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Species differentiation of North American spruce (<i>Picea</i>) based on morphological and anatomical characteristics of needles

2000; Canadian Science Publishing; Volume: 78; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1139/cjb-78-11-1367

1480-3305

Chengyu Weng, Stephen T. Jackson,

Lichen and fungal ecology

Differentiation of most North American spruce (Picea) species can be done based on needle morphology and anatomy. Picea breweriana S. Watson, Picea chihuahuana Martinez, Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP, Picea martinezii Patterson, and Picea rubens Sarg. needles have two continuous resin ducts extending from near the base to near the tip. Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm., Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, Picea pungens Engelm., Picea mexicana Martinez, and Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. needles have variable numbers of short, intermittent resin ducts or sacs. Within each of these groups, most species could be differentiated based on cross-sectional shape, resin-duct diameter, and resin-duct position. Picea mariana and P. rubens, and P. glauca and P. engelmannii are two pairs with similar needles, but they can be differentiated using linear discriminant analysis based on resin-duct diameter and position in cross section. Paleoecological and paleoclimatological studies may be facilitated by species-level identificatio...