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Questions and Answers: 2021

Question: I have a question about how to use a dichotomous tree. Can I use a dichotomous tree for one state …

• Question

  I have a question about how to use a dichotomous tree. Can I use a dichotomous tree for one state (such as California) for the same plant in another state or would the regional and environmental differences alter the structure of the plant?

  Answer

  Dear lumboidong, the answer is: it depends. The dichotomous keys were written for New England, and the farther away you get from this region, the more likely that there are additional plants that need to be included or excluded from the key to make it work properly. If, for example, New England and California have the exact same species in a genus, then the key should work just fine. The reality is more likely that they have different species (though some may be the same), so the key may not have all the species found in California (if written for New England) so that it will fail some of the time to correctly diagnose the plant in hand. Best wishes.