Trees with cones

Upright or hanging, big or pea-sized, woody or papery: a cone’s shape and how it sits on the branch name most conifers. Alder carries small woody cones too, on a broadleaf tree.

What to look for

Grand fir: conesJonathan Curley, CC BY 4.0Grand firUpright cones about 8 cm, high in the crown Douglas fir: conesDouglas firHanging cones with three-pointed straps showing Norway spruce: conesNorway spruceLong hanging cones, to 20 cm Japanese larch: conesJapanese larchSmall round cones, scale tips bent back Lawson cypress: conesJarro Nevsbaru, CC BY 4.0Lawson cypressPea-sized round cones, few broad scales Alder: conesscallions, CC BY 4.0AlderSmall woody cones, on the tree year round Atlas cedar: conesDyhia YOUSFI, CC BY 4.0Atlas cedarUpright barrel cones with a sunken top Cedar of Lebanon: conesШальнов Кирилл, CC BY 4.0Cedar of LebanonBarrel cones standing upright on the branch Corsican pine: conesCorsican pinePointed cones to 8 cm, dull greyish brown European larch: conesEuropean larchSmall oval cones, old ones going dark grey Giant redwood: conesNicole, CC BY 4.0Giant redwoodWoody egg-shaped cones, 4 to 7 cm long Noble fir: conesDavid Anderson, CC BY 4.0Noble firHuge upright cones under long papery flaps Scots pine: conesdawn2022, CC BY 4.0Scots pineSlim greyish brown cones, two ages at once Sitka spruce: conesBarry Walter, CC BY 4.0Sitka sprucePapery crinkle-edged cones, 6 to 10 cm Western hemlock: conesWestern hemlockSmall drooping cones, green then greyish brown Western red cedar: conesChris Fluit, CC BY 4.0Western red cedarSmall upright cones opening into thin scales
In the app

Not sure? Ask the app

  • Name it from a photoA leaf, the bark or a flower, and Treely names the tree
  • No signal? The guided keyOne simple question at a time, about what you can see
  • Every part, through the yearSo you can name it in winter as surely as in June
  • A short round each dayUntil you know them on sight
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Photographs: Jonathan Curley (CC BY 4.0), bobwardell (CC0), dsykodave (CC0), pilmar (CC0), Jarro Nevsbaru (CC BY 4.0), scallions (CC BY 4.0), Dyhia YOUSFI (CC BY 4.0), Шальнов Кирилл (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Nicole (CC BY 4.0), David Anderson (CC BY 4.0), dawn2022 (CC BY 4.0), Barry Walter (CC BY 4.0), rambryum (CC0), Chris Fluit (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.