Click the number at the start of a key lead to highlight both that lead and its corresponding lead. Click again to show only the two highlighted leads. Click a third time to return to the full key with the selected leads still highlighted.

Click images to enlarge and show more photo credit.

Key to Asteraceae, Key E: herbaceous composites with leaves alternate or basal,
liguliflorous heads (composed of ligulate florets), and sap usually milky

Asteraceae

Copy permalink to share | Check for keys that lead to this key

1
Cypselae (at least of the inner florets of the head) beaked, the beak usually > ½ the length of the cypselae body.
  2
Heads solitary and terminal at the end of a stem unbranched to its base.
    3
Flower color pink to purple or white
 ⇒ Pinaropappus roseus
    3
Flower color yellow to yellowish-white.
      4
Leaves basal and cauline, grasslike (untoothed and unlobed); stem leafy
 ⇒ Tragopogon
      4
Leaves basal only, variously toothed to pinnately lobed; stem scapiform (leafless).
        5
Pappus of bristles, these aggregated at the tip of the elongate, somewhat differentiated achene beak (thus the cypsela forming an umbrella-like structure).
 ⇒ Taraxacum

(c) Fleming, Gary P.
        5
Pappus either of outer scales and inner bristles or entirely of aristate scales, these borne atop slender filiform achenes (the achenes and pappus clearly separate and without a differentiated beak between).

(c) Zharkikh, Andrey - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
(c) Jauch, Wolfgang - CC-BY
          6
Pappus of outer scales and inner plumose bristles; leaves oblanceolate to oblong; plants annual or perennial
 ⇒ Leontodon

(c) Jauch, Wolfgang - CC-BY
          6
Pappus of aristate scales; leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate; plants annual
 ⇒ Uropappus lindleyi

(c) Zharkikh, Andrey - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
  2
Heads several per stem, in various corymbiform, umbelliform, spiciform, or paniculiform arrays (rarely solitary and terminal in the smallest and most depauperate individuals in a population.
    7
Achenes distinctly flattened or compressed.
      8
Florets (6-)10-50+ per head
        9
Plants taprooted annuals or biennials, without rhizomes
 ⇒ Lactuca
        9
Plants rhizomatous perennials, the rhizomes deeply rooted in the substrate
 ⇒ Mulgedium oblongifolium
      10
Pappus of plumose bristles, at least the inner series; plant an annual or biennial.
        11
Receptacles with paleae
 ⇒ Hypochaeris

(c) Hill, Sonnia
      10
Pappus of simple capillary bristles; plant an annual, biennial, or perennial.
        12
Beak of the cypsela with a ring of soft white reflexed hairs at the summit (just below the pappus); phyllary apices usually with keel-like flap
 ⇒ Pyrrhopappus

(c) Wright, Janet - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
© Scott Ward
        12
Beak of the cypsela lacking a ring of hairs as described; phyllary apices lacking keel (phyllary bases can be keeled in Crepis)
          13
Pappus either of 40-50 (or more) smooth bristles or of 20-30 barbellulate bristles; plant a perennial.
1
Cypselae beakless, the apex typically rounded or truncate (sometimes tapered but lacking a distinct beak and conspicuously < ½ the length of cypselae body).
  15
Leaves basally disposed (stem leaves few or none, if present generally smaller in size than the basal leaves, which are persistent into flowering and fruiting); corollas yellow, orange, or red.
      17
Heads solitary or 2-3; pappus absent, the cypselae never bearing scales or bristles; cypselae with 8-10 ribs (3-5 prominent); [waif, ne. US]
 ⇒ Arnoseris minima
      17
Heads solitary; pappus present (occasionally absent in Krigia); cypselae with 10-20 ribs; [widespread natives]
        18
Pappus of 40-80 smooth to barbellulate bristles and sometimes a few subulate to setiform scales (but pappus never absent); [Great Plains, midwest US]
 ⇒ Nothocalais cuspidata
        18
Pappus absent, of scales, or of 5-45 bristles and 5+ scales; [collectively widespread]
 ⇒ Krigia
    16
Pappus of bristles only (these barbellulate, plumose, or rarely smooth).
      19
Pappus of plumose bristles (these somewhat flattened at their bases)
 ⇒ Scorzoneroides
        20
Leaves with entire margins; plants perennials, from short rhizomes, a short caudex with fibrous roots, or a thick taproot.
        20
Leaves coarsely toothed or pinnately lobed; plants annuals, from a taproot.
          22
Flowers usually pink to lavender; [TX; tribe Mutisieae]
 ⇒ Acourtia runcinata
          22
Flowers usually yellow to orange; [widespread, including TX; tribe Cichorieae].
             23
Involucre 5-12 mm high; achenes usually > 2.5 mm long; pappus bristles distinct, 3-7 mm long
 ⇒ Crepis
             23
Involucre 3-5 mm high; achenes 1.5-2.5 mm long; pappus bristles basally connate (unified basally into a ring-like structure at the junction of achene summit), 2.5-3.5 mm long
 ⇒ Youngia
  15
Leaves basal and cauline (plant often beginning with a basal rosette, but by flowering bearing well-developed stem leaves about as large as the basal leaves, the basal rosette often withering prior to flowering and fruiting); corollas yellow, orange, red, blue, pink, white, or lavender.
    24
Pappus absent or of scales.
      25
Corollas pale blue (rarely pink or white)
 ⇒ Cichorium
      25
Corollas yellow (rarely orange).
        26
Phyllaries not enfolding the outer cypselae.
          27
Stem winged and spiny; leaves spiny-margined; receptacle with paleae
 ⇒ Scolymus
          27
Stem not winged or spiny; leaves not spiny-margined; receptacle lacking paleae.
             28
Cypselae 1.2-2.8 mm long; heads borne single at the ends of scapiform stems that are unbranched (rarely few-branched near the base); plants to 7 dm tall
 ⇒ Krigia
             28
Cypselae 3-5 mm long; heads borne in corymbiform or thyrsiform arrays; plants to 15 dm tall
 ⇒ Lapsana communis
    24
Pappus of numerous smooth, barbellate, or plumose bristles.
      29
Cypselae more or less strongly flattened.
        30
Pappus of 30-45+ bristles, these at least partly plumose
 ⇒ Picris
      29
Cypselae terete or prismatic, slightly or not at all flattened.
        31
Corollas pink, purple, lavender, white, or creamy-yellow.
          32
Leaves linear, entire, < 3 mm wide, or reduced to scales; cypselae 11-14 mm long; [of the Coastal Plain of GA and se. AL south to s. FL]
 ⇒ Lygodesmia
          32
Leaves broader, of various shapes, usually hastate, irregularly lobed, and/or serrate; cypselae 3.5-10 mm long; [collectively widespread in our area, south to n. FL]
 ⇒ Nabalus
        31
Corollas bright yellow, orange, or red.
          33
Leaves finely prickly; pappus of frizzy outer bristles and coarse, straight inner bristles
 ⇒ Launaea intybacea
          33
Leaves not finely prickly; pappus of barbellulate bristles (sometimes of uneven thickness but not of 2 distinct types)
             34
Plants taprooted annuals and biennials (rarely perennials); pappus bristles white and soft in texture
 ⇒ Crepis
             34
Plants fibrous-rooted perennials; pappus bristles white, light to medium tan, or sordid, stiff.
               35
Cypselae (2-) 2.5-7 mm long; pappus of (30-) 40-80 white, tan, or sordid bristles, in 1-2+ series; plants cespitose; corollas yellow
 ⇒ Hieracium
               35
Cypselae 1-2.5 mm long; pappus of 25-40+ white to sordid bristles, in 1 series; plants stoloniferous (cespitose in a few species); corollas yellow or orange
 ⇒ Pilosella