Spruce, pine and cedar are conifers. At first glance, they are very similar, but in reality, they are not. To distinguish trees, you need to know not only their external features, but also the specifics of their growth.
Cedar, pine, spruce are trees that, by definition, belong to the Pine family. However, despite the external similarity, these plants have a number of significant differences.
Growing places
Cedars grew in the subtropical climatic zone of the Mediterranean, the mountainous Crimea and the Himalayas. In accordance with the name of the area where the tree grows, it is customary to divide it into types: Lebanese, Himalayan, and so on. Pine trees spread in the temperate subtropical climate of Eurasia, North America. Scientists identify about 200 species of pine trees. Fir trees and pines are evergreen trees. Living conditions create different forms of plants from a bush to trees with large crowns.
Characteristics
Monoecious plant cedar reaches 50 m in height, evergreen, it has an impressive spreading crown. Spiral needles are collected in bunches. Each needle resembles a needle, it is triangular in emerald-steel color.
Pine is also a monoecious plant with short or long needles. The bundle consists of two to five needles. If the tree is damaged, rosettes begin to form on it, short needles grow from them. Their color depends on the climate, soil composition and varies from light silver to deep green.
Cedar cones are arranged singly, with candles, and are barrel-shaped. The cone ripens in the second or third year of formation. Pine cones are oblong in shape, hanging from the branches. Spruce also has needle-like, but shortened needles. The roots of this tree do not go deep, but are located on the surface layers, the spruce requires fertile and moist soil.
The difference between spruce and pine is that pine is light-requiring, and spruce is shade-tolerant. Pollination of the first and second species occurs with the help of the wind. Pine is widely used in the economy, its wood is a valuable material for joinery and construction, it is used as fuel. This tree is a raw material for the extraction of tar, tar and turpentine.
General conclusions regarding the differences
The number of pine and spruce varieties exceeded the number of cedar species by tens of times. The growing area of pine is much wider than that of cedar. The morphological characters and variability in size in pine are also much more diverse. The cedar bunch consists of a larger number of needle-like needles. Pine is less capricious in the choice of soil, its long, powerful roots go deep into the ground, which means that the tree can feed on moisture and nutrients located in the deep layers of the earth.
