Knowing whether the wood is softwood or hardwood all comes down to its physical structure. Its easy to relate hardwood as being hard as, after all, it's in the name. Also, you think of it being hard and durable compared to soft softwood. This normally true, there are some exceptions, like the wood from a yew tree, this is a softwood that’s fairly hard and balsa trees wood is a hardwood that’s softer than softwoods.
Angiosperm or flowering plants is where hardwood comes from. For example, maple, oak or walnut, that aren’t monocots. Softwood comes from gymnosperm, like pine or spruce. It's not about the material, hardwood isn’t necessarily a harder material it’s just denser and softwood is less dense.
Genuinely hardwood comes from a tree that loses its leaves annually, and softwood comes from an evergreen tree.
Softwood trees are known as gymnosperm, which reproduces by forming cones that discharge pollen so it can be spread by the wind to other trees. Tress that are pollinated form naked seeds that are dropped onto the floor and taken by then wind so they can grow elsewhere.
Hardwood is an angiosperm, producing seeds with a covering, like fruit or shell. This type normally reproduces by forming flowers. The flowers attract insects and birds that carry the pollen to other trees and when they become fertilized the tree then goes on to form seeds, nuts or fruits.
Hardwood
Hardwood is likely to be found within furniture of high quality. Things like Flooring, decks, and things that are constructed that need to last. Some hardwood trees are balsa, beech, alder, hickory, maple, oak, teak, walnut and mahogany. Hardwood is denser than softwood. Because of hardwoods more complex structure, it offers a great level of durability and strength.
Softwood
Around eighty percent of all timber comes from softwood. Softwood is normally found in building component like windows, doors. It also can be used for furniture, MDF, Christmas trees and an everyday thing paper. Cedar, Douglas fir, pine, spruce, yew, redwood, juniper are all examples of softwood trees. It is less dense than hardwood.