Flora of the Southeastern United States

1 Leaves 0.7-2.2 cm long, serrulate, leathery, evergreen, lacking punctate glands; [section Vitis-idaea]

1 Leaves 1.5-10 cm long, entire (or minutely glandular-crenate), membranaceous to subcoriaceous, deciduous, with punctate glands.

  2 Leaves subcoriaceous, upper surface shining, dark green, 1.5-4 cm long; bracts of the inflorescence equal to or longer than the pedicels (5-12 mm long), persistent; sepals, pedicels, bracts, and leaves stipitate-glandular and pubescent; [section Gaylussacia].

    3 Plant < 3 dm high.

      4 Corollas averaging 7.0 mm long; anthers averaging 3.7 mm long; glandular hairs on hypanthium dense, 0.3-0.5 mm long; plants usually 4-10 dm high, rarely less than 3 dm; [wet boggy habitats, northeastern, south to DE, disjunct to NC and SC]

      4 Corollas averaging 5.8 mm long; anthers averaging 3.0 mm long; glandular hairs on hypanthium moderately dense to relatively sparse, 0.2-0.3 mm long; plants occasionally up to 4 dm high; [xeric to moist habitats, southeastern range, north to VA and scattered inland to n. AL, n. GA, c. TN, w. SC, w. NC, and s. WV]

    3 Plant 4-10 (-15 dm) tall.

        5 Sessile glands on upper leaf surface numerous; glandular hairs on hypanthium 0.3-0.5 mm long; [SC northwards].

          6 Corollas averaging 7.0 mm long; anthers averaging 3.7 mm long; plants of peat bogs, raised bogs, peat-based pocosins, and Atlantic white cedar-red maple swamps; [NL (Newfoundland) to DE, and as a rare disjunct in the Coastal Plain of NC and SC]

          6 Corollas averaging 6.0 mm long; anthers averaging 2.9 mm long; plants of montane bogs, seepage over rock, and possibly drier forests; [rare endemic of southern Appalachians of w. NC]

  2 Leaves membranaceous to subcoriaceous, upper surface dull, yellow-green to medium-green, 2-10 cm long; bracts of the inflorescence shorter than the pedicels, early deciduous; sepals, pedicels, bracts, and leaves with sessile glands, pubescent or not pubescent; [section Decamerium].

             7 Leaves glandular on both surfaces; racemes 0.5-1.5 cm long; [section Decamerium, subsection Baccatae]

             7 Leaves glandular on the lower surface only; racemes 1-5 cm long.

               8 Leaves membranaceous, medium-green, with acuminate apices; [section Decamerium, subsection Ursinae]

               8 Leaves subcoriaceous, yellow-green to glaucous, with obtuse to emarginate apices; [section Decamerium, subsection Frondosae].

                 9 Young twigs glabrous; leaves glabrous or pubescent beneath, often glaucous; shrub to 20 dm tall; [widespread from SC northwards]

                 9 Young twigs densely pubescent with short, curled hairs; leaves sparsely to densely pubescent beneath, glaucous or not; shrub to 10 dm tall; [se. NC and southwards in the Coastal Plain].

                   10 Larger leaves mostly 2-4 cm long and 1-2 cm wide; lower leaf surface usually strongly glaucous, sparsely pubescent, with the longest nonglandular hairs < 0.27 mm long and with sessile glandular resin dots reddish-brown (at least in herbarium specimens); floral tube and calyx glaucous; shrub 2-6 (-10) dm tall

                   10 Larger leaves mostly 3-6 cm long and 2-3.5 cm wide; lower leaf surface not glaucous, sparsely to densely pubescent, with the longest nonglandular hairs 0.46-0.64 mm long and with sessile glandular resin dots golden yellow (in herbarium specimens); floral tube and calyx not glaucous; shrub to 10 dm tall