5°6 
The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol. XII, No. 6, 
KEY TO THE FRUITS OF THE GENERA OF TREES OF THE 
NORTHERN UNITED STATES. 
John H. Schaffner. 
The complete fruit at maturity, including the peduncle, is required 
for determination. 
1. Fruit a cone, a cone-like catkin, a compact aggregate, or an 
ordinary catkin. 2. 
1. Fruit simple, consisting of a single carpel or set of united 
carpels, not cone-like or catkin-like, but often clustered. 22. 
2. Fruit dry at maturity. 3. 
2. Fruit fleshy. 1(5. 
3. Fruit a globular aggregate of flowers on a long slender 
peduncle. 4. 
3. Fruit not globular, except in some true cones, but ovoid or 
cylindrical, peduncle short or if rather long then thick 
and rigid. 5. 
4. Fruit an aggregate of dehiscent spiny-pointed capsules with 
several seeds Liquidambar. 
4. Fruit an aggregate of 1-seeded nutlets, not spiny-pointed. 
Platanus. 
5. Fruit a true cone with naked seeds, or an aggregate of closed 
carpels showing stamen, petal and sepal scars on the 
peduncle. 6. 
5. Fruit a catkin or a cone-like catkin. 19. 
6. Seeds in closed carpels, the cone-like fruit showing stamen, 
petal, and sepal scars at the base on the peduncle. 7. 
6. Fruit a true cone with naked seeds, not showing stamen, 
petal, and sepal scars on the peduncle. 8. 
7. Carpels of the fruit forming dehiscent follicles at maturity; 
the fleshy seeds suspended from the pink or rose tissues of 
the fruit by slender threads. Magnolia. 
7. Carpels samara -like, dry and indehiscent. Liriodendron. 
8. Cones with numerous ovuliferous scales, more than 15. 9. 
8. Cones with 3-12 ovuliferous scales. 12. 
9. Cones erect, their scales deciduous from the persistent axis; 
ovuliferous scales orbicular or broad, obtuse. Abies. 
9. Cones pendulous or projecting from the branch, the scales 
persistent. 10. 
10. Cone scales woody and thickened at the outer end, elongated, 
often with a rigid point, spine, or prickle. Pinus. 
10. Cone scales sub-orbicular or oval, sometimes with erose or 
emarginate tips. 11. 
11. Cone with subulate leaf-scales at the base. Larix. 
11. Cone without subulate leaf-scales at the base, short and 
ovoid, usually less than 1 l /i in. long. Tsuga. 
