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Tree classification

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  • 19-02-2010 7:06pm
    #1
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,266 ✭✭✭✭


    I've had a look at the following links, but is there a simple way to divide trees on taxonomy-like basis?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree
    http://www.answers.com/topic/hardwood
    http://www.answers.com/topic/softwood

    I'm aware of the basic hardwood (broadleaf, dicotyledonous, flower-bearing, generally deciduous) and softwood (narrow leafed, monocotyledonous, coniferous, generally evergreens) although there are some exceptiosn and some betwixt and between.

    Yes, this is a college project, but it is statistics, not biology. :)


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    #2
    Somnus
    Registered Users Posts: 2,345 ✭✭✭Somnus


    Well here's a link to one in the sub-family moderatus boardus anyway

    In response to your question I'm afraid I can't answer. Don't know a whole lot about trees


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    #3
    Tree
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,681 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tree


    tolweb.org might be of use.

    It's a large taxonomical sorta tree structure illustrating the classifcations of life.


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    #4
    aidoh
    Registered Users Posts: 620 ✭✭✭aidoh


    i don't think trees are a particularly neat taxonomic grouping. A tree is a tree because of its morphology, not necessarily because of its evolutionary relatedness to other trees. If it was say, mammals you were classifying you'd have it a lot handier since you already have one class as a starting point. With trees you'll have to do a lot more work since there are monocots/eudicots that are/aren't trees etc. To answer your question, I don't think there is an easy way to classify just trees unfortunately.


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    #5
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,760 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    It's like trying to classify fish shaped animals.

    Dolphins, Great White sharks, Tuna and (possibly) ichthyosaurs were all warm blooded and of very similar shapes. Yet the group containing Tuna have been separate most of the time since all shared a common ancestor with lettuce.

    In the UK the Octopus is legally a vertebrate, when it comes to animal rights so under some schemes it might be included when mammalian vermin weren't.


    Trick is to figure out what the target audience really need and see if there is a scheme that already fits. Hardwood / Softwood or deciduous / evergreen or angiosperms / gymnosperms (I'd do this) may be good starting points though there are a few plants that could fall into different categories depending on the exact definition. You could have a category for oddities like balsa which is technically a hardwood but might be easier to look up if it's also listed as a softwood.


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