Vegetation
Conifer Garden
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcpaterson/28207489/
The most common tree in Taiga is conifer, or cone-bearing tree. Conifers are also known as evergreens, which include spurces, pines and firs.
Adaptations
These are the adaptations of the plants/trees in the coniferous forest:
Conical Shape: This helps snow slide of the branches easily. Without this shape, the heavy snow might break or damage the conifer branches.
Needleleaf: The Taiga has high precipitation, although the frozen winter there makes it nearly impossible for the trees to get water. Having thin needles with a waxy coating limits water loss of the conifer through transpiration.
Evergreen: Conifers never shed of their leaves. They are always green. This helps because it needs a lot of energy to grow leaves again in spring time, in this weather condition.
Dark Colour: Dark colour of the leaves is important because, dark colours help absorb energy from the sun very well so they can start photosynthesis.
Conical Shape: This helps snow slide of the branches easily. Without this shape, the heavy snow might break or damage the conifer branches.
Needleleaf: The Taiga has high precipitation, although the frozen winter there makes it nearly impossible for the trees to get water. Having thin needles with a waxy coating limits water loss of the conifer through transpiration.
Evergreen: Conifers never shed of their leaves. They are always green. This helps because it needs a lot of energy to grow leaves again in spring time, in this weather condition.
Dark Colour: Dark colour of the leaves is important because, dark colours help absorb energy from the sun very well so they can start photosynthesis.
Examples of plants/trees
Balsam Fir
Found: North eastern North America, from Virginia to Newfoundland and Northwest towards Yukon and Labrador.
Description: The Balsam Fir is a medium sized evergreen tree. It usually grows from 40 to 80 feet tall. This plant has a wide base and a narrow top that ends in a slender, spirelike top. This plant can grow up to the maximum of 200 years. The Balsam Fir's needles are 1 1/2 inches long. They are flat, rounded at the tip, and normally have a strong curve. The tree produces its first seeds when it is 20 years old, or 15 feet tall.
Used for: Balsam fir is one of the major food supplies for moose in the winter. Red squirrels like to eat the male flower buds. Caribou, Deer and moose use this tree as cover in the winter.
Description: The Balsam Fir is a medium sized evergreen tree. It usually grows from 40 to 80 feet tall. This plant has a wide base and a narrow top that ends in a slender, spirelike top. This plant can grow up to the maximum of 200 years. The Balsam Fir's needles are 1 1/2 inches long. They are flat, rounded at the tip, and normally have a strong curve. The tree produces its first seeds when it is 20 years old, or 15 feet tall.
Used for: Balsam fir is one of the major food supplies for moose in the winter. Red squirrels like to eat the male flower buds. Caribou, Deer and moose use this tree as cover in the winter.
Paper Birch
Paper Birch http://flic.kr/p/4bJq3r
Found: North America, Europe, and Northern Asia.
Description: Paper birch are trees which have a thin bark which can peel in horizontal layers which separates into sheets, almost like paper. This tree can grow anywhere from 60 to 80 feet high. There are some smaller birches which are yellow birch, which usually can grow from 50 to 75 feet. The river birch grows from 50 to 60 feet, while the smallest one is the gray birch which barely grows higher than 40 feet. Birches produce very long scaly spikes which hold tiny flowers. The closed male catkins appear in the autumn, although the female ones don't really grow till spring time.Used for: Paper birch was used by Indians to make Birch bark. Indians still make ornaments and small baskets of birch bark.
Description: Paper birch are trees which have a thin bark which can peel in horizontal layers which separates into sheets, almost like paper. This tree can grow anywhere from 60 to 80 feet high. There are some smaller birches which are yellow birch, which usually can grow from 50 to 75 feet. The river birch grows from 50 to 60 feet, while the smallest one is the gray birch which barely grows higher than 40 feet. Birches produce very long scaly spikes which hold tiny flowers. The closed male catkins appear in the autumn, although the female ones don't really grow till spring time.Used for: Paper birch was used by Indians to make Birch bark. Indians still make ornaments and small baskets of birch bark.
Red Cedar
Found: Red Cedar is found in Nova Scotia to Northern Florida, and west to the Dakotas and Texas.
Description: This is a small evergreen tree that commonly grows to a height of a 10-50 feet. This tree grows in any type of soil. Normally, it grows in a pyramid type shape. The top rounds off as it grows older.
This plant has 2 types of leaves:
The older ones are flat and are only 1/16 of an inch long.
The younger leaves are very sharp and may be up to 3/4 of an inch long.
In the summer, the colour of the leaves is bright green, but in the winter they turn copper yellow to rusty brown.
Description: This is a small evergreen tree that commonly grows to a height of a 10-50 feet. This tree grows in any type of soil. Normally, it grows in a pyramid type shape. The top rounds off as it grows older.
This plant has 2 types of leaves:
The older ones are flat and are only 1/16 of an inch long.
The younger leaves are very sharp and may be up to 3/4 of an inch long.
In the summer, the colour of the leaves is bright green, but in the winter they turn copper yellow to rusty brown.