Below is a taxonomic key for leaves. Use it to identify the…
Below is a taxonomic key for leaves. Use it to identify the leaf below it. 1a. Leaves needlelike: Go to 2 1b. Leaves broad with flattened surface or blade: Go to 6 2a. Needles up to 2.5 cm long: yew, Taxus canadenis 2b. Needles 5.0 cm or longer: Go to 3 3a. Needles 5.0 to 12.5 cm long: Go to 4 3b. Needles more than 12.5 cm long: Go to 5 4a. Needles in cluster of two: Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris 4b. Needles in clusters of four or five: white pine, Pinus strobus 5a. Needles in clusters of two: black pine, Pinus nigra 5b. Needles in clusters of three: ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa 6a. Leaves divided into separate leaflets or little leaves: Go to 7 6b. Leaves all in one piece; no leaflets: Go to 8 7a. Leaves with five to seven leaflets, bottom pair smallest: shagbark hickory, Carya ovata 7b. Leaves with thirteen to forty one leaflets: tree of heaven, Ailantbus altissima 8a. Leaf edge smooth, no saw-teeth: flowering dogwood, Cornus florida 8b. Leaves saw-toothed or lobed: Go to 9 9a. Leaves saw-toothed, veins like barbs on a feather: beech, Fagus grandifolia 9b. Leaves three to five lobes, veins radiate from a central point: sugar maple, Acer saccharum 8. Use the dichotomous key to identify the specimen above.