Broad-leaved tree

A broad-leaved, broad-leaf, or broadleaf tree is any tree within the diverse botanical group of angiosperms that has flat leaves and produces seeds inside of fruits. It is one of two general types of trees, the other being a conifer, a tree with needle-like or scale-like leaves and seeds borne in woody cones.[1] Broad-leaved trees are sometimes known as hardwoods.[2]

Most deciduous trees are broad-leaved[3] but some are coniferous, like larches.[4]

Tree types
Two General Types of Woody Trees[3]
Gymnosperms (seed plants not flowering) Angiosperms (flowering seed plants)
Coniferous (females bearing ovulate cones that release unenclosed seeds at maturity) Fruit-bearing (enclosing seeds within)
Usually evergreen (gradually shedding foliage, green foliage throughout year) Usually deciduous (seasonally shedding all foliage, no foliage for part of year)
Known as softwoods (nonporous, wood typically lighter & softer)[5] Known as hardwoods (wood structure porous & more complex, wood generally harder)[5]
Needle-like or scale-like leaves Broad leaves
Examples: firs, spruces, pines Examples: hickories, maples, oaks

See also

References
  1. Dichotomous Key. Common Trees of the Pacific Northwest. College of Forestry, Oregon State University.
  2. Broadleaved Trees: Unsung Component of British Columbia's Forests. University of British Columbia.
  3. Lee, S. and A. Raflo. Trees and Water. Archived 2016-09-21 at the Wayback Machine Virginia Water Resources Research Center. Virginia Tech.
  4. Why do larches turn yellow? U.S. Department of Agriculture
  5. Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Wood Handbook—Wood as an Engineering Material, General Technical Report series, № FPL‑GTR‑190, Centennial ed. (Madison, Wis.: USDA Forest Service, FPL, 2010‑04), p. 2‑2.


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