Difference between spruce and pine.

As you know, forests are the “lungs of the planet”. And the very first association with the word "forest" is the growth of pine and spruce. Without these trees, we can hardly imagine our life. We plant them along the roads to protect ourselves from the effects of carbon monoxide, we make furniture, we use them in construction. Coniferous forests contain the largest variety of mushrooms. Coniferous oil is used in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. What are the main differences between spruce and pine?

There is a wide variety of species, both spruce and pine, which are similar to each other and completely different. But there are features that are inherent only in this or that tree, regardless of the variety, growing conditions, age. What is the difference between pine and spruce?

Pine

Pine - belongs to the Pine family, Class Conifers. Distributed in the cold and humid climates of the northern hemisphere, forming vast tracts of forest. This evergreen coniferous tree lives for 300-350 years and during this time it reaches 75 meters in height. However, among the pines, there are also centenarians. In the USA, in the south-west of the country, a pine tree grows, which is about 6 thousand years old.

Pine is completely undemanding to the soil. It can grow both in swamps and on dry sands, on chalk slopes, granite rocks, over ravines. It easily tolerates excess moisture, and grows on the poorest, sandy and rocky soils with a low humus content. The plant is not afraid of frost, drought, wind and hurricane resistant. The main requirement of a tree for keeping conditions is the presence of a sufficient amount of sunlight. The plant does not tolerate even a slight darkening.

Pine is characterized by a strong tap root system with one head root extending deep into the ground. A huge number of lateral roots radiate from it. This structure of the pine root system helps the pine to get water from great depths and develop areas of the earth's surface that are unsuitable for other plants.

Scots pine

The pine needles are long and narrow, arranged in pairs. Also, in pairs, they fall off. The most massive dropping of needles occurs in the fall. The needles stay on the branches for 2-3 years. The tree is characterized by a whorled arrangement of branches - about 5 skeletal branches, which fan out from the trunk at the same level.

The pine cones are of two types: female and male. In spring, on young shoots, you can observe a light yellow inflorescence of male cones. They are not large, about the size of a cherry pit. Female bumps are slightly larger than the head of a pin and are located at the end of the foot one by one. It is quite difficult to distinguish them among the needles on a branch.

Spruce

Spruce belongs to the Pine family, the Coniferous class. It is an evergreen tall tree with a fluffy pyramidal crown. Spruce is widespread in Eastern Europe, Central and Northeast Asia, North America and China. In addition, spruce is one of the forest-forming species. Spruce lives an average of 300 years and grows up to 50 meters.

The arrangement of the branches of the spruce is whorled. Every year another whorl appears. Needle-shaped, tetrahedral needles of a dark green color are attached to the skeletal branches. The length of one needle does not exceed 3 cm. It can be attached to a branch for up to 12 years. Spruce needles fall off and are replaced gradually. The tree does not have a pronounced deciduous period.

Spruce

Spruce is shade-tolerant, therefore it can grow in a mixed forest, in the shade of other trees. The tree can live on nutrient-poor stony, calcareous and podzolic soils. In terms of soil moisture requirements, this tree does not tolerate extremes. Neither excessively moistened soil, nor overdried, is suitable for him.

The spruce root system is of the rod type. But the main root of the tree is poorly developed, and after ten years it begins to die off. Therefore, the main impact on keeping the plant in the ground and extracting water and mineral compounds from it falls on the lateral roots. The roots do not always cope with the first task, therefore the cases when the spruce twists "by the roots" in a heavy wind are not alone.

There are two types of cones in the spruce: female and male. The female spruce cones are immediately striking with their bright red color and the size of a hazelnut. They are located in the upper part of the crown at the very tips of the branches. Male cones are smaller, their color is not so bright, yellow pollen ripens in them.

Conclusions TheDifference.ru

  1. Pine and spruce belong to different genera of the same Pine family.
  2. Pine requires a lot of sunlight, spruce is a shade-tolerant plant.
  3. Pine has a stronger root system and is more resistant than spruce.
  4. Spruce needles are shorter and darker in color than pine needles.
  5. The spruce does not have a pronounced deciduous period; pine needles fall massively in autumn.
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