Anatomy and Chemistry Wood Technology

Assumptions Underpinning Cedrus’s Evolutionary Divergence

The genus Cedrus is unique within Pinaceae due to its ability to form both axial and radial traumatic resin canals, which no other genus in the subfamily Abietoideae can do. Therefore, Cedrus must occupy a basal position within Pinaceae, reflecting a distinct evolutionary divergence from other genera in the subfamily.

The argument’s conclusion can be properly inferred if which one of the following is assumed?