A crescent Moon rising over a forest in the evening.

Gymnosperms

Key to Families:

  1. Plants with scale-like leaves often covering and obscuring the young stems (in one species leaves awl-shaped, in whorls of 3 and not obscuring branches). … Cupressaceae
    • Plants with needle-shaped or linear leaves that are not covering and obscuring the stems; sometimes in clusters (fascicles). … 2.
  2. Plants bearing cones of various sizes and shapes, but never brightly-colored, nor single-seeded; leaves not typically flat nor distinctly petiolate (except cf. Abies and Pseudotsuga). … Pinaceae
    • Plants bearing single-seeded cones with a large red to yellow aril surrounding the seed; leaves flat and clearly petiolate. … Taxaxeae

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Note: This key does not include cultivated material. Many gymnosperm families, genera, and species not native to SE Washington are commonly planted ornamentals. If there is a chance that the plant to be identified was planted, use the Flora of the Pacific Northwest for identification.