, the family of pine belongs to small delivery - ketelia ( Keteleeria.), Tsuga ( Tsuga.), pseudootsuga ( Pseudotsuga.), Kateya ( Cathaya.), pelicity ( Pseudolarix.) And Dumbopopinus ( Ducampopinus.). Almost all representatives of these births have very small ranges. The views of pseudootsuy, forming vast majestic forests, are the greatest importance. Separate trees in them reach 100 m of heights. A prominent place in the formation of forests of North America also has some types of Tsuga.

The geological history of pine begins with Yura, and some of them, such as a phelical man, arising in approximately in chalk, lived to the present, almost no prostroners for more than 130 million years of major changes.

Order Cypress - Cupressales

There are 2 families to the order of cypress.

Taxodium family (Taxodiaceae.) With 10 kinds and 14 species, it is a pitiful residue of a huge, once flourishing group of plants, which representatives of which in Paleogene - Neogene formed extensive forests on the huge sections of the sushi of the northern hemisphere. Now almost all of them have very small ranges, and some are sometimes represented in nature in only readings and preserved to this day mainly due to centuries-old culture. Taxodiev includes real gigids of the plant world. This is a secoilendron giant, or Mammoth Tree ( Sequoiadendron Giganteum.), sequoia evergreen ( Sequoia Sempervirens.)

and Taxodium Mexican ( Taxodium tnucronatum), reaching the height of 100 or more meters at the stem diameter of over 10 m. The age of such giants is estimated at 3-4 thousand years. Almost all types of taxodium possess beautiful wood that cannot be rotting. Many of them cultivate as decorative landscape plants mainly heat-dimensional climate.

Cypress family (Cupressaceae.) Includes 19 genera and about 130 species found in both southern and northern hemisphere. All of them are represented by trees or shrubs, mostly two-one, less often one-bedroom. Small single cypress microatruts are located on the tops of the shoots or in the sinuses of their leaves. Microsurophilles in gates are collected contrary to 3 and carry 2-6 microsphangiyev. Megaphilelella have 1-3, occasionally up to 12 sneaks. Usually they are assembled in small cones, which in juniper become juicy, resembling externally berries (Fig. 29). Cypress needle leaves

Fig. 29. Cypress: Evergreen Cypress ( Cupressus Sempervirens.):

1 - Escape with male cones, 2 - Escape with female bumps, 3 - seed scales with seeds, 4 - microspophyll in context; Juniper ordinary ( Juniperus Communis): 5 - Escape with female bumps, 6 - Escape with men's bumps, 7 - Microspophyll, 8 - Young female bump with microfilar tubes on the top, 9 - Ripe juicy bump, 10 - its transverse cut

or scratch-shaped, tightly adjacent to the escape axis. Residents of our country are familiar juniper from cypressov ( Juniperus.), the most numerous in Russia in southern Siberia. An ordinary view of almost all the length of moderate and boreal forests, Eurasia is an ordinary juniper ( Juniperus Communis). In the ripening of seeds, megaphyllah juniper is completely strange, become juicy and painted in blue or black. In a mature form, such "fruits", called bias, have a sugar flesh in which several seeds are immersed. Juicy juniper cones are sometimes used in food, mostly as fragrant seasoning, including for the preparation of bitter tinctures and gin. They are included in a number of medicinal fees.

In the Far East, mainly in the mountains of Sikhote-Alin, the narrow-gold monotypical genus microbiota is common ( Microbiota.) with a single view - microbiota cross-step ( M. Decussata.). This is a characteristic stabular shrub of minor scree, suffering from fires. Microbiota refers to the protected plants of our flora.

Many types of cypressive are quite decorative and widely cultivated. The unique appearance of the southern cities of Russia, especially in the Black Sea coast, create pyramidal forms of evergreen cypress ( Cupressus Semperuirens.), originating from Malaya Asia and Eastern Mediterranean. In more northern areas in culture, types of Tui are often found ( Thuja.), especially Tui Western ( T. Occidentalis) Right from North America and Thuya Eastern ( T. Orientalis), who came to us from China. Tui, like many other representatives of cypress, have a fragrant needle that emitting bactericidal essential oils. Therefore, in the landings of these plants, the air is always distinguished by a pleasant smell and freshness. Special aroma is different and beautiful wood cypressov, the natural reserves of which, unfortunately, are very small.

Tissance order - Taxates

The order includes 2 families.

Tissue family (Tahasaee) There are 5 genera and 20 species common exclusively in the tropical and heat-dimensional areas of the northern hemisphere. Corresponding representatives are known from Yura. All tissy - evergreen shrubs or trees with downtown lucid or linear leaves. Microsurophilles single or collected in sound or ferrous education. Megastorobils are most often reduced to one direct self-shot, which is surrounded by a bedding cover -

Fig. 30. TISC Berry ( Taxus Baccata.):

1 - branch with microstrobils, 2 - microatrobil, 3 - microspofill, 4 - branch with megastrobyls, 5 - Female Escape with megastrobil, in which seed starts to develop, 6 - female escape with a mature seed, dressed roofing (aryllus), 7 - incision Aryllusa

roofing, or, as it is also called, arylus. When ripening roofing usually becomes juicy and meaty and surrounds (from below and from the sides), a mature seed in the form of a bright red or yellow collar. In some cases, for example, the species of Torreya kinds ( ToRRUE), The juicy roofing is completely surrounded by a ripe seed, which is why such a "fruit" resembles a bunch of flowering.

From the tissue, the most famous tees berry ( Taxus Baccdta.), widespread in Europe and found in our Caucasus (Fig. 30). This is a shadowless slow-growing tree, according to some data, can live to 3-4 thousand years, reaching 35 m of height and over 2 m in diameter. In less favorable conditions, the berry takes the form of a squat shrub. Tissa wood is very dense, beautiful and practically does not give in to rotting. Due to uncontrolled logging, this plant has significantly reduced its range. Tias berry is quite decorative and easily withstands molding, it is often bred in gardens and parks to the latitude of St. Petersburg. In the fall, it is decorated with bright red "berries". Wood, bark, needles and seeds of this plant poisonous. Nearby look - Tisa Pozdroyee ( T. Cuspidata.) It is found in our Far East. Its seeds in contrast to the previous species edible. Tisa Pozdroyna also has very valuable wood, but its reserves are extremely limited. The rest of the teasers have very little aroles and are little known.

Family of Gangshadtsov (Cephalotaxaceae.) includes one genus and b species common in the south-east of Asia and in Japan. Golirattishov distinguishes that their microstrobals are collected in compact spherical heads. As in some teasers, the seeds in the Gollytumov turn the juicy cover, reminding the busty. For a number of signs, representatives of this family occupy an intermediate position between the actual tissue and subcarrows.

This subclass is the most numerous of all gone plants (it includes 7 families, 55 genera and about 600 species), most widely distributed almost all over the globe, except for the Arctic and Antarctica. In the history of Earth, coniferous appeared in the second half of Paleozoa - representatives of the Lebakhiev family (Lebachiaceae) were described from the upper carbon. They originated in the northern hemisphere, apparently, in conditions of temperate climate; There is an assumption that local mainland glaciation caused an increase in climate dryness. Therefore, the first conifers possessed the features of the xeromorphic structure and were characterized by the presence of a year-old rings in the wood. At the front of Perm and Triass, an increase in climate continentality occurred, so the number of conifers increased in the northern hemisphere. There are the most ancient from now living - araucaria, gumparpa and pine. However, there was no clear distinction for the family; Thus, the types of Araucaria described from Yura combined signs of pine, cypress and araucaria. At the end of Perm, the conifers began to penetrate into the southern hemisphere, and with a triass there are their wide variety. Single on the globe.

Flource conifers reached in Jurassic and chalk periods; By this time, the emergence of all other living families. At the beginning of the Cenozoic era, the separation of climatic zones and the formation of plant areas begins. In the first half of the tertiary period - in Eocene, the climate was still warm and wet and coniferous were common from the Arctic (they are marked on Spitsbergen, in Greenland, in Scotland) to Antarctica. In the subsequent period - in oligocene, the coniferous range begins to decline, but pine forests have grown on the territory of Europe, North America, East Asia with a large participation of Tui, palm trees, chestnuts, magnolias and other thermal-loving species. Oligocene sediments include the famous amber deposits; The brown coals of Germany are formed by marsh cypress. At that time, with Sequoia, he was still reached by Svalbard, and now grows mainly at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Conifers in oligocene met in Antarctica.

The turning period in the history of conifers was a quaternary period with a series of glaciation. In Europe and Asia, at the occurrence of the glacier, all thermal-loving types of coniferous extinct. Only young cold-resistant species are preserved, which, after the retreat of the glacier, is widely spread within the limits of moderate and moderately cold areas. The exception was south-eastern Asia, which was not subjected to glaciation and retained many ancient thermal-loving species. In North America, the mountains are located mainly in the meridional direction, so thermal-loving species were migrated to the south during glaciation. After the melting of the glacier, some of them partially returned their positions, although the leading role is currently and in North America belongs to young cold-resistant species. In the southern hemisphere, many ancient types of conifers have been preserved, but they are common in areas with temperate climates. In the tropics, conifers are found mainly in the mountains, i.e. Also in conditions of moderate climate, although individual types of pine and gamning circulation grow in subtropical forests.

Modern conifers are represented mainly by trees, less often by shrubs or a special stalannik - a poppy form. However, among the ancient extinct conifers even met herbate plants. Soothes at conifers or only elongated or two types are elongated and shortened.

Despite the name, the leaves of conifers are far from always have the shape of the needles. Coniferous with an egg-shaped, leaf lanceal form, but more often they have a need-shaped or scratched shape. Judging by the meager paleobotanical data of the Perm Lebahiev, it can be concluded that they have a synthemal origin, since the leaves are dichotomically branched or were twisted on top. Accordingly, their veins were dichotomically branched.

The overwhelming number of conifers - evergreen plants; Life expectancy is defined as biological features breeds and environmental conditions for their lives. In light-loving breeds, the leaves live from 2 to 5 years, at the shadowless to 10-15 years, and in high mountain conditions - even up to 25-30 years. All evergreen rocks have hard, strongly cooked and sclerocamic leaves; The dusts are located on the underside in the deepening, which significantly reduces the evaporation of water in the winter. Leaf Falls - Larch (Larix) and Pzeudolarix) needle, soft, soft, like ordinary leaves, for which they got their name. For some coniferous, for example, for a taxodium (taxodium), metasoquisy (metasequoia), pine (Pinus), is characterized by a ham, which falls out of individual leaves, but whole shorten twigs.

Root system, as a rule, rod, but in some species, for example, ate, the main root pretty quickly freezes and is formed superficial root system. In other cases, such as, for example,