Pinales

Pinales
Male cones on a pine branch
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Families
Araucariaceae, araucaria family (41) Arctopityaceae† Cephalotaxaceae, plum-yew family (20) Cheirolepidiaceae† Cupressaceae, cypress family (130-140) Phyllocladaceae, Celery Pines (5) Pinaceae, pine family (220-250) Podocarpaceae, yellow-wood family (170-200) Sciadopityaceae, umbrella-pine family (1) Taxaceae, yew family (12-30) Incertae sedis: †Paahake (with approximate number of species in brackets)

The Order Pinales in the Division Pinophyta, Class Pinopsida comprises all the extant conifers. This order was formerly known as the Coniferales.

The distinguishing characteristic is the reproductive structure known as a cone produced by all Pinales. All of the extant conifers, such as cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, and yew are included here. Some fossil conifers, however, belong to other distinct orders within the Division Pinophyta.

The yews have previously been separated into a distinct order of their own (Order Taxales), but genetic evidence indicates that yews are monophyletic with other conifers and they are now included in the Order Pinales. However, the evidence on these facts are vague, therefore it was probably a controversy over time.

The families included are Araucariaceae, Cephalotaxaceae, Cupressaceae, Emporiaceae, Majonicaceae, Pinaceae, Podocarpaceae, Sciadopityaceae, Taxaceae, Taxodiaceae, Ullmanniaceae, Utrechtiaceae, Voltziaceae.