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Key to Indigofera

Fabaceae

Indigofera

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1 Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate.
  2 Stem pubescence simple, pilose and spreading
  2 Stem pubescence of T-shaped (medifixed) hairs, white, appressed
1 Leaves odd-pinnately compound, with 5+ leaflets.
    3 Leaflets borne alternately or irregularly on the rachis; prostrate or ascending herbs.
      4 Stipules subulate, < 1.5 mm wide; legumes divergent to deflexed, spaced on the rachis; flowers 6-10 per inflorescence
      4 Stipules deltate to lanceolate, 2-3 mm wide; legumes deflexed, crowded on the rachis; flowers many per inflorescence.
        5 Staminal tube (3.5-) 4-5 mm long, distinctly exceeding the calyx; leaves with 9-11 leaflets; leaflets 2.5-5× as long as wide; legumes dark brown, sharply deflexed, curving slightly inwards towards the rachis; infructescence 10-23 cm long
 Indigofera hendecaphylla
        5 Staminal tube 3-3.5 (-5) mm long, about as long as the calyx; leaves with 5-8 leaflets; leaflets 1.2-2.5× as long as wide; legumes tan, deflexed to spreading, straight; infructescence < 10 cm long
    3 Leaflets borne opposite on the rachis; mat-forming or ascending herbs, upright, bushy-branched herbs, or shrubs.
          6 Creeping, decumbent or ascending herbs; leaflets (3) 5-11 per leaf.
             7 Stem pubescence strigose-appressed; leaflets (3-) 5 per leaf.
             7 Stem pubescence hirsute or pilose with long brownish hairs; leaflets 5-11 per leaf.
               8 Hairs of stem glandular; fruits spreading; leaflets (5-) 9-11 per leaf
               8 Hairs of stem non-glandular, brownish; fruits deflexed; leaflets 5-9 per leaf
          6 Erect, bushy-branched suffruticose herbs or shrubs; leaflets (7-) 9-15 per leaf.
                 9 Shrub; leaflets 20-75 (-100) mm long; corollas 12-18 mm long, bright pink or bright purple
                 9 Herb or suffrutescent herb; corollas 5-9 mm long, cream, rose, tan, yellow, greenish, orange, or purplish.
                   10 Legume 7-9 mm long, ovoid, not falcate, indehiscent, with 2-3 seeds; corolla 6-9 mm long; [native species]
                   10 Legume 15-36 mm long, linear-cylindric, slightly to strongly falcate, dehiscent, with 3-12 or more seeds; corolla 5-6 mm long; [introduced species].
                     11 Legume 15-20 mm long, strongly falcate

Key to Fabaceae, Key D: woody legumes with oddly 1-pinnately compound leaves with 5 or more leaflets
[subfamilies

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1 Liana, climbing by twining; [tribe Millettieae]
  2 Inflorescence a stiff panicle; leaflets (5-) 7-9; ovary and fruit glabrous; leaves evergreen
  2 Inflorescence a pendent raceme; leaflets 7-19; ovary and fruit either glabrous or densely velvety-villous; leaves cold-deciduous
1 Shrubs and trees, lacking climbing adaptations.
    3 Leaflets glandular-punctate (not requiring magnification).
      4 Leaflets 4-10 cm long; leaves with 7-13 leaflets; large tree; flowers ca. 15 mm long, pink-purple; [tribe Milletieae]
      4 Leaflets 0.4-4 (-7) cm long; leaves with (7-) 9-31 leaflets; shrub or small tree; flowers 4-11 mm long, white, cream, violet, purple, or blue; [tribe Amorpheae].
        5 Corolla reduced to a single petal (the standard); flowers whitish, sky blue, dark blue, purple, or violet; [collectively widespread]
        5 Corolla of 5 petals; flowers white to cream, sometimes 'fading' to dark purple; [s. FL, TX].
          6 Flowers papilionoid, either cream, fading purplish, or bicolored white and purple; [s. FL, TX, OK]
          6 Flowers only slightly bilaterally symmetrical, white; [TX]
    3 Leaflets lacking punctate glands.
             7 Leaflets 3-9 per leaf; leaflets 2-15 (-20) cm long; small or large tree (to shrub in Dermatophyllum secundiflorum).
               8 Lateral leaflets all or mostly alternate along the rachis.
                 9 Leaflets (5-) 7-9 per leaf; flowers 18-25 mm long, white; [native, also planted; SC, GA, AL, MS, and LA northwards]
                 9 Leaflets 3-5 (-7) per leaf; flowers ca. 10 mm long, yellow-white or pinkish; [non-native; FL peninsula]
               8 Lateral leaflets strictly in opposite pairs.
                   10 Stamens free; [tribe Sophoreae].
                     11 Corollas 14-16 mm long, blue-purple; fruit turgid and cylindrical, but torulose-constricted between the scarlet seeds; [native; TX]
                     11 Corollas 7-11 mm long, cream to white; fruit flattened, not constricted between the tan to light brown seeds; [non-native]
                   10 Stamens monadelphous or diadelphous; [FL peninsula]; [tribe Milletieae]
                       12 Fruit woody, unwinged, with 1 very large (ca. 2 cm long) seed; stamens diadelphous
                       12 Fruit 2-9 cm long, membranaceous, with 4 broad, tan, ruffled wings and 1-6 black seeds; stamens monadelphous
             7 Leaflets (5-) 7-31 per leaf, at least the larger and better developed leaves on a plant with 11 or more leaflets; leaflets 0.4-12 cm long; shrub, small tree, or large tree.
                          13 Corollas 5-6 mm long, pink or purplish; fruits 15-35 mm long, 1-3 mm wide
                          13 Corollas 9-30 mm long, yellow, white, pink, or purplish; fruits 25-150 (-200) mm long, 5-35 mm wide.
                            14 Corollas ca. 10 mm long, pink or purplish; fruit a single-seeded, globose or broadly ellipsoid drupe, 2.5-4 cm long, 2-3 cm in diameter; leaflets 4-12 cm long; [s. FL]
                            14 Corollas 15-30 mm long, white, pink, purplish, or bright yellow or coppery; fruit a legume, seeds several; leaflets 2-6 cm long; [collectively widespread]
                              15 Corollas bright yellow or coppery; fruits about as thick as wide, either bladdery-inflated or moniliform (like beads on a string).
                                16 Fruits bladdery-inflated, 50-70 mm long, 20-30 mm in diameter; stamens diadelphous; [cultivated ornamental, rarely establishing]
                                16 Fruits moniliform (like beads on a string), 100-200 mm long, 7-8 mm in diameter at the seeds, 1-2 mm in diameter between the seeds; stamens free; [native of coastal peninsular FL and TX].
                              15 Corollas white, pink, or pink-purple; fruits flattened (wider than thick).
                                  17 Leaflets short-acuminate at the apex; calyx truncate-sinuate at its apex; branches not armed; [tropical s. FL]
                                  17 Leaflets rounded, obtuse, or retuse (and also usually with a noticeable mucro) at the apex; calyx with lobes at its apex; branches sometimes armed with stipular (nodal) spines or internodal hispid hairs; [temperate, widespread in our region]