What are the differences between whitebark pine, arborvitae, spruce and holly?

The differences between whitebark pine, arborvitae, spruce, and holly include: different subject classifications, different appearance characteristics, and different growth environments.

1. Different subject classifications

1. Whitebark pine is a tree in the Pinaceae family.

2. Platycladus arborvitae is an evergreen tree belonging to the family Cupressaceae.

3. Spruce belongs to the Pinaceae family, and spruce is a valuable tree species in China.

4. Holly is a plant of the Ilex family and the genus Ilex.

2. Different appearance characteristics

1. White bark pine can reach 30 meters in height and 3 meters in diameter at breast height; it has an obvious trunk, slender branches, diagonal spread, tower shape or Umbrella-shaped crown; winter buds are reddish-brown, oval, and resinless. There are stomata lines on both sides of the leaf back and ventral surface, the apex is pointed, and the edges are finely serrated; the leaf sheaths fall off.

The male cones are oval or elliptical, the cones are usually solitary, light green before maturity, light yellowish brown when mature, the seeds are grey-brown, nearly obovate, auburn, April to May Flowers bloom, and the fruit matures in October-November of the second year.

2. The crown of Platycladus arborvitae is broad and oval, and the branchlets are flat and arranged in a plane. The leaves are small, scale-like, close to the branchlets, arranged in a cross-opposite manner, and have a gland groove in the middle of the back of the leaf. Monoecious, flowers unisexual.

The male cone is yellow and consists of alternate microsporophylls. Each microsporophyll bears 3 pollen sacs, and the nucilla scales and bract scales are completely healed. When the cones are mature in the same year, the seed scales are lignified and cracked, and the seeds are wingless or ridged.

3. The spruce reaches a height of 45 meters and a diameter at breast height of 1 meter; the bark is light gray brown or light brown gray, cracked into irregular scales or fallen off in slightly thicker pieces.

4. Holly is a type of flowering plant, and it is also the only genus in the Ilex family. The bark is gray or light gray, with longitudinal grooves, and the branchlets are light green and hairless.

The leaves are thinly leathery, narrowly oval or lanceolate, with a tapered apex, a wedge-shaped base, and shallow circular serrations on the edges. They are reddish brown and shiny when dry. The petals are purple-red or lavender, curling outward. The fruit is oval or nearly spherical, dark red when ripe.

3. Different growth habits

1. Whitebark pine is a light-loving tree species and can withstand poor soil and relatively dry and cold climates; Grows well on and loess.

A little tolerant of shade when young. Deep-rooted and long-lived, up to hundreds of years. It is naturally distributed on acidic rocky mountains with a cool climate and grows best on calcareous soil or loess with deep, moist and fertile soil. The growth temperature range is -30℃-40℃, and it can also adapt to soil with a low temperature of -30℃ and a pH value of 7.5-8.

It does not grow well under conditions of high temperature and high humidity, and cannot grow in places with poor drainage or stagnant water. It has strong resistance to sulfur dioxide and smoke pollution and grows slowly.

2. Platycladus orientalis loves light, is slightly shade-tolerant when young, has strong adaptability, and is not strict on soil requirements. It can grow in acidic, neutral, calcareous and lightly saline-alkali soils. It is resistant to drought and barrenness, has strong germination ability, medium cold tolerance, strong sunlight resistance, high temperature resistance, and shallow rooting. It is only distributed below an altitude of 900m in Shandong, and grows well below an altitude of 400m. Wind resistance is weak.

3. Spruce is shade-tolerant and cold-tolerant, prefers a cool and humid climate and fertile, deep, well-drained slightly acidic sandy soil. It grows slowly and is a shallow-rooted tree species. At an altitude of 2400-3600 meters, it often grows mixed with purple-fruited spruce, Minjiang fir, purple-fruited fir, or forms a pure forest.

Spruce is a shallow-rooted tree species that is slightly tolerant of shade and can tolerate dry and cold environmental conditions. It grows rapidly and develops well in the slightly acidic brown forest land zone with cool climate, deep soil and good drainage. In full light, naturally regenerated forests thrive.

4. Holly likes warm climate and has certain cold tolerance. Suitable for growing in fertile, moist, well-drained acidic loam soil. More resistant to dampness.

Distribution of pine plants:

There are about 80 species of this genus, distributed in the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic region in the north to North Africa, Central America, Indochina and south of the equator of Sumatra. place. It is the main tree species for wood and rosin production in the world.

There are 22 species and 10 varieties produced in China, which are distributed throughout the country. Among them, Korean pine, Huashan pine, Yunnan pine, Masson pine, Pinus tabulaeformis, and Pinus sylvestris are the main tree species in my country's forests. In the future, afforestation and regeneration will still play an important role. Another 16 species and 2 varieties have been introduced, among which slash pine, loblolly pine, Caribbean pine, longleaf pine, rigid pine, black pine, etc. grow rapidly and are all promising afforestation tree species.