Families of Gymnosperms

There are four families of Gymnosperms:

• The Ephedraceae
• The Cupressaceae
• The Pinaceae
• The Taxaceae

As a quick guide to differentiating these families:

The Ephedraceae has very long internodes, and its tiny leaves are often early-deciduous

At the other end of the spectrum: the Cupressaceae has leaves or leaf bases that completely cloak or cover the stem, so you cannot see any stem surface.

The Taxaceae and Pinaceae both have needle-like leaves that do NOT cloak the branches, but

• the Pinaceae bears its seeds in cones,
• the Taxaceae bears each seed alone (not in a cone) and each seed is subtended or surrounded by an aril.