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Support the Flora of the Southeastern US

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Keyed in multiple places:

Click the number at the start of a key lead to highlight both that lead and its corresponding lead. Click again to show only the two highlighted leads. Click a third time to return to the full key with the selected leads still highlighted.

Key to Centrosema

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1 Leaves 1-foliolate; petioles conspicuously winged
1 Leaves 3-7-foliolate; petioles not winged.
  2 Leaflets 5-7-foliolate; [rare exotic]
  2 Leaflets 3-foliolate; [natives, collectively common and widespread].
    3 Calyx tube (of chasmogamous flowers) 4-5 mm long, shorter than or about as long as the lobes; bracteoles 5-12 mm long, partly enclosing the calyx tube; legume 6-12.5 cm long, 3-6 mm broad; standard 2.5-3.5 cm long, spurred near the base.
      4 Lower calyx lobe 5-8 mm long, subulate to lanceolate; upper (bifurcate) calyx lobe 3-4 mm long; bracteoles 5-7 mm long; stems to 3 m long; [of n. FL southward]
      4 Lower calyx lobe 8-11 mm long, subulate; upper (bifurcate) calyx lobe 7-8 mm long; bracteoles 8-12 mm long; stems to 1.5 m long; [widespread in our area].
        5 Terminal leaflets > 8× as long as wide; main lateral veins of terminal leaflets 10-20+; [s. GA, s. AL, south to s. FL]
        5 Terminal leaflets < 6× as long as wide; main lateral veins of terminal leaflets 5-7; [widespread in our area, south to s. FL]
    3 Calyx tube (of chasmogamous flowers) 7-13 mm long, much longer than the lobes; bracteoles 3-7 mm long, not enclosing the calyx tube; legume 3-5 cm long, 5-7 mm broad; standard 4-6 cm long, not spurred.
          6 Leaflets 3.0-4.5× as long as wide, obtuse at the tip; calyx tube of chasmogamous flowers 7-10 mm long, usually purplish; legume on a stipe 15-20 mm long, well exserted from the calyx; erect or ascending herb, 2-6 dm tall; [peninsular FL]
          6 Leaflets 1.7-3.5× as long as wide, slightly acute at the tip; calyx tube of chasmogamous flowers 10-13 mm long, green; legume on a stipe 10-15 mm long, included or slightly exserted from the calyx; ascending herb, becoming a sprawling, trailing, or twining herbaceous vine; [collectively widespread in our area].
             7 Leaves glabrescent beneath, at maturity the hairs confined or very nearly so to the major veins; [widespread in our area]
             7 Leaves moderately to densely pubescent beneath, the hairs erect and pilose to suberect and sericeous, at maturity occurring across the leaf surface; [endemic to FL peninsula]

Key to Clitoria

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1 Leaves 5-7-foliolate; standard 3.5-4 cm long
1 Leaves 3-foliolate; standard 4.5-5.5 cm long.
  2 Leaflets 3.0-4.5× as long as wide, obtuse at the tip; calyx tube of chasmogamous flowers 7-10 mm long, usually purplish; legume on a stipe 15-20 mm long, well exserted from the calyx; erect or ascending herb, 2-6 dm tall; [peninsular FL]
  2 Leaflets 1.7-3.5× as long as wide, slightly acute at the tip; calyx tube of chasmogamous flowers 10-13 mm long, green; legume on a stipe 10-15 mm long, included or slightly exserted from the calyx; ascending herb, becoming a sprawling, trailing, or twining herbaceous vine; [collectively widespread in our area].
    3 Leaves glabrescent beneath, at maturity the hairs confined or very nearly so to the major veins
    3 Leaves moderately to densely pubescent beneath, the hairs erect and pilose to suberect and sericeous, at maturity occurring across the leaf surface; [endemic to FL peninsula]

Key to Fabaceae, Key H: herbaceous legumes with once-pinnately, odd-pinnately compound leaves with 5 or more leaflets
[subfamilies Faboideae and Caesalpinioideae]

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1 Lateral veins of each leaflet neatly straight and parallel to one another; [tribe Millettieae]
1 Lateral veins of each leaflet complicatedly and less regularly arrayed.
  2 Leaves (at least the largest and those with the most leaflets) with ≥ 13 leaflets.
    3 Ovaries (and later fruits) with dense, hooked prickles (looking like a miniature cocklebur, Xanthium); leaves and stems glandular-punctate with brown or black glands; stamens diadelphous (9 and 1); [rare waif in our area]; [tribe Galegeae]
    3 Ovaries (and later fruits) glabrous, glandular, or hairy; leaves and stems glabrous, variously hairy, but not glandular-punctate (except Dalea); stamens 5-10, monadelphous, diadelphous, or separate; [collectively widespread].
      4 Leaflets conspicuously dentate; [tribe Cicereae]
        5 Hairs dolabriform (with 2 branches parallel to the surface and pointing at 180° from each other).
          6 Petals reddish orange and/or with some pink or salmon; [tribe Indigofereae]
          6 Petals pink-purple to violet; [tribe Galegeae]
             7 Fruit a loment (jointed between each seed and splitting into single-seeded segments).
               8 Loments cylindrical, jointed but not noticeably constricted between the seeds; Inflorescence an umbel of (7-) 10-15 flowers; [tribe Loteae]
               8 Loments flattened, prominently constricted between the seeds; inflorescence a raceme or umbel of 2-8 flowers.
                 9 Corolla primarily white to pink; loments 1-2.5 cm long, not borne on a stipe; [tribe Coronilleae]
                 9 Corolla primarily yellow (sometimes also marked with pink or orange); loments 2-5 cm long, borne on a 1-20 mm long stipe (above the calyx); [tribe Dalbergieae]
             7 Fruit a legume (lacking joints between each seed, though sometimes the pod constricted).
                   10 Inflorescences pedunculate, axillary racemes; leaflets eglandular; fruits dehiscent; [tribe Galegeae]
                   10 Inflorescences terminal racemes, spikes, or heads; leaflets glandular-punctate or not; fruits indehiscent.
                     11 Fruit 1-seeded; leaflets glandular-punctate; [tribe Amorpheae]
                     11 Fruit with several seeds; leaflets eglandular; [tribe Sophoreae]
  2 Leaves (the largest and those with the most leaflets) with < 11 leaflets.
                       12 Fruit a loment (constricted between each seed and splitting into single-seeded segments); petals primarily yellow (sometimes also marked with pink or orange); [of the se. Coastal Plain, from e. GA southwards and westwards]; [tribe Dalbergieae].
                       12 Fruit a legume (lacking constrictions between the seeds); petals variously colored; [collectively widespread].
                            14 Ovaries (and later fruits) with dense, hooked prickles; leaves and stems glandular-punctate with brown or black glands; stamens diadelphous (9 and 1); [rare waif in our area]; [tribe Galegeae]
                            14 Ovaries (and later fruits) glabrous, glandular, or hairy; leaves and stems glabrous, variously hairy, but not glandular-punctate (except Dalea); stamens 5-10, monadelphous, diadelphous, or separate; [collectively widespread].
                              15 Plants with basal rosettes, the basal and cauline leaves a mixture of simple and pinnately compound; [rare waif in our area]; [tribe Loteae]
                              15 Plants with primarily cauline leaves, all pinnately compound; [collectively widespread].
                                  17 Leaves with 5 leaflets, the 2 basal leaflets positioned like stipules at the base of the leaf (the leaf thus sessile); [tribe Loteae]
                                  17 Leaves with 5-9 (or fewer or more and then keyed elsewhere), the lower leaflets positioned above a definite petiole.
                                    18 Hairs dolabriform (with 2 branches parallel to the surface and pointing at 180° from each other; petals reddish orange and/or with some pink or salmon; flowers papilionaceous; stamens 10, diadelphous (9+1); leaflets often > 5 mm wide; legume 3+-seeded; flowers 5-12 mm long, in racemes; [tribe Indigofereae]
                                    18 Hairs basifixed; petals of various colors; flowers not papilionaceous, barely bilaterally symmetrical; stamens 5, monadelphous; leaflets 0.5-5 mm wide; legume 1-seeded; flowers very small, < 5.5 mm long, aggregated into tight spike; [tribe Amorpheae]
                                       19 Hairs dolabriform (with 2 branches parallel to the surface and pointing at 180° from each other; petals reddish orange and/or with some pink or salmon; [tribe Indigofereae]
                                         20 Flower usually solitary, resupinate (twisted at 180° so that the standard is below); standard 3.5-5 cm long
                                         20 Flowers few to many in racemes, normally oriented (with the standard above); standard < 2.5 cm long.
                                           21 Corolla purplish, maroon, brownish, or yellowish green; leaflets 4-9 cm long, on petioles 3-5 mm long; keel coiled
                                           21 Corolla either white with red striations or lavender; leaflets 2-5 cm long, on petioles 1-2 mm long; keel carinate, not coiled