As you can see these two wood types are separated in botany according to their reproduction method.
What ids the main defference between hardwood and softwood.
The distinction between hardwood and softwood actually has to do with plant reproduction.
The physical hardness of a tree doesn t determine whether it s a hardwood or softwood.
Hardwood comes from trees such as maple and walnut.
All trees reproduce by producing seeds but the seed structure varies.
In general hardwood comes from a deciduous tree which loses its leaves annually and softwood comes from a conifer which usually remains evergreen.
The main difference between both kinds of woods is that hardwood is the wood that is attained from angiosperms flowering plants and softwood is attained from gymnosperms.
Trees with seeds that are enclosed such as within a shell or fruit are categorized as hardwood.
Hardwood trees are angiosperms plants that produce seeds with some sort of covering.
In contrast trees with seeds that are not enclosed are softwood.
Softwood trees are known as a gymnosperm.
The key difference between hardwoods and softwoods however is that the former grows seed filled flowers whereas the latter grows seed filled cones.
The primary difference between hardwood and softwood trees in a landscape is that hardwoods shed their leaves once a year whereas softwood trees retain their leaves throughout the year.
But the folks harvesting the southern u s.
The basic difference between both kinds of wood is by the presence of some vessels and pores in them.
Hardwood comes from angiosperm or flowering plants such as oak maple or walnut that are not monocots.
More specifically the type of seeds produced by a tree determines whether it is hardwood or softwood.
Softwood comes from trees like spruce or pine.
This might be a fruit such as an apple or a hard shell such as an acorn.
Wikimedia commons the reason why we have included this wood in our list of softwoods is that people tend to consider.
Were really confused because not only did they find the super light hardwood species basswood and cottonwood but they found some of the continent s heaviest softwood of which four species longleaf slash shortleaf and loblolly pine are now marketed under the unifying moniker of southern yellow.
Softwood comes from gymnosperm trees usually evergreen conifers like pine or spruce.
Hardwoods tend to be slower growing and are therefore usually more dense.
The primary distinction between hardwood and softwood is based on the reproductive biology of the tree species.
Continue reading to find out more about the primary differences between hardwood and softwood.