Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Cheirolepidiaceae (also spelled Cheirolepidaceae) is an extinct family of conifers.They first appeared in the Triassic, and were a diverse and common group of conifers during most of the Mesozoic era, primarily at low latitudes, [1] where they often formed a dominant element of the vegetation. [2]
Unusually for a pine, the cones normally point forward along the branch, sometimes curling around it. That is an easy way to tell it apart from the similar lodgepole pine in more western areas of North America. The cones on many mature trees are serotinous. They open when exposed to intense heat, greater than or equal to 50 °C (122 °F). [16]
Cupressaceae is a widely distributed conifer family, with a near-global range in all continents except for Antarctica, stretching from 70°N in arctic Norway (Juniperus communis) [3] to 55°S in southernmost Chile (Pilgerodendron uviferum), further south than any other conifer species. [4] Juniperus indica reaches 4930 m altitude in Tibet. [5]
The life cycle of a gymnosperm involves alternation of generations, with a dominant diploid sporophyte phase, and a reduced haploid gametophyte phase, which is dependent on the sporophytic phase. [ citation needed ] The term "gymnosperm" is often used in paleobotany to refer to (the paraphyletic group of) all non-angiosperm seed plants.
A notable example is the sandbox tree (Hura crepitans), which can fling seeds 100 meters (300 ft) and has been called the "boomer plant" due to the loud sound it generates. Another example is Impatiens , whose explosive dehiscence is triggered by being touched, leading it to be called the "touch-me-not".
The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. They are cone -bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants , the great majority being trees with just a few being shrubs .
Despite the fact that the summers are dry, the air is consistently humid due to frequent coastal fog brought in by interior heat. The fog also supplies irrigation when it passes through the conifer needles of the pines. The moisture is caught this way and drips to the forest floor. Thus, drought is avoided by up to 40%. [3]
A conifer cone, or in formal botanical usage a strobilus, pl.: strobili, is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants, especially in conifers and cycads. They are usually woody and variously conic, cylindrical, ovoid, to globular, and have scales and bracts arranged around a central axis, but can be fleshy and berry -like.