Tree Types
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The world is full of trees. There are thousands of kinds of tree. But there are only two main types of tree. The first type of tree is the coniferous tree. The second type of tree is the deciduous tree.
Coniferous Trees
Coniferous trees are the oldest and largest type of tree. They have been around the longest. There were coniferous trees before there were deciduous trees. And coniferous trees can become much larger and taller than deciduous trees. This is because of the way they grow.
Coniferous trees grow upward toward the sun. As the years go by, they become taller and taller. If left alone, they can become very tall. Some coniferous trees can even grow to be nearly 400 feet tall! Because they grow mostly upward, they have a triangular shape.
Coniferous trees have special leaves. Their leaves are like green, pointy needles. And they stay green all year. They do not fall off during the winter. Sometimes they are called “evergreens” because of this.
Deciduous Trees
Deciduous trees are very different from coniferous trees. Instead of growing upward, they grow mostly outward. Their branches like to spread out. For this reason, deciduous trees have a more round shape than coniferous trees.
The leaves of a deciduous tree look different from the leaves of a coniferous tree. Their leaves are green. But they are not like pointy needles. They are flat and wide. They also change color. They are green in the spring and the summer. But in the fall they change to bright red and orange. Finally, in the winter, they fall off.
Both coniferous trees and deciduous trees are common. You can see them almost anywhere. And you probably see both types every day. The most common coniferous trees are fir trees, spruce trees, and pine trees. The most common deciduous trees are oak trees and maple trees.