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1 Flowers (all, or at least many) solitary on scapes |
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5 Petals 6-30 mm long, clawed |
5 Petals 2-4 mm long, not clawed |
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6 Stems angular distally; blooming Apr to early Jun |
6 Stems not angular distally; blooming Apr to Oct |
3 Leaves not clasping at base. |
7 Petals with contrasting dark yellow, brown, maroon, or purple veins; [tribe Brassiceae] |
8 Petals yellow; basal leaves with 3-10 lobes per margin; stems usually sparsely to densely hispid basally; cauline leaf blades usually lobed (but fewer than basal leaves) |
8 Petals yellow or creamy white; basal leaves with 1-4 lobes per margin; stems sparsely to densely pubescent; cauline leaf blades often undivided |
7 Petals mostly uniform in color. |
9 Ovaries and young fruits 2-segmented; petals 5-30 mm long; [tribe Brassiceae] |
10 Stem leaves pinnatifid |
10 Stem leaves entire, serrate, or sinuate |
11 Valves of the fruit 1-veined; sepals erect or ascending (rarely spreading); terminal segment of fruit conic, usually seedless |
11 Valves of the fruit 3-7-veined (1-veined in Rhamphospermum nigrum); sepals spreading to reflexed; terminal segment of fruit either linear or ensiform (flattened and 2- edged). |
12 Terminal segment of fruit linear 0.1-1.6 cm long, seedless or 1-seeded. |
12 Terminal segment of fruit ensiform (flattened and 2- edged), (1-) 1.5-2.5 (-3) cm long, seedless |
9 Ovaries and young fruits unsegmented; petals 1-8 mm long. |
13 Inflorescence leafy bracteate (most of the pedicels subtended by bracts) |
13 Inflorescence not bracteate (occasionally with some lower pedicels bearing bracts). |
14 Stigmas distinctly 2- lobed; [tribe Sisymbrieae] |
14 Stigmas entire, rarely indistinctly 2- lobed; [tribe Cardamineae] |
2 Flowers white, cream, pinkish, purple, lavender, or blue. |
15 Leaves strictly basal, or both basal and cauline and also auriculate. |
16 Plants with only basal leaves or cauline leaves much reduced. |
17 Plants annual; flowers zygomorphic; petals 0.5-2.5 mm long; [tribe Iberideae] |
17 Plants annual or perennial; flowers actinomorphic; petals absent, rudimentary, or to 16 mm long; [tribe Cardamineae] |
16 Plants with some well-developed cauline leaves. |
18 Ovaries and young fruits ovate, orbicular or cordate. |
19 Ovules 1 per ovary; [tribe Calepineae] |
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20 Ovules 2 (rarely 4) per ovary; [tribe Lepidieae] |
20 Ovules 6-16 per ovary. |
21 Leaves mostly entire; plants not fetid; [tribe Noccaeeae] |
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18 Ovaries and young fruits linear. |
22 Plants aquatic or semi-aquatic; rooting at nodes; [tribe Cardamineae] |
22 Plants terrestrial, though sometimes growing partially submerged; not rooting at nodes. |
23 Flowers blue, rarely pink or white; petals 12-32 mm long; [tribe Brassiceae] |
23 Flowers white, sometimes pink or purple; petals <16 mm long. |
24 Petals larger, conspicuous, 7-16 mm long. |
25 Cauline leaves simple or pinnately to palmately compound, typically not auriculate; if simple and auriculate, then plants usually with a mix of compound and simple cauline leaves and the simple leaves ovate or oblong and never deeply pinnatifid (as in C. clematitis) |
25 Cauline leaves conspicuously or slightly auriculate, always simple; blades elliptic, lanceolate, ovate, or oblong, deeply pinnatifid to entire |
26 Basal leaves oblanceolate, unlobed; petals white to cream |
26 Basal leaves incised or lyrate- lobed; petals white to pinkish-purple |
24 Petals smaller, inconspicuous, < 7 mm long. |
27 Cauline leaves sessile; [tribe Boechereae] |
27 Cauline leaves usually petiolate; [tribe Cardamineae] |
15 Leaves basal and cauline but not auriculate ( basal leaves sometimes withering upon flowering, thus only appearing alternate). |
28 Plants aquatic, rooting at nodes; [tribe Cardamineae]. |
29 Submersed leaves dissected into filiform segments |
29 Leaves not dissected into filiform segments |
28 Plants terrestrial, though sometimes growing partially submersed; not rooting at nodes. |
30 Stamens 2 or 4 (per individual flower). |
31 Ovaries and young fruits linear; [tribe Cardamineae] |
31 Ovaries and young fruits ovate, orbicular or cordate. |
32 Flowers zygomorphic; filaments appendaged; [tribe Iberideae] |
32 Flowers actinomorphic; filaments not appendaged; [tribe Lepidieae] |
30 Stamens 6 (per individual flower). |
33 Petals 15-30 mm long; fruit conspicuously coin-like, oblong to suborbicular and latiseptate (flattened parallel to septum); [tribe Lunarieae] |
33 Petals rarely to 20 mm long; fruit ovate to linear (if rounded not strongly flattened like a coin, or if flattened the fruit long and slender as in Warea). |
34 Inflorescence corymbose; claws (of the petals) strongly differentiated from blades; fruit latiseptate and stipitate, linear in shape; [natives of sandhills and coastal plain, NC to s. MS] |
34 Inflorescence elongate or corymbose (if so, not also collectively as above); claws differentiated or not from blades; fruit terete, latiseptate, or augustiseptate (flattened perpindicular to septum), stipate or not, linear to ovate in shape; [widespread natives and non-natives] |
35 Ovaries and young fruits 2-segmented; [tribe Brassiceae] |
35 Ovaries and young fruits unsegmented. |
36 Ovaries and young fruits ovate, orbicular or cordate; [tribe Lepidieae] |
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37 Ovules 2 (-4) per ovary |
36 Ovaries and young fruits linear. |
38 Petals with contrasting dark veins; [tribe Brassiceae] |
38 Petals mostly uniform in color. |
Show caption*© Daniel Cahen, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Daniel Cahen 39 Leaves smelling of garlic when crushed, reniform or cordate, dentate; [tribe Thlaspideae] |
39 Leaves not smelling of garlic, rarely reniform or cordate, with margins various. |
40 Cauline leaves sessile; [tribe Boechereae] |
40 Cauline leaves usually petiolate; [tribe Cardamineae]. |
41 Base of plant usually glabrous; seeds not winged |
41 Base of plant pubescent; seeds winged |