Discussion

Coniferous vs. Broadleaf vs. Monocots

Coniferous Trees

A coniferous tree is one that grows reproductive seeds in cones. Though enclosed in cones, the seeds are said to be "bare" to the elements instead of being enclosed in some kind of fruit. Such trees are called gymnosperms.

Here are some examples. These cones are all female seed bearing cones.

Each cone has many seeds that are released when the cone is mature and the scales or bracts open up. The largest tree, the giant sequoia, has one of the smallest seeds. There are from 200 to 230 seeds in each giant sequoia cone.

All conifers also produce male pollen cones that release massive amounts of dust-like pollen into the air for wind-bourn pollination. The ones shown below are from a pine tree.

Most (but not all) coniferous trees have needles instead of leaves, though a needle is a type of leaf. Not all needles are alike.

There are variations among these types. For example, pine tree needles grow in bunches called fascicles. The number of needles growing from each fascicle depends of the type of pine tree. There can be 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 needles in each fascicle. Singleleaf pinion pine fascicles, for example, have just one needle in each fascicle that grows from 1 to 2.5 inches long. Eastern white pines have 5 needles in each fascicle that grow from 3 to 5 inches long.

Conifers come in various natural shapes and sizes. This chart shows some of them.

Broadleaf Trees

The leaves of broadleaf trees are ... uh ... broad, as opposed to needle-like. There is quite a bit of variety in their shapes.

All true broadleaf trees are angiosperms as opposed to gymnosperms. They are flowering plants (pollinated by birds and insects) that produce seeds enclosed within fruit. By fruit, what is meant is not only seed enclosing things like apples and oranges, etc., but things like nuts and coconuts which are the seeds inside their hard shells. Sometimes the "fruit" is a pod. The sycamore maple has winged seed pods that help them spin and stay airborne longer when released by the tree, enabling them to eventually land farther from the parent tree.

The chart below shows many of the shapes various broadleaf trees may have. 

The majority of broadleaf tree species grow in tropical zones and are evergreen year round. Most broadleaf tree species in temperate zones with cold winters are deciduous; i.e., they lose their leaves in the winter. When cold weather approaches, the green chlorophyll in the leaves dies out, revealing the underlying leaf color; mostly yellow, orange, and red/purple. The color and timing of color changes depends on the tree species. 

Are palm trees really trees? That is an ongoing debate among botanists. Here are Mexican fan palms.

The answer is complicated. Without going into technical detail, trees like the Mexican fan palm are monocots. They are structured entirely differently than either conifers or broadleaf trees. Their trunks don't produce lumber or annual growth rings. Their leaves are vastly different, too.

The tree with the largest leaves in the world is the Raphia regalis palm tree, a monocot. The leaves grow up to 82 feet long and 10 feet wide.

People often confuse monocots with cycads. Cycads resemble palms somewhat, but they are more closely related to conifers in spite having the word palm as part of their name. This is a king sago palm. Notice the different shape of the leaves.

There is a lot more that can be said about trees. This discussion has been pretty superficial. There are exceptions to everything that has been said above. The main thing is that with such basic information, artists may be able to make decisions about what they want to paint and how to represent trees realistically--if realism is what is desired.

Japanese Red Pine

I decided to base my demonstration painting this week on the Japanese red pine, a evergreen conifer that is native to Japan, Korea, northeastern China, and southeastern Russia. Their needles come 2 to a fascicle and grow from 3 to 5 inches long.

Bonsai

Japanese red pine trees make fine looking bonsai.

Artwork

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)

In his long career, Hokusai painted in just about every genre of Japanese art. His most famous works, however, were his ukiyo-e landscapes; especially the series 36 Views of Mt. Fuji, produced in the 1830 to 1832 time frame. Number 8 in that series is titled The Cushion Pine at Aoyama.

Suzuki Kiitsu (1796 – 1858)

Kiitsu was an Rinpa school artist, a student of Sakai Hōitsu (1761 – 1828). Kiitsu helped usher Rinpa-style art into the modern era. It is uncertain when this hanging scroll painting was produced. It is titled Crane and Pine Tree with Rising Sun.

Shiro Kasamatsu (1898 – 1991)

Kasamatsu initially studied under a master who specialized in bijin-ga, pictures of beautiful people, but he soon developed an interest in landscapes, though he produced some other subjects, too. This 1938 print is unusual in that it has a vertical format that is most often used for portraits. It is titled Pine Tree in the Rain.