Pinales
| Pinales | ||||||||
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| Families | ||||||||
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Pinaceae, pine family Araucariaceae, araucaria family Podocarpaceae, yellow-wood family Phyllocladaceae Sciadopityaceae, umbrella-pine family Cupressaceae, cypress family Cephalotaxaceae, plum-yew family Taxaceae, yew family |
The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises the true conifers. This order was formerly known as the Coniferales. All of the common conifers, such as cedar, pine, spruce, fir, larch, redwood, cypress, juniper, and others are included here. The distinguishing characteristic is the female cone produced by the Pinales. The yews have in the past been separated into a distinct order of their own (the Order Taxales), but genetic evidence indicates that yews are monophyletic with other conifers and they are now included in the Pinales.
A group of trees including redwood, giant sequoia, the baldcypresses and others were formerly designated as the Family Taxodiaceae, but have been determined to be actually part of the Cupressaceae. This group includes the largest and tallest trees known.