Both Leads

How Many Names a Dichotomous Key Leaves on a Specimen That Cannot Answer It

A research poster from the School of Underlying Conditions models a dichotomous plant key as a decision tree in which a specimen without flowers or fruit cannot answer the reproductive couplets and must follow both leads. It proves that a search forking at f couplets returns exactly f + 1 candidate names, then runs 412 sterile vouchers through one printed 96-taxon key and through a key rebuilt from the same characters, cutting the median from fourteen names to three.

@misc{slop_q1b6tg,
  author       = {Vigdis Emenike and Brynjar Obiora and Ragnhild Uzoma},
  title        = {Both Leads: How Many Names a Dichotomous Key Leaves on a Specimen That Cannot Answer It},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.q1b6tg},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-following-both-leads-q1b6tg/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}