Plants & Human Affairs - Introduction

Plants & Human Affairs (BIOL106) - Stephen G. Saupe, Ph.D.; Biology Department, College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, Collegeville, MN 56321; ssaupe@csbsju.edu; http://www.employees.csbsju.edu/ssaupe

Post Lab Assignment: Conifer Lab

I. Fascicles. The needles of pines occur in bundles called fascicles. Record the number of needles per fascicle for each of the following:

	Jack pine		Norway or red pine
	Ponderosa pine		White pine
	Austrian pine		Scotch pine

II. Leaf Types in Pine. Pines have two types of leaves. The larger, familiar acicular (needle-like) leaves that occur in fascicles is one type. The other type is smaller and scale-like and found directly on the stem. Sketch in the box below the two types of leaves from a shoot of White pine (Pinus strobus).


Needle-like leaves (acicular)	Scale-leaves

III. Leaf Types in Arborvitae. Arborvitaes have paired scale leaves. Sketch two pairs in the box below.

Scale leaves of Arborvitae

IV. Leaf Types in Juniper. Junipers can have a mixture of scale-like leaves and awl-shaped leaves. Sketch one of each in the box below.

Scale-leaves of Juniper
Awl-shaped leaves of Juniper

V. Species Comparisons (complete the following table)

Comparison Table for some Minnesota Conifers
Character	Balsam Fir	Douglas-fir	Tamarack	Spruce	Pine	Ginkgo	Yew	Juniper
Habit (evergreen, deciduous)	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Leaf arr. (alternate, opposite, whorled, fascicled)
Leaf shape (flat, 4-angled)	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	..
Cone persistence (disintegrate, persistent)
Cone type (woody, berry-like)	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
Other unique features

VI. Identification of Common Gymnosperms (Using the dichotomous key provided in lab, identify the conifers)

1
2
3
4
5

VII. Key to the Conifers: In the space below, write a dichotomous key to any 5 conifers.

VIII. Quiz Plants: (the following plants are "fair game" on the identification quiz. To help your study, sample of the specimens will be available in the lab. In addition, you may to prepare your own study sheet by gluing to herbarium paper small specimens from each conifer)

	Ginkgo		Scot's pine
	Tamarack		Colorado blue spruce
	Balsam fir		Norway spruce
	Yew		White spruce
	Jack pine		Juniper
	Ponderosa pine		Arborvitae
	White pine		Douglas fir