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1 Styles 5 (-6); capsule opening by 5 (-6) shallowly bifid valves |
1 Styles 3' capsule opening by 6 valves. |
2 Leaves narrow, usually linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, the blade 3-10× as long as wide, 0.8-10 mm wide; stems prominently 4-angled. |
3 Sepals 2.0-3.5 mm long; petals 0-3.0 mm long, shorter than the sepals or absent; seeds 0.3-0.9 mm long. |
4 Inflorescence a leafy (or with obvious bracts) terminal cyme of (1-) 5-50 flowers; seeds 0.7-0.9 mm long, smooth or slightly rugose. |
5 Bracts subtending the pedicels green, herbaceous throughout; [ Larbreae clade, Foliaceo-bracteatae subclade] |
5 Bracts subtending the pedicels scarious ( membranous), not foliaceous; [ Larbreae clade, Parviflorae subclade] |
4 Inflorescences axillary, solitary or in small cymes of 2-5 flowers; seeds 0.3-0.8 mm long, distinctly papillose. |
6 Flowers in axillary inflorescences of 1-5 flowers; sepals 5; petals 5; seeds 0.3-0.4 mm long, with small, rounded tubercles; [widespread]; [ Larbreae clade, Uliginosae subclade] |
6 Flowers solitary in leaf axils; sepals 4 (-5); petals absent; seeds 0.6-0.8 mm long, with stalked, knoblike tubercles; [of c. KY and TN] |
3 Sepals 3.5-9 mm long; petals 3.5-13 mm long, equaling or longer than the sepals; seeds 0.7-2.5 mm long. |
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7 Seeds 0.7-1.2 mm long; bracts of the inflorescence scarious; petals notched > halfway to the base; [ Larbreae clade]. |
8 Sepals 4.5-5.5 (-7) mm long, strongly 3-nerved, narrowly lanceolate to triangular; leaves usually widest below the middle; seeds 0.8-1.2 mm long, coarsely tuberculate; inflorescence diffuse, many-flowered; [ Gramineae subclade] |
8 Sepals (2-)3.5-4-5 mm long, weakly 3-nerved, ovate- elliptic; leaves usually widest at or above the middle; seeds 0.7-1.0 mm long, obscurely sculptured and appearing almost smooth; inflorescence more compact, fewer-flowered; [ Parviflorae subclade] |
2 Leaves broad, usually ovate, obovate, or broadly elliptic, the blade 1-2.5× (or to 4×) as long as wide, 4-30 mm wide (if > 2.5× as long as wide, then definitely > 10 mm wide); stems terete or 4-angled. |
9 Leaves long- petiolate, the petiole about as long as the blade, the blades cordate to truncate at the base; sepals 2.5-3.5 mm long, obtuse to broadly acute; seeds 0.6-0.8 mm long; stem glabrous or glandular- puberulent (the pubescence not in lines); [ Petiolares clade] |
9 Leaves sessile, short- petiolate, to long- petiolate (if long petiolate, the blades cuneate), the blades rounded to cuneate at the base; sepals 2.5-11 mm long, broadly acute to acuminate; seeds 0.4-2.0 mm long; stem puberulent to short- pilose (the pubescence in vertical lines or not). |
10 Leaves (1.0-) 2.5-10 cm long (with strong dimorphism between sterile and fertile shoots, the leaves of sterile shoots much larger); seeds 1.7-2 mm long; sepals 4-11 mm long; stem pubescence in vertical lines or uniformly distributed; perennial, the stems strong and ascending to erect; [native]; [ Insignes clade]. |
11 Sepals 7-11 (-12) mm long, acuminate, ciliate, but more-or-less glabrous on the back; [of the mountains] |
11 Sepals 3.5-7 mm long, acute, ciliate and more-or-less pubescent on the back; [widespread in our area] |
10 Leaves 0.3-4.0 cm long; seeds 0.6-1.7 mm long; sepals 2.5-6.5 mm long; stem pubescence always in vertical lines; annual, the stems weak and in part prostrate, the tips or vigorous growth ascending; [ exotic]; [ Petiolares clade]. |
12 Sepals 5.0-6.5 mm long; stamens 8-10; seeds 1.1-1.7 mm long |
12 Sepals 2.5-5.2 (-6.0) mm long; stamens 1-5 (-8); seeds 0.4-1.3 mm long. |
13 Stamens 3-5 (-8); sepals 4.5-5.2 (-6.0) mm long, lacking red band at base; seeds 0.9-1.4 mm long; petals usually present |
13 Stamens 0-3 (-5); sepals 3.0-4.0 mm long, frequently with a red band at the base; seeds 0.4-0.9 mm long; petals usually absent |
1 Petals absent; fruit a 1-seeded, indehiscent utricle; styles 2; [tribe Sclerantheae] |
1 Petals present (rarely obsolete or essentially absent); fruit a few-many seeded capsule; styles 3-5. |
2 Leaves fleshy; seeds > 3 mm long; [of seabeaches and dunes] ; [tribe Sclerantheae] |
2 Leaves membranaceous or stiff; seeds < 2 mm long; [of various habitats]. |
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4 Leaves linear- subulate, < 2 mm wide; styles 4-5. |
5 Leaf bases not forming a scarious cup; valves or teeth of the capsule twice as many as the styles; [tribe Alsineae] |
 Show caption*© Scott Ward, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Scott Ward Leaf bases usually forming a conspicuous scarious cup; valves or teeth of the capsule as many as the styles; [tribe Sagineae] |
4 Leaves ovate, obovate, > 4 mm wide; styles 5; [tribe Alsineae]. |
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6 Capsule ovoid, dehiscent by 5 valves, each apically 2- cleft |
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7 Inflorescence umbelliform; petals irregularly denticulate at apex; [tribe Alsineae] |
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8 Petals shallowly to deeply 2- cleft, notched at least 1/4 of the length, often divided nearly to the base and then appearing almost as 10 petals; [tribe Alsineae]. |
9 Capsule cylindric, twice as long as the sepals; petals 2- cleft 1/5 - 1/2 length; styles (3-) 5 (-6), 0.5-2 mm long |
9 Capsule spherical, ellipsoid, or globose, as long as or slightly longer than the sepals; petals 2- cleft 2/3-3/4 length (1/2 length in Rabelera); styles (2-) 3 (-5), 0.2-7 mm long |
10 Stems square; petals 2- cleft ca 1/2 of length |
10 Stems round or roundish; petals 2- cleft 2/3 to 3/4 of length |
 Show caption*© Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Don Loarie Petals entire, or emarginate. |
11 Valves or teeth of the capsule as many as the styles. |
12 Leaves strongly basally disposed, most in the lowermost 1/3 of the stem, and overlapping (the internodes < the leaf length; leaves firm, with axillary fascicles of leaves; [tribe Sagineae] |
12 Leaves evenly distributed along the stem and widely spaced (the internodes > the leaf length); leaves herbaceous to slightly fleshy, generally without axillary fascicles of leaves. |
13 Sepals 4; petals 0; [tribe Sagineae] |
13 Sepals 5; petals 5; [tribe Sclerantheae] |
11 Valves or teeth of the capsule twice as many as the styles. |
14 Seeds with an aril; [tribe Arenarieae] |
14 Seeds lacking an aril. |
15 Capsule straight; petals entire or barely emarginated; [tribe Arenarieae] |
15 Capsule cylindrical, and often somewhat curved; petals emarginate to bifid; [tribe Alsineae] |
