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Key to Pycnanthemum
Lamiaceae
Pycnanthemum
https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/main.php?pg=show-key.php&keyid=40489
1 Leaves 1-15 mm wide (to 30 mm wide in P. setosum), mostly > 3× as long as wide (except in P. nudum); calyx lobes not tipped with a tuft of long, jointed bristles (except P. clinopodioides).
2 Longer calyx lobes 1.5-5 mm long, attenuate-aristate, stiff, whitened; [Coastal Plain pinelands, rarely in Mountain bogs with Coastal Plain affinities].
2 Longer calyx lobes 0.5-1.6 mm long, deltoid to narrowly triangular, not notably stiff (except in P. tenuifolium) or whitened; [widespread in our area, but mainly of the Piedmont and Mountains].
4 Leaves 10-15 mm wide (or more often even wider, to 25 mm wide, in P. clinopodioides); longer calyx lobes 0.7-1.6 mm long, tipped with a few long (1-3 mm) jointed bristles (P. clinopodioides) or not tipped (P. nudum).
5 Leaves 1-2.5× as long as wide, coriaceous; stems and leaves glabrous; [Coastal Plain, se. SC southward and westward to FL and AL]
5 Leaves 3-6× as long as wide, herbaceous; stems and leaves pubescent; [inland provinces and Coastal Plain, NC northward]
6 Calyx zygomorphic, the lower 2 teeth about 1.5× as long as the upper 3; [mainly Coastal Plain, disjunct in mountains; SC and NC northwards]
6 Calyx actinomorphic, the teeth similar in shape and size, all 0.5-1.0 mm in length; [primarily inland]
4 Leaves 1-12 (-15) mm wide; longer calyx lobes 0.5-1.5 mm long, variously pubescent but not tipped with a tuft of long jointed bristles.
8 Leaves 5-15 mm wide, 1-2.5× as long as wide; calyx lobes and inner bracts of the inflorescence herbaceous
8 Leaves 1-4 (-5.5) mm wide, 8-15× as long as wide; calyx lobes and inner bracts of the inflorescence semi-spinose, their tips subulate, thickened, and stiff
10 Longer calyx teeth 1.0-1.5 mm long, lanceolate and attenuate; bracts of the inflorescence and leaves glabrous or very sparsely pubescent on the upper surface
10 Longer calyx teeth 0.5-1.0 mm long, narrowly deltoid; bracts of the inflorescence (and usually also the leaves) canescent on the upper surface
1 Leaves broad, 15-40 mm wide, mostly 1.5-3× as long as wide; calyx lobes usually tipped with a tuft of long, jointed bristles (except P. albescens, P. curvipes, P. floridanum, P. muticum varieties, P. setosum).
(c) Ware, Richard & Teresa - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
11 Bracts of the inflorescence puberulent on the upper surface, the margins not ciliate; calyx lobes and tube variously glabrous or puberulent (independent of the apical tufts).
13 Calyx lobes 0.5-1.2 (-1.5) mm long, triangular to narrowly triangular, acute to acuminate, but not subulate; [collectively widespread].
14 Calyx not distinctly bilabiate, all of the calyx lobes about the same length, the sinuses about the same depth.
15 Petioles (2-) 3-15 mm long; inflorescence corymbose, loose, the branches apparent; [dry, sandy or rocky habitats].
16 Leaves 6-10 cm long; terminal capitula 2.5-5 cm wide in fruit; [dry rocky woodlands; sw. NC, w. SC, and southward]
15 Petioles 0-2 (-3) mm long; inflorescence capitate, tight, the branches within the clusters not apparent; [moist habitats, widespread].
18 Calyx not distinctly bilabiate, all of the calyx lobes about the same length, the sinuses about the same depth.
20 Leaves ovate, 13-50 mm wide, < 3× as long as wide.
(c) Ward, Scott G
(c) Ward, Scott G
22 Calyx lobes narrowly triangular, their apices acuminate to attenuate; calyx tube 1-2× as long as the longest (lower) calyx lobes.
25 Stems and lower leaf surfaces with coarse, spreading hairs only