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What is a dichotomous key?

A dichotomous key is one tool that can be used to identify trees. This type of key is also used for flowers, animals, rocks, fish, and more! A dichotomous key contains a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of an item. "Dichotomous" means "divided into two parts." Therefore, a dichotomous key will always give two choices in each step.

How to use this key.

1.  Use leaves from a tree or find a picture of a tree you want to identify and click on the most appropriate match to the right.

or

2.  Click one of the numbers below to identify one of our mystery trees. If you end with two matching pictures you have identified the tree correctly.

or

3.  Choose a tree from the species list below that you want to learn more about. 


Choose a tree to identify

1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10    11   12   13    14    15    16    17    18    19    20    21    22   23   24    25    26    27

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Do you know what kind of tree this pinecone is from?

Use this key to find out!  
Choose number 7 from the list above.

 


List of tree species in this key.

(this list is not an answer key
to the mystery trees above)

Common name

 1. American Beech

 2. Balsam Fir

 3. Basswood

 4. Big Toothed Aspen

 5. Black Ash

 6. Black Cherry

 7. Black Spruce

 8. Black Walnut

 9. Cottonwood

10. Eastern Hemlock

11. Jack Pine

12. Northern
     
White Cedar

13. Norway Spruce

14. Red Maple

15. Red Oak

16. Red Pine

17. Scotch Pine

18. Shagbark Hickory

19. Sugar Maple

20. Tamarack

21. Trembling Aspen

22. White Ash

23. White Birch

24. White Oak

25. White Pine

26. White Spruce

27. Yellow Birch

Scientific name

Fagus grandifolia

Abies balsamea

Tilia americana

Populus grandidentata

Fraxinus nigra

Prunus serotina

Picea mariana

Juglans nigra

Populus deltoides

Tsuga canadensis

Pinus banksiana

Thuja occidentalis


Picea abies

Acer rubrum

Quercus rubra

Pinus resinosa

Pinus sylvestris

Carya ovata

Acer saccharum

Larix laricina

Populus tremuloides

Fraxinus americana

Betula papyrifera

Quercus alba

Pinus strobus

Picea glauca

Betula alleghaniensis


This Tree Identification Key was created for Wisconsin Forestree-Bridging the Gap Between Environment and Economy, Central Wisconsin Environmental Station, 2001 under a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. Modified and maintained by the LEAF Program with permission.

Contact us:

LEAF
Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education
College of Natural Resources
UW-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI 54481

Email: leaf@uwsp.edu
 
Fax:
715·346·3025

Phone:
715·346·4956

This site is maintained by the LEAF Program.
www.uwsp.edu/cnr/leaf  
Last updated 03/31/06

For website related comments contact: leaf@uwsp.edu