AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE GYMNOSPERMS (CONIFERAE)

OF ALBERTA

Compiled and written by Linda Kershaw & Lorna Allen

April 2019

© Linda J. Kershaw & Lorna Allen

This key was compiled using information primarily from Moss (1983), Packer & Gould (2018), Douglas et. al. (2000) and the Flora of North Amer-ica (2008-2010). Taxonomy follows VASCAN (Brouillet, 2015). Please let us know if there are ways in which the key can be improved.The 2017 S-ranks of rare species (S1; S1S2; S2; S2S3; SU, according to ACIMS, 2017) are noted in superscript (S1;S2;SU) after the species name. For more details, go to the ACIMS web site. Similarly, exotic species are fol-lowed by a superscript X (X).

3

GYMNOSPERMAE Conifers

Key to Families

01a Leaves scale-like Cupressaceae (in part) (p. xx)01b Leaves needle-like 02

02a Leaves paired (opposite) or in rings around the stem (whorls); mature ♀ cones berry-like, fleshy, waxy and bluish Cupressaceae (in part) (p. xx)

02b Leaves single (alternate) or in clusters; ♀ cones not as above 03

03a Plants with either ♂ or ♀ structures (but not both); seeds single, dark blue, embedded in a juicy, bright red, berry-like structure (aril); needles single, flat, 1-2 cm long, yellowish green, with a small sharp point; inner bark reddish to purplish; shrubs or small trees in Waterton Lakes N P Taxaceae - Taxus brevifolia S1

03b Plants with both ♂ and ♀ cones; seeds numerous, in the axils of woody, spirally arranged scales in ♀ cones; needles and bark various, but not as above; trees, often widespread Pinaceae (p. xx)

CUPRESSACEAE Cypress Family

Key to Genera

01a Cones dry, with woody scales opening to release seeds; trees Thuja plicata S2

01b Cones berry-like, with fleshy scales remaining closed, holding seeds; small trees and shrubs Juniperus

JUNIPERUS Juniper

01a Needles (leaves) awl-shaped, in rings (whorls) of 3, spreading, 5-15 mm long Juniper communis

01b Needles mostly scale-like, paired, pressed to the stem, 1-1.5 mm long (also with some needle-like in Juniperus scopulorum) 2

02a Low, creeping shrubs; needles abruptly tipped with a short, slender point Juniper horizontalis

02b Erect shrubs or small trees; needles not abruptly pointed Juniper scopulorum

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2a

3a

3b

1a

1a

2b

2a

1a

4

PINACEAEPine Family

Key to Genera

01a Needles (leaves) borne singly 0201b Needles borne in groups of ≥2 05

02a Needles 4-sided (can be rolled between finger and thumb), mostly pointed at the tip, rounded to squared at the base Picea

02b Needles flat (can’t be rolled between finger and thumb), blunt or notched at the tip (sometimes pointed in Pseudotsuga menziesii), tapered to a stalk-like base 03

03a Branches (after needles are shed) rough with peg-like bumps; leading shoot typically nodding; ♀ cones 1.5-2.5 cm long; needles 0.5-1.5(3) cm long; rare in subalpine forest Tsuga heterophylla S1

03b Branches not rough with peg-like bumps; leading shoot typically erect; ♀ cones 5-10 cm long; needles 1.5-2.5(3) cm long; generally more common and widespread 04

04a Cones erect, shedding their scales at maturity and leaving a central spike (axis) on the branch; bracts shorter than the scales, hidden in the cone; winter buds blunt tipped; leaf scars circular Abies

04b Cones drooping, shed as a whole, with scales intact; bracts longer than the scales, with 3-lobed tips projecting from the cone; winter buds sharp-pointed; leaf scars oval Pseudotsuga menziesii

05a Needles evergreen, borne along branches in clusters of 2-5 with papery sheaths at the base Pinus

05b Needles shed in autumn (deciduous), on short side-shoots in clusters of 10-40 without sheaths Larix

ABIES Fir

01a Branches appearing flattened, with wide-spreading needles in 2 vertical rows (ranks); upper side of needles usually without pale lines; ♂ cones yellow-red or purple-tinged; scales of ♀ cones ±1.5 cm wide; cAB to nAB, mainly in the boreal forest region Abies balsamea

01b Branches appearing bushy, with needles curved forward and upward, sometimes ± flattened/2-ranked; upper side of needles with conspicuous pale lines (rows of stomata); ♂ cones blue-violet; scales of ♀ cones 2-2.5 cm wide; mountains and foothills in wAB Abies bifolia [Abies lasiocarpa]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1a 1b

2a

2b

3a4a

4b

5a5b

1a

1b

5

LARIX Larch

01a ♀ cones 1-2(2.5) cm long; seed bracts shorter than the scales; needles 1-2.5 cm long, 3-angled; widespread across n 2/3 of AB Larix laricina

01b ♀ cones 2-5 cm long; seed bracts longer than the scales; needles 3-4 cm long, 3- to 4-angled; rare to relatively uncommon in the s cordillera 2

02a Needles 4-angled; twigs woolly; ♀ cones 2.5-4(5) cm long, with jagged-edged scales and a 2.5-4 mm wide stalk; mature bracts 6 mm longer than the scales Larix lyallii

02b Needles 3-angled; twigs ± hairless within the 1st year; ♀ cones 2-3 cm long, with smooth-edged scales and a 3.5-5 mm wide stalk; mature bracts 4 mm longer than the scales Larix occidentalis S2

PICEA Spruce

01a ♀ cones persisting for several years, 1.5-2.5(3.5) cm long, often purplish; young twigs with tiny brown hairs; needles 0.6-1.5 cm long, usually blunt-tipped Picea mariana

01b ♀ cones shed each year, 2.5-8 cm long, brown when mature; twigs hairless or minutely hairy; needles 1.5-2(3.5) cm long, pointed 2

02a ♀ cone scales stiff, broadly rounded and smooth edged at tip; seed-wing impression 0.5-3 mm below scale edge; cones 2.5-5 cm long; needles mostly <1.5 cm long; youngest twigs hairless; throughout AB Picea glauca*

02b ♀ cone scales flexible, squared to pointed and jagged at tip; seed-wing impression ≥3 mm below scale edge; cones 3-8 cm long; needles mostly >1.5 cm long; youngest twigs minutely hairy; mountain areas Picea engelmannii*

*Picea glauca and Picea engelmannii produce intergrading forms through hybridization in areas there their ranges overlap (i e at middle altitudes in the Rocky Mountains)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2a

2b

1a

2a

2b

1a

6

PINUS Pine

01a Needles in bundles of 5 0201b Needles in bundles of 2-3 04

02a ♀ cones long-stalked, cylindrical, (10)15-25 cm long, with thin, flexible scales; needles (4)5-10 cm long, 0.7-1 mm thick Pinus monticola S2

02b ♀ cones short-stalked or stalkless, egg-shaped, 4-15 cm long, with thick, stiff scales; needles 3-7 cm long, 1-1.5(2) mm thick 03

03a Cones 8-20 cm long, opening at maturity; scales light brown, firmly attached Pinus flexilis

03b Cones 4-8 cm long, remaining closed; scales purplish, thin-based and easily broken off by animals Pinus albicaulis

04a Needles (2)3/bundle, (7)10-20(25) cm long; ♀ cones (7)10-15 cm long, often armed with stout spines; bark yellow- to red-brown, deeply dark-furrowed and cross-checked in platy scales Pinus ponderosa X

04b Needles 2/bundle, 2-8 cm long; ♀ cones 2-6 cm long, with or without spines; bark variously colored and furrowed, but with not obviously cross-checked 05

05a Cones directed towards the branch tip, without prickles or with a tiny point; bark orange- to red-brown, relatively thin and scaly Pinus banksiana*

05b Cones bent sharply back towards the branch (usually) base or spreading at right angles, armed with persistent prickles; bark brown to grey- or red-brown, thick and furrowed Pinus contorta*

*Pinus banksiana and Pinus contorta produce intergrading forms through hybridization in areas there their ranges overlap (i.e. c-nwAB)

5b

5a

4a

3b

3a

2a

7

References

Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS). 2015. List of all Vascular Plant Taxa Confirmed for Alberta as recorded in the ACIMS database October 15 2015. ACIMS, Government of Albert, Edmonton, Alberta.

Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, S.J. Meades, M. Favreau, M. Anions, P. Bélisle & P. Desmet. 2015. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Cana-da. http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/

Budd, A. C., J. Looman, and K. F. Best. 2016. Budd’s flora of the Canadian prairie provinces. 2. Dicots. Reprint edition. CreateSpace Indepen-dent Publishing Platform

Douglas, G. W., G. B. Straley, D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar. 1998. Illustrated flora of British Columbia. Volume 1. Gymnosperms and Dicotyle-dons (Aceraceae through Asteraceae). British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, British Columbia.

Farrar, J. L. 1995. Trees in Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited, Markham, Ontario.

Flora North America Editorial Committee. 2008-10. Flora North America website. Oxford University Press. Accessed 2014-2016. www.fna.org.

Kuijt, J. 1982. A Flora of Waterton Lakes National Park. University of Al-berta Press, Edmonton, Alberta. 684 pp.

Moss, E. H. 1983. Flora of Alberta. 2nd edition. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario.

Packer, J. G. and A. J. Gould. 2017. Vascular Plants of Alberta Part 1: Ferns, Fern Allies, Gymnosperms, and Monocots. University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta.

Vitt, D.H., J.E. Marsh and R.B. Bovey. 1988. Mosses, Lichens and Ferns of Northwest North America. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton.

8

Scientific Name Illus. Source

Abies balsamea B&BAbies bifolia H&CJuniperus communis H&CJuniperus horizontalis H&CJuniperus scopulorum H&CLarix laricina JMLarix lyallii H&CLarix occidentalis H&CPicea engelmannii H&CPicea glauca H&CPicea mariana B&BPinus albicaulis H&CPinus banksiana JMPinus contorta H&CPinus flexilis H&CPinus monticola H&CPinus ponderosa H&CPseudotsuga menziesii H&CTaxus brevifolia H&CThuja plicata H&CTsuga heterophylla H&C

Key to Illustration Sources

B&B = Britton, N. L. and A. Brown (1913)

H&C = Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson (1955-69)

JM = John Maywood.

List of Species and Illustration Sources

9

IndexAbies 4

balsamea 4bifolia 4lasiocarpa. See Abies bifolia

Cupressaceae 3Gymnospermae 3Juniper

communis 3horizontalis 3scopulorum 3

Juniperus 3Larix 4, 5

laricina 5lyallii 5occidentalis 5

Picea 4, 5engelmannii 5glauca 5mariana 5

Pinaceae 3, 4Pinus 4, 6

albicaulis 6banksiana 6contorta 6flexilis 6monticola 6ponderosa 6

Pseudotsugamenziesii 4

Taxaceae 3Taxus

brevifolia 3Thuja

plicata 3Tsuga

heterophylla 4