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Key to Asteraceae, Key H: Herbaceous composites with the leaves alternate, the heads lacking rays, and with a pappus of bristles only

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1 Receptacle paleate (bearing receptacular bracts which individually subtend at least some of the flowers of the head).

2 Involucres absent or vestigial, usually with 0 phyllaries; heads very small, < 6 mm high, < 4 mm wide; annuals, < 4 dm tall; disc corollas hidden or dingy in color; [tribe Gnaphalieae].

3 Receptacles cylindric to clavate (5-15× as tall as the diameter); most paleae of pistillate flowers open to ± folded (at most each enfolding, not enclosing a floret; apices acuminate to aristate); innermost paleae erect to ascending in fruit; cypselae monomorphic (the outer ± equaling the inner)  Filago germanica

3 Receptacles obovoid (0.4-1.6× as tall as the diameter); most paleae of pistillate flowers ± saccate, each ± enclosing a floret, apices blunt; innermost paleae spreading in fruit; cypselae dimorphic (the outer longer than the inner)  Logfia minima

2 Involucres present, conspicuous, of many phyllaries; heads larger, 2-20+ mm wide; perennials or coarse annuals, 2-25 dm tall; disc corollas apparent, white, or pink to purplish or reddish.

4 Phyllaries tipped by a hooked spine  Arctium

4 Phyllaries not armed, herbaceous to the tip.

5 Cypselae with 5 angles or 5 grooves; involucre 2-3 mm tall and in diameter; pappus of 1 (-5+) usually glandular setae (interpretable as bristles, hence keyed here); [Coastal Plain; FL and GA]  Hartwrightia floridana

5 Cypselae with 10 ribs; involucre 3.5-12 (-15) mm tall and in diameter; pappus of 35-40 barbellulate bristles; [mainly Coastal Plain; VA south to s. FL, west to e. LA]

6 Heads larger, the involucre 6-15 mm high, with 15-40 phyllaries; leaves with conspicuous (at least at 10× magnification) resin dots.  Carphephorus

6 Heads smaller, the involucre 3.5-6 mm high, with 5-12 phyllaries; leaves without shining punctate glands (except punctate-glandular in Litrisa carnosa, of the FL peninsula).

7 Stem with punctate glands; peduncles punctate-glandular and also hirsutulous; pappus bristles in 2 series; [of FL peninsula]  Litrisa carnosa

7 Stem eglandular, glabrous or spreading-hirsute; peduncles glabrous or stipitate-glandular; pappus bristles in 1 series; [widespread in the Coastal Plain].  Trilisa

1 Receptacle epaleate (lacking receptacular bracts individually subtending flowers, but the receptacle sometimes bearing bristles, setae, hairs, or pits with laciniate margins; some taxa lacking paleae on many or most flowers of the head are keyed here as well, as a failsafe).

8 Phyllaries in 1-2 series and equal or subequal in length to one another, the phyllaries often coherent/fused (the involucre thus appearing as a cylinder with ribs extending from base to top, except in species in which the phyllaries are radially winged); calyculus (of bracts subtending the phyllaries and differing from them in texture, color, or orientation) present or not; [tribe Senecioneae]

9 Annuals, 2-10 dm tall (or perennial, vining or sprawling and to 30 dm long in Gynura); leaves cauline and alternate; disc flowers orangey-brown, brick-red, purplish, yellow.

10 Plants perennial, vining or sprawling, velutinous or villous with purple hairs  Gynura aurantiaca

10 Plants annual, upright or ascending, not purple-hairy.

11 Involucre subtended by several leafy bracts; cypselae 8- or 10-ribbed  Crassocephalum crepidioides

11 Involucre not subtended by bracts; cypselae 5-ribbed  Emilia

9 Perennials (robust annuals in Erechtites), 2-30 dm tall; leaves basally disposed and alternate on the stem (except only alternate in Erechtites); disc flowers cream or yellow (rarely pale lavender in Arnoglossum).

12 Plants annual, with leaves primarily on the stem; leaves sharply and raggedly toothed or even pinnately lobed; heads disciform (the outer flowers female, the middle bisexual, and the inner functionally male)  Erechtites

12 Plants perennial, with leaves basally disposed (larger basal leaves, decreasing in size upwards, the basal leaves sometimes withering late in the year); leaves with generally regular toothing, stem leaves sometimes pinnately lobed; heads discoid (all flowers bisexual)

13 Disc flowers yellow.

14 Perennials; leaves basally disposed, the basal or lower stem leaves unlobed (though toothed)  Packera

14 Annuals; leaves not basally disposed, evenly distributed on the stem, the lower stem leaves more-or-less pinnatifid  Senecio

13 Disc flowers cream, white, or greenish white (to pale lavender in some Arnoglossum).

15 Phyllaries 5, radially wing-keeled or not; disc flowers 5; calyculus absent  Arnoglossum

15 Phyllaries 7-21, not radially winged; disc flowers 10-55 (-80+); calyculus absent or of 1-9+ bracts.

16 Plants (5-) 6-24 dm tall; calyculus of 4-9+ bracts; [collectively relatively widespread in our region]  Hasteola

16 Plants 1-7 dm tall; calyculus absent or of 1-5+ bracts; [Mountains of w. NC and e. TN]  Rugelia nudicaulis

8 Phyllaries in 3-17 series and unequal in length (imbricated); calyculus absent.

17 Stem prominently winged, the wings > 1 mm wide  Pterocaulon

17 Stem not winged (sometimes the leaves decurrent < 2 cm down the stem from the node).

18 Phyllaries usually 12-30+ in 3-10+ series, scarious (at least the margins).

19 Plants perennial, mat-forming by stolons, with basal rosettes of spatulate leaves, these usually with obvious appressed hairiness on (at least) the lower and (sometimes also) the upper blade surfaces; erect stems (with scattered alternate leaves) 4-45 cm tall; plants usually dioecious (pistillate and staminate heads on separate plants)  Antennaria

19 Plants annual, biennial, or perennial, not mat-forming or stoloniferous, erect, the leaves usually lanceolate or linear (spatulate in some species), leaf surface hairiness variable; erect stems (with alternate leaves) 5-80 cm tall; plants hermaphroditic (with heads containing both pistillate and functionally staminate flowers) or dioecious or subdioecious (in Anaphalis).

20 Plants perennials; heads discoid (unisexual or nearly so); plants usually unisexual and dioecious  Anaphalis margaritacea

20 Plants annuals (perennials in Omalotheca sylvatica); heads disciform (each bisexual); plants hermaphroditic.

21 Leaves oblanceolate, 1.5-4 mm wide, notched at the tip or with a minute apiculus in the notch; pappus bristles persistent, plumose  Facelis retusa

21 Leaves various in shape, the lager > 4 mm wide, acuminate, acute, obtuse or rounded at the tip; pappus readily falling, the bristles barbellate to barbellulate.

22 Heads in capitate clusters arrayed in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays; phyllaries white or silvery; pappus bristles distinct, falling individually

23 Pappus bristles connate basally into a ring, falling together  Laphangium luteoalbum

23 Pappus bristles distinct, falling individually  Pseudognaphalium

22 Heads in spicate arrays, or in glomerules axillary to leaves or well-developed bracts; phyllaries white to red-tinged or brown; pappus connate at the base into a ring, falling as a unit.

24 Perennial; phyllaries in 2-3 series; cypselas strigillose; involucre light to dark brown; [waif, in PA]  Omalotheca sylvatica

24 Annual; phyllaries in 3-7 series; cypselas papillate or glabrous; involucre white to red-tinged or brown; [widespread in our region]

25 Pappus of 12-28 bristles; cypsela faces papillate  Gamochaeta

25 pappus of 8-12 bristles; cypsela faces glabrous  Gnaphalium uliginosum

18 Phyllaries in 3-5 series, herbaceous to thickened, generally green in color.

26 Disc corollas yellow, pale yellow, orange, reddish, or brown.

27 Phyllaries 5, in one series; phyllaries streaked with elongate glands filled with strong-scented oil  Porophyllum macrocephalum

27 Phyllaries 10-60+ in 2-9 series; phyllaries eglandular or with small punctate glands.

28 Phyllaries strongly armed with long spines  Centaurea

28 Phyllaries unarmed

29 Decumbent annual, to 2 dm tall; heads solitary and axillary  Centipeda minima

29 Erect or ascending annual or perennial, 1-15 dm tall; heads in corymbiform, paniculiform, or racemiform arrays.

30 Plants dioecious, either male or female; heads either staminate, with 10-50 flowers, or pistillate, with 20-150 flowers; heads pale yellow to white  Baccharis

30 Plants hermaphroditic; heads bisexual, with 2-35 flowers, either all perfect (bisexual), or a mixture of perfect (bisexual) and functionally staminate flowers.; heads yellow to pale yellow.

31 Leaves entire; flowers 2-6 per head; heads arrayed in a neatly flat-topped corymb  Bigelowia

31 Leaves (at least the larger) toothed or lobed; flowers 5-35 per head; heads in racemiform, paniculiform, or corymbiform arrays, but if corymbiform, irregular.

32 Larger leaves 2.5-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide; involucres 6-12 mm in diameter; [widespread in our region]  Brickellia

32 Larger leaves 1-5 cm long, < 1 cm wide; involucres 2-7 mm in diameter; [s. and se. TX].

Show caption*© Michelle W., some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michelle W.                                                                      33 Inflorescences in rounded, corymbiform arrays; leaves glabrous  Isocoma

Show caption*© Jason Schock, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jason Schock                                                                      33 Inflorescences in elongate, racemiform to paniculiform arrays; leaves moderately to densely hairy with both glandular and non-glandular hairs  Laennecia coulteri

26 Disc corollas pink, purple, lavender, blue, or white.

34 Phyllaries either spine-tipped, or appendaged with a marginal zone that is strikingly different in color and texture than the phyllary body (except Leuzea); receptacle epaleate, but densely beset with bristles or subulate scales (flattened bristles).

35 Phyllaries scarious-margined, neither spine-tipped nor appendaged with dentate or fringed appendages  Leuzea repens

35 Plyllaries either spine-tipped or appendaged.

36 Phyllaries tipped by a hooked spine  Arctium

36 Phyllaries appendaged, the appendage black, brown, tan, or scarious, and toothed or fimbriate.

37 Phyllary bodies linear, their margins entire (phyllary appendages fimbriate; however); leaf margins entire, denticulate or serrulate  Plectocephalus americanus

37 Phyllary bodies oblong, ovate, or obovate, both their margins and appendages fimbriate; leaf margins entire, toothed, or pinnately lobed.

38 Flower heads pink, lavender, or purplish; phyllary appendages scarious and spineless, decurrent along the phyllary margin nearly to the phyllary base; perennial; flowers pink to purple, flowering Jun-Oct  Centaurea

38 Flowers heads blue; phyllary appendages not or only slightly decurrent along the phyllary margins; annual; flowers pale to medium blue, flowering Apr-Jun  Cyanus

34 Phyllaries not armed, also not appendaged with a marginal zone that is strikingly different in color and texture than the phyllary body.

39 Plants dioecious, either male or female; heads either staminate, with 10-50 flowers, or pistillate, with 20-150 flowers; heads pale yellow to white  Baccharis

39 Plants hermaphroditic; heads bisexual, with 3-100+ flowers, either all perfect (bisexual), or a mixture of perfect (bisexual) and functionally staminate flowers.; heads purple, pink, lavender, or whitish.

40 Leaf blades orbicular; leaf margin scalloped or crenate; [rare waif in our region]  Porophyllum macrocephalum

40 Leaf blades linear, lanceolate, or ovate; leaf margin entire, serrulate, or serrate; [collectively common and widespread].

41 Style branch appendages absent, the style branch stigmatic along the upper surface nearly to the tip; [tribe Vernonieae].

42 Pappus bristles in 1 series; heads disciform (the outer flowers of the head pistillate, the inner flowers of the head functionally staminate); leaf margins toothed; corollas white to cream or pink (rarely purple)  Pluchea

42 Pappus bristles in 2 series, the outer much shorter; heads discoid (all flowers bisexual and fertile); leaf margins toothed or entire; corollas purple or deep pink (rarely pale pink or white)  Vernonia

41 Style branch appendages deltate, lanceolate, or terete to clavate, the style branch YYYY.

43 Style branch appendages deltate or lanceolate; style branches stigmatic along 2 lines from near the base to the attachment of the appendage; [tribe Astereae].

44 Disc flowers 8-20; pappus bristles in 2 series; [GA and Panhandle FL west to AL, GA, and LA]  Solidago discoidea

44 Disc flowers 75-95+; pappus bristles in 1 series; [waif]  Symphyotrichum ciliatum

43 Style branch appendages terete to clavate; style branches "eupatorious", linear to slightly clavate-thickened at the tip, the stigmatic surface XXXX; [tribe Eupatorieae]

45 Lower stem leaves with at least a few divergent teeth; phyllaries elongate-striate nerved  Brickellia

45 All leaves entire (or at most with a few obscure crenations); phyllaries lacking elongate striations, the nerving not apparent.

46 Heads borne in spiciform or racemiform arrays (all heads directly attached to a central access of the capitulescence)  Liatris

46 Heads borne in corymbiform, paniculiform, or thyrsiform arrays (at least some heads borne on secondary branches of the capitulescence.

47 Involucres 2-3 mm tall; cypselas 5-ribbed  Hartwrightia floridana

47 Heads 3-20 mm tall; cypselas 10-ribbed.

48 Heads 3.5-6 mm tall; phyllaries 5-12 in 1-2 (-3) series; [Coastal Plain, NC to FL to e. LA].

49 Stem with punctate glands; peduncles punctate-glandular and also hirsutulous; pappus bristles in 2 series; [of FL peninsula]  Litrisa carnosa

49 Stem eglandular, glabrous or spreading-hirsute; peduncles glabrous or stipitate-glandular; pappus bristles in 1 series; [widespread in the Coastal Plain].  Trilisa

48 Heads 3-20 mm tall; phyllaries 15-50+ in 3-7 series; [collectively widespread].

50 Heads borne in corymbiform arrays; involucres 6-12 (15) mm tall; receptacles paleate, at least towards the periphery of the receptacle; pappus of 35-40 barbellulate to barbellate bristles; [nearly restricted to the Coastal Plain]  Carphephorus

50 Heads borne in paniculiform or thyrsiform arrays; involucres 3-20 mm tall; receptacles epaleate; pappus of 12-40 coarsely barbellate, subplumose, or plumose bristles; [widespread in our region]  Liatris