Dichotomous Key
Definition
A botanical identification tool presenting paired contrasting descriptions at each step. The user selects the description matching the specimen and follows the indicated path until reaching a named taxon.
- Structure
- Paired contrasting descriptions at each step
- Field
- Plant systematics and taxonomy
- Output
- A named taxon
Common questions
What skill does correct use of a dichotomous key require?+
Accurate use depends on correctly observing the specific botanical character being contrasted at each step, such as leaf arrangement or margin type, since choosing the wrong branch early in the key compounds into a wrong identification by the end, regardless of how carefully later steps are followed.
Why might a dichotomous key fail on forensic plant material?+
Forensic specimens are often fragmentary, damaged, or missing the flowering or fruiting structures many keys rely on for a confident identification, so a botanist may need to combine partial key results with other features like wood anatomy or seed morphology to reach a species-level conclusion.
Related terms
- Binomial Nomenclature
- The two-part Latin naming system established by Linnaeus: genus name followed by species epithet. Used in all scientific and forensic botanical reports...
- Flora
- A systematic account of all plant species in a defined geographic area, with identification keys, descriptions, and distribution information. Examples include Flora...
- Monograph
- A taxonomic treatment of a single genus or family across its entire global range, providing more depth than a regional flora on...
- Taxon
- Any named group in the classification hierarchy, from kingdom to subspecies. In forensic botany the most relevant levels are family, genus, and...
- Type Specimen
- The actual specimen on which the original scientific description of a species was based. Held in a herbarium, it is the reference...