Record holder in the plant kingdom

Conifers hold several world records. The world’s tallest tree is a coastal redwood, the world’s heaviest tree is a giant redwood, and the world’s oldest tree is a bristlecone pine.

Besides their growth and age, they also differ from broadleaf trees in other ways. Their needle leaves have a small surface and are covered in a layer of wax. This protects them from drying out and from frost. Most conifers are evergreen and only change their needle leaves every few years. However, there are also conifers with ’deciduous’ leaves and those that shed their leaves every autumn.

There are around 630 species of conifers worldwide. Despite the small number of species, they dominate the vegetation of entire parts of the world. In Austria, 80 % of all trees are conifers. On the other hand, the habitat of many species of conifers is restricted to a relatively small area on islands and or isolated mountain ranges. Many of these species are endangered due to the destruction of nature.