This was initially post in topic #66485 which about wood therefore it was confusing. This is why I create this new proper topic for this specific tagging problem which is about leaves.
I’m using the Android application StreetComplete and I’m having quite a lot of fun. But I’m regularly asked for trees leaves’ type.
However, there’s a lot of cypress (for reference they’re called “zypresse” in German and “cyprès” in French) in the Mediterranean area where I live and I couldn’t find whether they have leaves or needles (not sure for the technical words which in French are “feuilles” and “aiguilles”). They don’t look like any and web searches sometimes give leaves, sometimes needles… Wikipedia, quoted later, gives “needle-like”.
I’ve started to write notes on the map but realized that it will annoy moderators… So I’ve headed to the help section where I couldn’t find an answer.
Cypress are described this way in Wikipedia:
Cypress trees typically reach heights of up to 25 metres (82 ft) and exhibit a pyramidal form, particularly in their youth. Many are characterised by their needle-like, evergreen foliage and acorn-like seed cones. (…). Leaves of young cypress trees are spreading and awl-shaped, and are typically small, scale-like formations that tightly adhere to older branches. They are usually aromatic, with glandular pits on the outer surface, and cover the stem in opposite pairs, giving the branchlet a four-sided appearance.
Any botanists here who could clearly explain the definitions of “leaf” and “needle” on the wiki?
Cypresses are conifers so should be among needle-leaved.
There’s nothing needle-like in any Cupressus species I’ve seen. Compared to let’s say a pine, none are thin, straight and sharp. Except when they’re very young, but in general the shape is described as a scale. It’s the same for other common (garden) conifers like the false cypress, up to extreme cases like auraucaria. Conifers just include plants with both types of leaves (leaf analogs, if you will), something the tag wiki already mentions: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:leaf_type%3Dneedleleaved
So yeah, it’s a conifer, so it should be tagged as such. The French translation looks fine, it’s just a matter of knowledge/using the documentation.
I’ve yet to see a coniferous tree that didn’t have needles instead of leaves, so I’m particularly interested to know if there’s any broadleaf trees that are coniferous. I feel like the closest we’d get would be trees that give us acorns…
