Relationships Among the Genera of Pinaceae: An Immunological Comparison

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Abstract
A radioimmunoassay comparison of seed proteins from nine of the ten genera of Pinaceae supports two major groupings in the family. These correspond to those of Van Tieghem, which are also supported by morphological evidence. The abietoid group, which forms a tighter cluster in the immunological analysis, consists of Abies, Keteleeria, Cedrus, Tsuga, and Pseudolarix, while the pinoid group consists of Pinus, Picea, Cathaya, Larix, and Pseudotsuga. Vierhapper''s classification based on shoot dimorphism is thus rejected as artificial. Pseudotsuga and Larix form a well marked lineage within the pinoid group as indicated by both immunology and morphology.