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Key to Betulaceae

Betulaceae

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1 Scales of the pistillate catkins persistent; leafy involucre absent; fruit a small winged nut; [subfamily Betuloideae].
(c) Fleming, Gary P.
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
(c) Ware, Richard & Teresa - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
  2 Pistillate scales woody, forming a persistent conelike catkin; plant a shrub, < 4 m tall (except A. glutinosa)
  2 Pistillate scales deciduous with or soon after the fruits; plant a tree, > 10 m tall at maturity
1 Scales of the pistillate catkins caducous; leafy involucre present, conspicuous; fruit an unwinged nut; [subfamily Coryloideae].
(c) Митрошенкова, Анна - CC-BY
(c) McCorquodale, David - CC-BY
(c) Bradley, Keith
    3 Nut spherical, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, closely enveloped by the involucre
    3 Nut ovoid, 0.4-0.6 cm long, loosely or not at all enveloped by the involucre.
(c) Kluge, Mark - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
(c) Wong, Michelle - CC-BY
(c) ccgibbons - CC-BY-ND
      4 Infructescence bracts flat, 1-3 lobed, not enclosing the nut; bark gray, smooth; trunk moderately to strongly fluted; buds 4-angled
(c) Fleming, Gary P.
(c) Ward, Scott G
(c) Bradley, Keith
      4 Infructescence bracts inflated, loosely enclosing the nut; bark brown, shreddy; trunk not fluted; buds not 4-angled