Conifer Identification: Spruce, Fir, and Hemlock

Spruce = sharp, stiff, 4-sided (rolls between fingers, pricks). Fir = flat, soft, blunt or notched tip. Hemlock = flat, very short, uneven lengths on the same twig.

Hang down: spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir, pines. Stand upright on the branch: true firs (grand, noble, subalpine, Pacific silver) and western larch.

Upright fir cones fall apart on the tree, dropping scales and seeds and leaving a central spike. Cones on the ground are usually spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir, or pine.

Spruce: on small woody pegs (rough twig). Fir: a round, suction-cup base leaving a round scar (smooth twig). Hemlock: a tiny stalk (petiole). [CHECK]

Western: flat, short, uneven needles in flat feathery sprays. Mountain: needles radiate all around the twig (bottle-brush look), bluish-green.

Western: tiny (about 1 in). Mountain: noticeably larger (about 1-3 in). Both hang down. Mountain hemlock grows at higher elevation.

Both sharp and 4-sided. Sitka is the sharpest and stiffest (very prickly), Engelmann is a bit more flexible and bluish-green. Engelmann may smell skunky when crushed. [CHECK]

Both hang down with thin, papery, flexible scales. Sitka has crinkled, ragged-edged scales and grows in the wet coastal fog belt. Engelmann grows at high elevation and on the east side. [CHECK]

Flat needles in two neat rows, unequal lengths, notched tip, shiny dark green above and 2 white stripes below. Citrusy smell. Upright cones high in the crown that disintegrate. Lowest elevation of the true firs.

Bluish-green needles that sweep upward on the twig. Big upright cones (the largest of the true firs) with long bracts sticking out past the scales, giving a shaggy look. High Cascades.

Short bluish-green needles that curve upward. Upright dark purple cones. Narrow spire-shaped crown. Found at the highest elevations, near treeline.

Flat needles in two rows with bright silvery-white undersides and notched tips. Upright purple cones with hidden (short) bracts. Mid to high elevation in wet forests.

Hard pair. Silver fir has a brighter, whiter underside, purple cones, and grows higher and wetter. Grand fir is lower elevation, has a citrus smell, and has needles of uneven length.

Both have upright purple cones. Subalpine: highest elevation, spire crown, short upturned bluish needles. Silver fir: lower than subalpine, needles flat in two rows with silvery undersides.

Noble fir (long bracts reach past the scales). The other true firs have short or hidden bracts.

Grand fir (lowest), Pacific silver fir, noble fir, subalpine fir (highest). This is a rough guide, since ranges overlap.

True fir: flat needles in two rows with a round base scar, cones upright. Douglas-fir: soft needles all around the twig, hanging cones with 3-pointed bracts (like a mouse tail with two hind legs), pointed reddish buds. Douglas-fir is not a true fir.

Hanging cone with 3-pointed bracts sticking out between the scales. Unique among PNW conifers.

Douglas-fir (genus Pseudotsuga, not Abies).

2 needles per fascicle, short (1-3 in) and twisted. Small cones (1-2 in), lopsided, with small prickles, often staying closed on the tree.

3 long needles per fascicle (5-10 in). Cones are larger (3-5 in) with sharp prickles. Bark is orange puzzle-piece plates that smell like vanilla.

5 soft needles per fascicle. Long, slender, curved cones (6-12 in) with sticky resin. Blocky gray bark.

2 = lodgepole. 3 (long) = ponderosa. 5 = western white pine.

Lodgepole: 2 short twisted needles, small lopsided cones. Ponderosa: 3 long needles, bigger prickly cones, orange plated bark.

Flat sprays of scale-like leaves (no needles). Tiny oval cones, only about 1/2 in, in upright clusters. Stringy bark and a flared base.

A deciduous conifer: needles grow in tufts, turn gold in fall, and drop. Small upright cones (1-1.5 in) with long bracts. Found east of the Cascades.

Western larch. All the others in your list are evergreen.

Pines (fascicles of 2, 3, or 5) and western larch (tufts on short shoots).

Cottonwood: large riverside tree, deeply furrowed bark, triangular leaves, sticky balsam-scented buds. Aspen: smaller, smooth whitish bark, round leaves on flat stalks that quake, mostly east side.

Bigleaf: large tree, huge 5-lobed leaves, moss-covered trunk. Vine maple: small sprawling multi-stemmed understory tree, nearly round leaves with 7-9 lobes.

Salmonberry: prickly stems, 3-leaflet leaves, pink flowers, orange-red berries. Thimbleberry: no thorns, single large fuzzy maple-shaped leaves, white flowers, red thimble-shaped berries.

Devil's club: spines on stems and leaf veins. Thimbleberry: soft, fuzzy, no thorns, white flowers. Red-flowering currant: smaller lobed leaves, drooping pink-red flowers in spring.

Short: under 2 ft, many spiny leaflets, obvious parallel veins. Tall: 3-6 ft, fewer glossy leaflets.

Sword fern: ground clumps, each leaflet has a small "ear" at the base. Licorice fern: grows on mossy trunks (often bigleaf maple) and rocks, dies back in summer.