Trees with needles

Pines, firs, spruces, larches, cedars, yew and juniper all have needles. Look at how they’re held: in pairs, in tufts, on woody pegs or in two flat rows.

What to look for

Scots pine: needle pairsScots pineShort greyish green needles in twisted pairs Corsican pine: needle pairsCorsican pinePaired needles, 12 to 18 cm, twisted European larch: needle tuftsJarro Nevsbaru, CC BY 4.0European larchSoft needle tufts on woody knobs, shed in autumn Cedar of Lebanon: needle tuftsLouis Aureglia, CC BY 4.0Cedar of LebanonStiff needles in tufts on short spurs Norway spruce: shoots and needlesdawn2022, CC BY 4.0Norway spruceSingle four-sided needles on woody pegs Yew: shoots and needlesEwan Shilland, CC BY 4.0YewFlat dark needles in two rows Grand fir: shoots and needlesGrand firFlat needles combed into two rows Juniper: shoots and needlesZeke Marshall, CC BY 4.0JuniperSharp needles in threes, one white band Atlas cedar: needle tuftsAtlas cedarShort stiff needles in dense tufts, tipped with spines Douglas fir: shoots and needlesjamie-aa, CC BY 4.0Douglas firSoft needles standing all round the shoot Japanese larch: needle tuftsSimon Colenutt, CC BY 4.0Japanese larchDark greyish green needles in tufts, shed in autumn Noble fir: shoots and needlesDavid Anderson, CC BY 4.0Noble firBluish grey both sides, swept up off the shoot Sitka spruce: shoots and needlesCaroline Kane, CC BY 4.0Sitka spruceFlat sharp needles, bluish white beneath Western hemlock: shoots and needlesWestern hemlockTwo needle lengths, blunt tips, white beneath
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: steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Jarro Nevsbaru (CC BY 4.0), Louis Aureglia (CC BY 4.0), dawn2022 (CC BY 4.0), Ewan Shilland (CC BY 4.0), rockybajada (CC0), Zeke Marshall (CC BY 4.0), amigolimax (CC0), jamie-aa (CC BY 4.0), Simon Colenutt (CC BY 4.0), David Anderson (CC BY 4.0), Caroline Kane (CC BY 4.0), bradenjudson (CC0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.