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Key to Hydrophyllaceae

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1 Leaves entire, simple; styles 2, distinct to the ovary.
  2 Flowers in axillary cymes; capsule subglobose; leaves 2-12 cm long
  2 Flowers solitary or paired in the leaf axils; capsule cylindrical; leaves 0.8-1.5 (-3.5) cm long
1 Leaves dissected, lobed, pinnatifid, or toothed (sometimes the basalmost leaves simple); style fused for a portion of its length, 2-cleft toward the tip.
    3 Flowers solitary on pedicels either axillary to or opposite the leaves on the upper portion of the stem, and sometimes also terminal in a lax, (1-) 2-6-flowered cyme; [tribe Hydrophylleae].
      4 Leaves pinnatifid into 7-13 lanceolate lobes; calyx lobes lacking auricles in between; capsule 4-seeded; seeds lacking an elaiosome
      4 Leaves pinnate with into 3-13 obovate segments; calyx lobes alternating with reflexed or spreading auricles; capsule 1-4-seeded; seeds with a persistent elaiosome
    3 Flowers all terminal in 3-many-flowered cymes.
        5 Inflorescence repeatedly branched subdichotomously; larger leaf blades > 8 cm wide; stamens well exserted from the corolla (3 mm or more beyond the corolla); plants perennial from fibrous roots; [tribe Hydrophylleae]
        5 Inflorescence with a strong central axis (some secondary branching in P. bipinnatifida, but not as above); larger leaf blades < 5 cm wide (except P. bipinnatifida); stamens slightly exserted from the corolla (< 3 mm beyond the corolla) (except well-exserted in P. bipinnatifida, included in P. covillei); plants annual (biennial in P. bipinnatifida) from a taproot; [tribe Romanzoffieae]

Key S3: herbaceous dicots with opposite, simple, and pinnately lobed leaves on the stem

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1 Inflorescence an involucrate head subtended by phyllaries, the heads solitary or many and variously arrayed in secondary inflorescences, the ovary inferior, the corolla connate and tubular at least basally, the calyx absent, the stamens 5, the fruit a cypsela
1 Inflorescence, flower, and fruit structure various, but not with the combination of features as above (sometimes the flowers tightly grouped, but then with other features differing, such as stamens 4, or green calyx present, or fruit a schizocarp of mericarps, etc.).
  2 Flowers tiny, individually inconspicuous; perianth absent or vestigial; fruit a utricle
  2 Flowers larger, individually conspicuous; perianth present, the petals or sepals brightly colored; fruit a capsule (or aggregate of achenes in Clematis in RANUNCULACEAE or schizocarp of 4 mericarps in Glandularia in VERBENACEAE).
    3 Flowers radially symmetrical; stamens 5 or many; fruit a capsule or aggregate of achenes.
      4 Stamens many; fruit an aggregate of plumose achenes
    3 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical (sometimes only slightly so); stamens 4 (or 2 in Veronica in PLANTAGINACEAE); fruit a capsule or schizocarp of mericarps.
        5 Inflorescence of cymosely arranged spikes or heads; fruit a schizocarp of 4 nutlets
        5 Inflorescence of solitary axillary flowers or terminal racemes.
          6 Corolla yellow, orange, or red; plants often drying black (but not Striga); sepals connate into a tube at least 1/3 as long as the corolla lobes; calyx 5-merous
          6 Corolla white, pink, lavender, or blue; plants not drying black; sepals distinct or only shortly connate into a short tube, the calyx lobes much longer than the tube; calyx 5- or 4-merous
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