Editing Conifer (section)

===Foliage===
[[File:Pseudotsuga menziesii 06280.JPG|left|thumb|upright|[[Pinaceae]]: needle-like leaves and vegetative buds of Coast Douglas fir ([[Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii|''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' var. ''menziesii'']])]]
[[File:Araucaria Leaves.JPG|thumb|[[Araucariaceae]]: awl-like leaves of Cook pine (''[[Araucaria columnaris]]'')]]
[[File:Abies grandis 5359.JPG|left|thumb|upright|In ''[[Abies grandis]]'' (''grand fir''), and many other species with spirally arranged leaves, leaf bases are twisted to flatten their arrangement and maximize light capture.]]
[[File:C lawsoniana Lge.jpg|thumb|[[Cupressaceae]]: scale leaves of [[Chamaecyparis lawsoniana|Lawson's cypress]] (''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana''); scale in mm]]

Since most conifers are evergreens,<ref name="Campbell-2005" /> the [[leaf|leaves]] of many conifers are long, thin and have a needle-like appearance, but others, including most of the [[Cupressaceae]] and some of the [[Podocarpaceae]], have flat, triangular scale-like leaves. Some, notably ''[[Agathis]]'' in Araucariaceae and ''[[Nageia]]'' in Podocarpaceae, have broad, flat strap-shaped leaves. Others such as ''[[Araucaria columnaris]]'' have leaves that are awl-shaped. In the majority of conifers, the leaves are arranged spirally, the exceptions being most of Cupressaceae and one genus in Podocarpaceae, where they are arranged in decussate opposite pairs or whorls of 3 (−4).

In many species with spirally arranged leaves, such as ''[[Abies grandis]]'' (pictured), the leaf bases are twisted to present the leaves in a very flat plane for maximum light capture. Leaf size varies from 2&nbsp;mm in many scale-leaved species, up to 400&nbsp;mm long in the needles of some pines (e.g. Apache pine, ''[[Pinus engelmannii]]''). The [[stoma]]ta are in lines or patches on the leaves and can be closed when it is very dry or cold. The leaves are often dark green in colour, which may help absorb a maximum of energy from weak sunshine at high [[latitude]]s or under forest canopy shade.

Conifers from lower latitudes with high sunlight levels (e.g. Turkish pine ''[[Pinus brutia]]'') often have yellower-green leaves, while others (e.g. [[blue spruce]], ''Picea pungens'') may develop blue or silvery leaves to reflect [[ultraviolet]] light. In the great majority of genera the leaves are [[evergreen]], usually remaining on the plant for several (2–40) years before falling, but five genera (''[[larch|Larix]]'', ''[[Pseudolarix]]'', ''[[Glyptostrobus]]'', ''[[Metasequoia]]'' and ''[[Taxodium]]'') are [[deciduous]], shedding their leaves in autumn.<ref name="Campbell-2005" /> The seedlings of many conifers, including most of the Cupressaceae, and ''Pinus'' in Pinaceae, have a distinct juvenile foliage period where the leaves are different, often markedly so, from the typical adult leaves.