Coniferous forests constitute a vast biome that lies primarily in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere but also occurs throughout the world. Conifers are evergreens that have compound seed cones, needle- or scale-shaped leaves, distinctive water-transporting tissue and pollen grain structure, and compact wood. They are thought to date back to the Carboniferous period, about 300 million years ago. In the twenty-first century, more than 600 conifer species are known to exist. Of these,... więcej

Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science, 2023. 2p.