Artificial Key to Gymnosperm Families
Couplet 1
1. Leaves fan-shaped, dichotomously veined; ovules 2 at ends of long stalks. goto 1. GINKGOACEAE
1. Leaves needle-like or scale like, with central parallel vascular bundles; ovules 1-20 on cone scales or 1 on short stalks. go to 2.
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2. Leaves flattened, cuspidate or acuminate; seed solitary, partially enclosed by a red, fleshy aril, with megasporophylls or cone scales not discernable. goto 2. TAXACEAE
2. Leaves scale-like or linear and flattend, usually acute; seeds 2-many, lacking arils, borne on obvious cone peltate or flattened and oblong; woody or fleshy cone scales (except in Juniperus). goto 3.
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3. Leaves arranged so that the branchlet is visible, linear or linear-lanceolate, much longer than wide; leaf completely visible; female cones conical or oblong cylindrical, the scales oblong or flabellate, 25 or more. goto 3. PINACEAE
3. Leaves appressed, the bases completely clothing the branchlet, subulate or mostly scale-like, nearly as wide as long, closely imbricate so that the leaf is only partially visible; female cones globose, conical or oblong, cylindrical, the scales peltate or oblong, 12 or less. goto 4. CUPRESSACEAE
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END OF KEY TO GYMNOSPERM FAMILIES
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