Flora of the Southeastern United States

1 Leaves (all) simple; stems unarmed.

  2 Leaves unlobed, elliptic to ovate-orbiculate, finely toothed, 1.5-3 cm long; plant an herb, < 1 dm tall; petals white; [genus Dalibarda or subgenus Dalibarda]

1 Leaves 3-9-foliolate (reduced simple leaves may also be present in the inflorescence); stems generally armed with prickles (sparsely so in a few species).

    3 Upright stems herbaceous, annual, not differentiated into primocanes and floricanes, unarmed or with a few weak bristles; stipules oblanceolate; [e. WV northward]; [subgenus Cylactis – dwarf raspberries]

    3 Upright stems woody, biennial, differentiated into primocanes and floricanes, these usually well-armed with bristles and/or curved prickles; stipules linear; [collectively widespread].

      4 Fruit separating from the receptacle, the receptacle remaining on the pedicel; stems either strongly white-glaucous (R. occidentalis), or densely beset with slender-based prickles and bristles (R. idaeus), or densely hairy with 3-5 mm long glandular hairs (R. phoenicolasius), or if not as above then the leaves pinnately 5-9-foliolate (R. illecebrosus) or with a rhombic terminal leaflet about as wide as long and densely white-tomentose below (R. parvifolius); [raspberries].

      4 Fruit retaining the receptacle; stems or leaves not as described above, except if beset with slender-based prickles and bristles then also < 1 m tall; [blackberries and dewberries].

        5 Canes very coarse, scrambling, often 2-5 m long, heavily armed; inflorescence cymose-paniculate; branches and pedicels of the floricanes armed with strong, flattened prickles (recurved cat’s-claw, or nearly straight in R. bifrons); [exotic, generally in disturbed habitats]; [Eurasian blackberries].

        5 Canes delicate to coarse, arching or trailing, 0-4 m long, unarmed to strongly armed; inflorescence racemiform; branches and pedicels of the floricanes generally unarmed; [native, though often in disturbed habitats].

          6 Primocanes prostrate, creeping, or low-arching, rooting at the tip or also at the nodes; [dewberries].

          6 Primocanes erect, ascending, or high-arching, not rooting; [native blackberries].

1 Lianas (or rarely hemiepiphytic climbers, not free-standing).

  2 Plants hemiepiphytic climbers; the simple (juvenille) leaves with strong hastate basal lobes (mature leaves pedately 5-lobed); [uncommon non-natives, FL]

  2 Plants lianas; the leaves variously shaped, but lacking strong hastate basal lobing (and never pedately 5-lobed); [natives and non-natives, collectively widespread, including FL].

    3 Lianas climbing by adventitious roots

    3 Lianas climbing by twining or by tendrils.

      4 Lianas climbing by twining

      4 Lianas climbing by tendrils.

        5 Tendrils branched, leaf-opposed; leaves mostly 5-7-lobed, the margins also serrate or dentate

        5 Tendrils simple (though paired in Smilax in SMILACACEAE), axillary; leaves 3-lobed, the margins entire, serrulate, or prickly.

          6 Leaves longer than wide, entire or prickly-margined; stems usually obviously armed with prickles; flowers 6-merous, greenish, in umbels borne in leaf axils; tendrils stipular, 2 per leaf axil, adnate to the petiole basally

          6 Leaves wider than long, entire or serrulate; stems not armed; flowers 5-merous, blue-purple or yellow, solitary or in small fascicles in leaf axils; tendrils 1 per leaf axil

1 Trees or shrubs (plants free standing).

             7 Trees.

               8 Leaves > 3 dm long and wide; tree monopodial, with a single, unbranched stem (rarely with a few branches).

                 9 Leaf lobes > 15, not sublobed; venation of each lobe parallel; fruit a drupe, with 1 seed; [Monocots]

                 9 Leaf lobes < 13, most of these sublobed (except Kalopanax); venation of each lobe pinnate; fruit either a many-seeded berry or a single-seeded nutlet (if a drupe, as in Kalopanax, then the leaf lobe venation pinnate and plants often armed with stout prickles); [Eudicots].

                   10 Plants often armed with stout prickles (leaves and stems); leaves usually with 5-7 lobes; inflorescences complex, grouped into a panicle of terminal umbels

                   10 Plants unarmed; leaves with 5-10+ lobes; inflorescences paniculate, the terminal branches never consisting of umbels.

                     11 Petiole attachment marginal, the base lacking a prominent pulvinus; leaf lobes mostly sublobed; fruit a large berry, with many seeds

                     11 Petiole attachment peltate, the base of the petiole usually with a prominent area of swollen tissue (pulvinus); leaf lobes not sublobed; fruit a nutlet, single-seeded

               8 Leaves < 3 dm long and wide; tree branching; [Eudicots].

                       12 Leaves 2-lobed (deeply notched at the apex), each lobe separated by the midvein, asymmetrical; [peninsular FL and s. TX]

                       12 Leaves 3-5 (-7) lobed; [collectively widespread].

                          13 Leaf blades (3-) 5 (-7) lobed, to 15 cm wide and long, each lobe finely serrate-crenate (>3 teeth per cm of margin) and rarely with a small sub-lobe; multiple fruit spherical and spiky, consisting of multiple bird-beak-like loculicidal capsules; buds axillary

                          13 Leaves 3 (-5)-lobed, to 35 cm wide and long, each lobe coarsely toothed or sublobed, the teeth or sublobes (at most 1-2 per cm of margin) attenuate-acuminate; multiple fruit spherical and merely rough on the surface, consisting of multiple achenes with tawny bristles; buds infrapetiolar (completely hidden in the swollen petiole base)

             7 Shrubs.

                            14 Leaf lobe margins entire (or undulate to sublobed at the tip).

                              15 Leaves bilobed; fruit a legume

                              15 Leaves palmate, usually with at least 3-7 lobes; fruit a capsule

                            14 Leaf lobe margins serrate.

                                16 XXXX

                                  17 Inflorescence a panicle of umbels, the flowers white or cream-colored; stipules fused and sheathing, but leaving a U-shaped scar (not conspicuously circular around the stem)

                                  17 Inflorescence paniculate, with female flowers above (distal), the flowers reddish-green colored (the male flowers with a yellowish color but overall the inflorescence not notably white or cream-colored; stipules deciduous, but leaving a circular scar around the stem nodes

                                16 Leaves pubescent, slightly or strongly so; [natives and non-natives].

                                    18 Pubescence of simple hairs; plants armed or not with nodal spines

                                       19 Leaves 10-30 cm long and wide; fruit a berry; inflorescence of solitary to a few flowers, or a raceme

                                    18 Pubescence of stellate hairs; plants unarmed.

                                         20 Leaves > 30 cm wide

                                         20 Leaves < 15 cm wide

1 Ovary inferior; fruit indehiscent (pome).

  2 Inflorescence a panicle, of > 25 flowers (6-40 in Pyracantha); leaves leathery, evergreen.

    3 Plants armed with thorns

    3 Plants unarmed.

      4 Pomes purplish-black, 7-10 mm in diameter, each with 3-5 seeds; leaves mostly 10-30 cm long

      4 Pomes orangey yellow, (10-) 20-30 mm in diameter, each with 1-2 seeds; leaves (2-) 4-10 cm long

  2 Inflorescence an axillary or terminal raceme, fascicle, cyme, or umbel, of < 20 flowers; leaves herbaceous, deciduous.

        5 Upper surface of leaves bearing dark glandular trichomes along the midrib (most easily seen with a 10× hand lens); shrubs

        5 Upper surface of leaves lacking dark glandular trichomes along the midrib; shrubs and trees.

          6 Ovary and fruit 10-locular; inflorescence a raceme (rarely a fascicle); pome < 1 cm in diameter

          6 Ovary and fruit 5-locular; inflorescence a cyme, umbel, or fascicle (lacking an elongated central axis); pome 0.7-10 cm in diameter.

             7 Styles distinct; exocarps (carpels within pericarp) bony and seedlike; trees and shrubs, with thorns

             7 Styles usually connate at base; exocarps leather or papery and easily opened to expose seeds; small trees, unarmed, or armed with sharp spur branches.

               8 Pome globose to ovoid, lacking stone cells; anthers yellow to white; styles connate at the base; leaves blunt to acuminate; [apples and crabapples]

               8 Pome globose or pyriform, with stone cells; anthers reddish; styles distinct; leaves acute to acuminate; [pears]

1 Ovary superior; fruit dehiscent (aggregate of follicles, or capsule) or indehiscent (drupe, aggregate of drupelets, aggregate of achenes).

                 9 Leaves opposite; fruit an aggregate of usually 3-5 purple to black drupelets; [tribe Kerrieae]

                 9 Leaves alternate; fruit various (see below; if an aggregate of drupelets, then with >5 drupelets).

                   10 Leaves smaller, < 8 cm wide, pinnately veined, either not lobed or basally pinnately lobed; fruit a drupe, a capsule, an aggregate of follicles, or an aggregate of achenes.

                     11 Leaves singly serrate or entire (rarely, as in Prunus americana, irregularly and slightly doubly serrate), not lobed basally.

                       12 Gynoecium of separate carpels; fruit an aggregate of follicles; [tribe Spiraeeae]

                       12 Gynoecium of fused carpels; fruit either a fleshy drupe or a capsule.

                          13 Ovary 5-angled in ×-section; fruit a 5-angled capsule; leaves obovate, obviously broadest towards the tip; [tribe Osmaronieae]

                          13 Ovary circular in ×-section; fruit a fleshy spherical drupe; leaves generally broadest near or below the middle; [tribe Amygdaleae]

                     11 Leaves doubly serrate, also often lobed towards the base.

                            14 Corolla yellow; stems arching, green; fruit an aggregate of drupe-like achenes (dry and indehiscent); [tribe Kerrieae]

                            14 Corolla white to pink or rose; stems not both arching and green; fruit various (see below).

                              15 Inflorescence a dense, umbel-like corymb; leaf apices rounded to acute; fruit an aggregate of 5 follicles; [tribe Neillieae]

                              15 Inflorescence a raceme or a leafy panicle; leaf apices acuminate.

                                16 Fruit a single follicle; [exotic, planted, and rarely naturalized, as in e. VA]; [tribe Neillieae]

                                16 Fruit an aggregate of 2-4 drupe-like achenes; [rare native of calcareous habitats in sc. TN, nw. GA, n. AL, and disjunct westward in AR and MO]; [tribe Kerrieae]