Identification Key

Abstract

Identification keys have the task to guide the user through the identification of an unknown specimen through subsequent steps. In the two identification keys proposed in the following pages, one for softwoods and the other for hardwoods, at each step you are requested to choose between two or more alternatives. The key will eventually lead you to a species or, more likely, a group of species. Once there, you are required to check the description of each species in order to establish the correct match. Use the transverse picture to compare the overall pattern and the species description to check each single character. Keep in mind that the macroscopic appearance of a wood species and its characters are subject to variability depending on various factors such as growth conditions and position of the specimen inside the stem. Your specimen could therefore slightly differ from the corresponding image and description provided in this atlas. If you can’t find any good match, your unknown specimen is likely to not belong to any of the species described within this atlas.