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NZ Plants
Dichotomous key to New Zealand conifers
By Josh Salter
The following key may be used to identify a conifer by beginning at the first couplet and making a choice at each step as to which of the two options to follow.
When a decision as to a name is reached, this may be checked by referring to the descriptions and illustration pages.
1a Trees with cones which split to release dry winged seeds..........................................................................................................................2 |
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1b Trees with part of the cone or seed fleshy.................................................................3 |
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2a Leaves large, paddle-shaped (without the handle), many parallel veins |
Agathis (Araucariaceae) |
2b Leaves small, flattened scales arranged in opposite pairs |
Libocedrus (Cupressaceae) |
3a Trees or shrubs with flattened stems (cladodes; phylloclads) instead of leaves |
Phyllocladus (Phyllocladaceae) |
3b Trees or shrubs with true leaves .............................................................................4 |
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4a Mature foliage of linear leaves spaced apart along the stem ..........................................................................................................................5 |
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4b Mature foliage of scale leaves closely covering the stem ...........................................6 |
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5a Ripe seed exposed on top of a fleshy stalk |
Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae) |
5b Ripe seed wrapped in a fleshy layer; stalk not fleshy |
Prumnopitys (Podocarpaceae) |
6a Mature scale leaves with sharply pointed extended tips .............................................7 |
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6b Mature scale leaves with blunt tips closely overlapping the stem ..........................................................................................................................8 |
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7a Ripe seed spherical on fleshy orange stalk |
Dacrycarpus (Podocarpaceae) |
7b Ripe seed pear-shaped, projecting from a red fleshy cup above several fused fleshy scale leaves |
Dacrydium (Podocarpaceae) |
8a Ripe seed with ribbed surface, seated on a white, yellow or orange fleshy cushion (outgrowth of the seed envelope) |
Halocarpus (Podocarpaceae) |
8b Ripe seed roughly oval; fleshy portion formed from scales below seed ..........................................................................................................................9 |
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9a Ripe seed seated in shallow cup above several red or yellow fleshy scales |
Lepidothamnus (Podocarpaceae) |
9b Ripe seed half hidden in surrounding greenish fleshy scales |
Manoao (Podocarpaceae) |
