Have a friend try out your completed key to see that it leads users to the correct choices and identification.Ī dichotomous key is a useful classification tool that notes the similarities and differences between different plant species. The more items your beginning collection has, the longer your key will be. The sample key is fairly short and simple. Your completed key should look something like this:Ī. When the first group is complete, repeat the steps until all of the plants in the second group (group B) have been named.
Step 4: Continue to identify characteristics and divide groups until all of the plants are named. The next division in this example is leaf edge:Ī. When you form a group with only one plant, name it. Step 3: After the collection has been divided into two groups, divide the first group (group A) into two more groups based on one characteristic.
