IAWA List of Microscopic Features for Softwood Identification (eds. H.G. Richter, D. Grosser, I. Heinz, P.E. Gasson)
IAWA J. 25 (1): 1-70
[Also separately obtainable from the IAWA Office in Leiden, Netherlands, for the price of EUR 25.00 or USD 30.00, excluding postage: Click here for the order form]

Preface – A definitive list of anatomical features of softwoods has long been needed. The hardwood list (IAWA Committee 1989) has been adopted throughout the world, not least because it provides a succinct, unambiguous illustrated glossary of hardwood characters that can be used for a variety of purposes, not just identification. This publication is intended to do the same job for softwoods. Identifying softwoods relies on careful observation of a number of subtle characters, and great care has been taken to show high quality photomicrographs that remove most of the ambiguity that definitions alone would provide.
Unlike the Hardwood Committee, the Softwood Committee never met in its full composition. The softwood committee members attending the XVI International Botanical Congress in St. Louis in August 1999 met for a day to discuss an early draft. The editing of the list was coordinated by Jorgo (H.G.) Richter, who intensively communicated by e-mail with all committee members. At the IAWA meeting in Portland, Oregon in July 2003, several committee members discussed a late draft. All the photographs were taken by Dietger Grosser and Immo Heinz, whose MSc thesis work was the catalyst for the formation of the committee. Peter Gasson then did the final editing and cross-referencing of text and plates before sending the entire work to Leiden for publication.
We hope that all present and future colleagues engaged in wood identification and descriptive wood anatomy will find this list a valuable guide and reference.