BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
Lab 6
Diversity in the native gymnosperms
Lab Goals:
 To learn how to use a dichotomous key
 To identify most of the gymnosperms that are native to Minnesota
A famous quote from an African ecologist:
You love what you know
You know what you understand
You understand what you are taught
Identification of plant species is an essential skill that will help you understand the
evolutionary diversification of plants. Being able to identify plants using a dichotomous
skill is also a marketable skill that could help you land a summer job or help you in your
career. We are going to start in the lab and learn to follow a dichotomous key working
in pairs.
Exercise 1:
Introduction to the key
What you need:
1) For each pair of students one copy of: “Illustrated guide to the trees and shrubs: A
handbook of the woody plants of the northeastern United States and adjacent
Canada.”
2) A sprig of the tree provided.
Listen to the instructions and jot down the definition of terms you are not familiar with.
Fascicle:
Decussate:
Glabrous:
Glaucous
Pubescent:
Spiral arrangement:
Shoulder:
Decurrent:
Circular vs. elliptical leaf scar:
3-sided leaf vs. 4-sided leaf in cross section:
Awl-shaped:
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BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
Note: 1) one species is deciduous. 2) there are three choices on page 62 for the first
step in the key
Helpful hints:
1) A list of abbreviations can be found on page ix.
2) The glossary is flagged and is on page 255.
3) A ruler can be found on the inside pocket of the book (make sure it is still there
when you turn the book back in at the end of the lab).
Introductory Species in the Lab
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
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BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
Exercise 2.
Identification of native gymnosperms
There are seven species of native gymnosperms at Park Point.
1) Find each species.
2) Use your key to identify it. Ask questions if you need help. Check with the instructor
to make sure you have identified the species correctly.
3) Record the steps in the key you followed.
4) Draw a picture of distinctive features of each species or make a list.
Species 1
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
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BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
Species 2
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
Species 3
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
Species 4
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BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
Species 5
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
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BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
Species 6
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
Species 7
Scientific Name: ________________________________________________________
Common Name:_________________________________________________________
Steps in the Key:
Distinctive features:
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BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
Exercise 3.
Identification Quiz
With your partner, use the key to identify the unknown species that your instructor has
brought along. Turn in your answers a piece of paper along with your names.
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BIOL 3601: PLANT DIVERSITY
DR. JULIE R. ETTERSON
FALL 2013
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