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Key to Vicia

Fabaceae

Vicia

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1 Stipules with a dark (purple or blackish) nectariferous patch on the lower surface; inflorescence < 1 cm long (peduncle plus axis), of 1-7 flowers nearly clustered in the leaf axil; [exotic species]; [subgenus Vicia]
  2 Leaves with 2-8 leaflets
    3 Leaves with 4-8 leaflets; flowers 5-8 mm long; seeds 1.5-2 mm in diameter
    3 Leaves with 2-6 leaflets; flowers 15-30 mm long; seeds 5-35 mm in diameter.
      4 Leaf surfaces glabrous; leaves lacking tendrils; seeds 7-35 mm in diameter; legumes 80-200 mm long; sutures not pectinate
      4 Leaf surfaces sparsely hairy; leaves terminating in tendrils; seeds 5-6 mm in diameter; legumes 30-70 mm long, the sutures bearing pistulate-based bristles
  2 Leaves with (6-) 8-20 leaflets (at least the larger and better developed leaves with 10+ leaflets)
        5 Stipules much smaller than the leaflets
        5 Stipules about as large as the leaflets (foliose).
          6 Calyx lobes conspicuously unequal, the upper 2 lobes much shorter than the lower 3, and less than 1/2 as long as the calyx tube
             7 Legumes pilose with pustulate-based hairs; corollas pale to bright yellow; leaves with 6-16 leaflets; banner glabrous
             7 Legumes villous with non-pustulate-based hairs; corollas cream (sometimes purplish-tinged); leaves with 10-20 leaflets; banner pubescent
          6 Calyx lobes more or less equal, the 5 lobes of similar shape and size, all > 1/2 as long as the calyx tube; legumes glabrous at maturity, or very finely pubescent with non-pustulate-based hairs.
               8 Calyx lobes all shorter than the calyx tube; corolla yellow, often streaked with purple, 25-35 mm long
               8 Calyx lobes (at least the longer) about as long as the calyx tube; corolla violet-purple, lavender, or whitish, 10-25 (-30) mm long.
                 9 Calyx 7-11 (-12) mm long; corolla pink-purple to whitish, 10-18 (-20) mm long; leaflets 4-10× as long as wide; legumes reddish brown to black, glabrous
                 9 Calyx 10-15 mm long; corolla generally pink-purple, 18-25 (-30) mm long; leaflets 2-5 (-7)× as long as wide; legumes yellow to brown, hairy
1 Stipules lacking a dark nectariferous patch on the lower surface; inflorescence pedunculate and distinctly racemose, of 2-50 flowers along a well-developed raceme axis; [exotic and native species]; [subgenus Vicilla].
                   10 Leaves with 2-6 (-8) leaflets.
                     11 Flowers 8-12 mm long; leaflet blades 30-50 mm long, ca. 10× as long as wide; legumes 40-45 mm long; [FL only]
                     11 Flowers 5-8 mm long; leaflet blades 5-30 mm long, 3-8× as long as wide; legumes 8-30 mm long; [FL, GA, TN, and KY west to TX and OK].
                       12 Annuals; inflorescences 1-2-flowered; legumes 15-30 mm long; [FL, GA, TN, and KY west to TX and OK].
                       12 Perennials; inflorescences 2-10-flowered; legumes 8-25 mm long; [GA and FL].
                          13 Flowers 6-8 mm long; legumes 20-25 mm long; leaflets 15-30 mm long
                          13 Flowers 5-6 mm long; legumes 8-15 mm long; leaflets 7-18 mm long
                   10 Leaves with 4-28 leaflets (at least some leaves on a plant with 8+ leaflets).
                            14 Corolla 8-28 mm long; perennials, annuals, or biennials.
                              15 Stipules dimorphic, one of each pair entire, the other palmately lacerate; flowers 1 (-2) per inflorescence
                              15 Stipules of a pair alike; flowers 1-numerous per inflorescence.
                                16 Flowers 15-22 (-25) mm long; legumes with a basal stipe 2-5 mm long; leaves with 8-16 leaflets
                                  17 Stems 4-20 dm long, trailing or climbing; leaf tendrils branched; inflorescences with (3) 4-9 flowers
                                  17 Stems usually to 4 dm tall, erect; leaf tendrils simple; inflorescences with 3-4 (-5) flowers
                                16 Flowers 8-16 (-18) mm long; legumes with a basal stipe 1-3 mm long; leaves with 8-22 leaflets.
                                    18 Calyx swollen on one side; plant an annual; inflorescence secund.
                                       19 Plant glabrate or with pubescence of incurved or loosely appressed hairs < 1 mm long; lower calyx lobe lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 1-2 (-3) mm long; leaflets 2-4 mm wide
                                       19 Plant conspicuously villous, the hairs spreading and 1-2 mm long; lower calyx lobe acicular or weak, (2-) 3-4 mm long; leaflets 3-6 mm wide
                                    18 Calyx not swollen on one side; plant a rhizomatous perennial; inflorescence not secund.
                                         20 Flowers blue-violet or purple; legumes 6-8 mm wide; inflorescence generally secund
                            14 Corolla 2-7 mm long; annuals.
                                           21 Legumes symmetrically rounded at the apex; inflorescence with 1-2 (-4) flowers
                                           21 Legumes asymmetrically acute at the apex; inflorescence with 1-15 flowers.
                                             22 Legumes finely hirsute; calyx 2-2.5 mm long; corolla 2.5-4.5 mm long
                                             22 Legumes glabrous; calyx 2.8-3.7 mm long; corolla 4.5-8 mm long.
                                               23 Legumes 12-16 mm long; banner blade 2× as long as the claw; leaves with 12-20 leaflets
                                               23 Legumes 15-38 mm long; banner blade 1-1.8× as long as the claw; leaves with 7-14 leaflets.
                                                 24 Flowers opening before the peduncle elongates; young fruits often present and visible when flowers open; style 0.6-0.8 mm long; leaflets generally 11-15.
                                                    25 Flowers 1-6 per inflorescence; legumes generally < 3 cm long; leaflets 2.5-7× as long as wide; [sw. MO west to w. OK, south to e. and wc. TX]
                                                    25 Flowers 1-2 per inflorescence; legumes generally > 3 cm long; leaflets 2-3× as long as wide; [ne. AR and se. OK south to w. MS and s. LA]
                                                 24 Flowers opening after the peduncle elongates; young fruits not present when flowers open; style (0.6-) 0.8-1.4 (-1.7) mm long; leaflets (5-) 7-10 (-13).
                                                      26 Style 1.0-1.5 (-1.7) mm long; calyx tube (1.3-) 1.7-2.0 (-2.5) mm long; [OK, TX westwards].
                                                        27 Flowers 1-15 per inflorescence; peduncle (when flowers open) 1.5 cm long, about as long as the subtending leaf; [widespread in s. OK and e., nc., and c. TX, s. NM, and Mexico]
                                                        27 Flowers 1-5 per inflorescence; peduncle (when flowers open) 1-5 cm long, about one third as long as the subtending leaf; [s. TX westwards]
                                                      26 Style (0.6-) 0.8-1.2 (-1.3) mm long; calyx tube (1.1-) 1.4-1.8 (-2.2) mm long; [e. GA west through FL, AL, MS, and LA to AR and TX].
                                                          28 Flowers (2-) 5-9 (or more) per inflorescence; [e. GA, FL Panhandle, s. AL, s. MS, AR and nc. TX south to s. LA and se. TX]
                                                          28 Flowers generally 3 per inflorescence, one terminal, the other 2 paired below; [se. TX southwest to s. TX, and as a waif east to Panhandle FL]