Editing Pinaceae (section)

==Description==
[[File:Vagamon Pine Forest.jpg|thumb|left|Cultivated pine forest in [[Vagamon]], southern [[Western Ghats]], [[Kerala]], India]]

Members of the family Pinaceae are [[tree]]s (rarely [[shrub]]s) growing from {{convert|2|to|100|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=off}} tall, mostly [[evergreen]] (except the [[deciduous]] ''[[Larix]]'' and ''[[Pseudolarix]]''), [[resin]]ous, [[monoecious]], with subopposite or whorled branches, and spirally arranged, linear (needle-like) leaves.<ref name="Farjon"/> The embryos of Pinaceae have three to 24 [[cotyledon]]s.

The female [[conifer cone|cones]] are large and usually woody, {{convert|2|-|60|cm|0|abbr=off}} long, with numerous spirally arranged scales, and two winged [[seed]]s on each scale. The male cones are small, {{convert|0.5|-|6|cm|abbr=on|sigfig=1|frac=4}} long, and fall soon after pollination; pollen dispersal is by wind. Seed dispersal is mostly by wind, but some species have large seeds with reduced wings, and are dispersed by birds. Analysis of Pinaceae cones reveals how selective pressure has shaped the evolution of variable cone size and function throughout the family. Variation in cone size in the family has likely resulted from the variation of seed dispersal mechanisms available in their environments over time. All Pinaceae with seeds weighing less than 90&nbsp;milligrams are seemingly adapted for wind dispersal. Pines having seeds larger than 100&nbsp;mg are more likely to have benefited from adaptations that promote animal dispersal, particularly by birds.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Craig W. Benkman |year=1995 |title=Wind dispersal capacity of pine seeds and the evolution of different seed dispersal modes in pines |journal=[[Oikos (journal)|Oikos]] |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=221–224 |jstor=3545911 |url=http://www.uwyo.edu/benkman/pdfs%20of%20papers/benkman_oikos_1995.pdf |doi=10.2307/3545911|bibcode=1995Oikos..73..221B }}</ref> Pinaceae that persist in areas where [[tree squirrel]]s are abundant do not seem to have evolved adaptations for bird dispersal.

Boreal conifers have many adaptions for winter. The narrow conical shape of northern conifers, and their downward-drooping limbs help them shed snow, and many of them seasonally alter their biochemistry to make them more resistant to freezing, called "hardening".