1

Leaves needle-like spreading in one plane (“2-ranked”) except on erect shoots, without resin ducts/ fruit-like (green to red) fleshy aril with 1 seed.  FACW-

Taxus canadensis

1

Leaves needles, awls or scales some 2-ranked but most not, with or without resin ducts/ woody or fleshy cones (green to bluish) with 1 to many seeds

2

  2(1)

Leaves needles or scales, alternate, opposite or whorled, persistent on branchlets (but most branchlets shed with age)/ cone scales valvate or imbricate (if imbricate then leaves opposite and scales), seeds 1 – 20 per scale

3

  2

Leaves needles, alternate or fascicled, individually abscising from branchlets when shed (except that fascicles in Pinus are shed as units)/ cone scales imbricate, seeds 2 per scale

6

3(2)

Leaves scales, opposite and appressed, dimorphic (some scales keeled, some flat)/ mature female cones 8 – 15 mm long, brown, + woody, elongate scales distinct// plant a tree.  FACW

Thuja occidentalis

3

Leaves needles, awls or if scales and appressed then not keeled/ mature female cone < 8 (10) mm long, green or bluish, fleshy and berry-like// plant a tree with needles or a shrub

4

  4(3)

Leaves all awls in whorls of 3, articulated at base, not decurrent/ cones on very short, scale covered peduncles in axils of leaves

Juniperus communis

  4

Leaves mostly scales, opposite or if awls present often whorled but not articulated, decurrent at base/ cones apparently terminal on short, scale-covered peduncles or branchlets

5

5(4)

Cone on + straight ascending peduncles or branchlets// plant an erect, small tree.  FACU

Juniperus viriginiana

5

Cone usually on + arched or recurved peduncles// plant a prostrate trailing shrub.  FAC-

Juniperus horizontalis

  6(2)

Leaves (needles) in clusters of 10 – 60 on short (spur) shoots, clusters not scaly-sheathed or leaves on year-old and older branches borne either in clusters (fascicles) of 2 – 5(– 6), each cluster scaly-sheathed at base at least when young; 

7

  6

Leaves borne singly along branches, not scaly-sheathed at base or, if so when young, then terete;

11

7(6)

Leaves in clusters of 10 – 60 on short (spur) shoots, clusters not scaly-sheathed; deciduous in winter; female cones < 2 cm long.  FACW

Larix laricina

7

Leaves in fascicles of 2 – 5(6), not on spur shoots, each cluster scaly-sheathed at base; evergreen; female cones > 2 cm long

8

  8(7)

Needles in fascicles of 5.  FACU

Pinus strobus

  8

Needles in fascicles of 2

9

9(8)

Longer needles of healthy branches 10 – 15 cm or more, fresh needles somewhat brittle and breaking cleanly in middle when bent/ FACU

Pinus resinosa

9

Longer needles of healthy branches

10

  10(9)

Seed cones mostly asymmetric, variable serotinous, bark brown, native.  FACU

Pinus banksiana

  10

Seed cones mostly symmetric, not serotinous, bark on upper sections of trunk orange and flaky, Introduced , naturalized, ecologically invasive

Pinus sylvestris

11(6)

Leaves persistent on dry branches, sessile, separating cleanly from an orbicular leaf-scar without any raised projection leaving stem smooth/ female cones erect, 3.5 – 6.5 cm long, scales falling at maturity from persistent central axis.  FACW

Abies balsamea

11

Leaves readily falling from dry branches, leaving persistent peg-like bases (sterigmata) leaving stem rough/ female cones pendulous (1) 1.3 – 6 cm long, falling entirely at maturity

12

  12(11)

Leaves flattened, round at apex, distinctly short stalked on narrow sterigmata.  FACU

Tsuga canadensis

  12

Leaves + 4 sided, acute or sharp-pointed, sessile on sterigmata

13

13(12)

Twigs pubescent/ female cone scales usually fan-shaped, broadest at apex, 2.3 – 4.5 (5) cm long.  FACW

Picea mariana

13

Twigs mostly glabrous/ female cone scales usually + diamond-shaped or elliptic, broadest at apex or middle, (2.5) 3 – 16 cm long

14

  14(13)

Leaves 1 – 2.5 cm, blunt-tipped/ seed cones (10) 12 – 16 cm// Introduced, persisting and spreading species in WI & US

Picea abies

  14

Leaves (0.8) 1.5 – 2 (2.5) cm, mostly sharp-pointed/ seed cones 2.5 – 11 (12)// native species.  FACU

Picea glauca