|
|
Family guide for fruits and seeds |
Version 1.1 was published in April 2021 on delta-intkey.com.
To optimize descriptions and interactive identification, the number of genera had been described by three characters, and the detailed geographical distributions by two characters. Each of these groups was replaced by a single character, so that the same data could be used in descriptions and identification.
To improve readability of descriptions, the characters were slightly reordered, and various formats changed. Diagnostic descriptions generated by Intkey are shown in bold in the descriptions. Detailed information about taxon images, previously accessible only in Intkey, is now included in the HTML descriptions.
All characters are now included in the interactive key (except the last two, which are irrelevant for this purpose). The states of character 323, the geographical distribution in broad categories, are not mutually exclusive (because of the state 'cosmopolitan'). This character has been given a 'reliability' of 0, so that it doesn't appear in 'best' lists, or in diagnostic descriptions.
Version 1.0 was published in April 2006 on the USDA, ARS, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory web site.
There are 333 characters and 418 families in the database with 3,245 familial images. The nomenclatural standard adopted was the USDA, ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). GRIN is the USDA database for all of its germplasm accessions, and one module of the database is for the scientific names of plants, which are maintained by the personnel of the USDA, ARS, Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory. All accepted families and genera of seed plants are listed in GRIN. The 862 familial synonyms recognized by GRIN are listed under the various families with which they are synonymous, and the 13,675 genera accepted by GRIN are also listed under the families to which they belong. Our database and GRIN were last synchronized in December 2003.
For each family, there are fruit, seed, and embryo images. The number of images per family varies according to the availability of material, its economic importance, and the variability of fruit and seed structures in each family. There are no images for a few families because we could not find adequate material.
The 333 characters were distributed amongst the following types: 17 cone characters; 124 fruit characters; 175 seed characters; 3 distribution characters; 4 classification characters; one note character; 2 bibliographic characters; 4 USA noxious weed characters; and 7 meta data characters.