Format for Publications

Keys and Descriptions for the Vascular Flora of Oklahoma

Sample Keys and Descriptions

DELTA (Descriptive Language for Taxonomy) is a database and program that facilitiates uniformity and parallelism in construction of keys and descriptions.

Criteria for Key Construction
  • All couplet leads absolutely parallel
  • All couplet leads mutually exclusive
  • Vegetative, floral, and fruit characters
  • No dependent characters
  • Uniform terminology
  • Account for common misinterpretations
  • User friendly

Criteria for Descriptions
  • Parallel
  • Uniform terminology
  • Complete


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