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Key to Lamiaceae

Lamiaceae

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1 Fruit a fleshy drupe; plant a small tree, shrub, or sprawling vine; mature stems terete or obscurely 4-sided (by secondary growth).
(c) Wong, Michelle - CC-BY
  2 Flowers zygomorphic; palmately (3-) 5-7 (-9) foliolate or simple (V. rotundifolia); [subfamily Viticoideae]
  2 Flowers essentially actinomorphic; leaves simple.
    3 Stems pubescent with dendritic hairs; inflorescence axillary; calyx 0.5-2 mm, lobes diminutive to nearly obsolete
    3 Stems glabrous or pubescent with simple (unbranched) hairs; inflorescence terminal (rarely only axillary); calyx lobes conspicuous or diminuitive.
      4 Corolla 5-40 mm long; calyx 5-18 mm, the lobes conspicuous, the calyx length often surpassing the fruit when mature; [subfamily Ajugoideae]
      4 Corolla 2-5 mm long; the calyx lobes inconspicuous and not surpassing the mature fruit; [subfamily Premnoideae]
(c) Gwaltney, John
1 Fruit a schizocarp of 4 dry mericarps; plant either an herb or a shrub to 5 (-20) dm tall; mature stems usually distinctly 4-sided (sometimes terete or obscurely 4-sided).
(c) Ward, Scott G
        5 Calyx with either a distinctly enlarged protuberance on the upper surface, or the upper lobe expanded and “cap-like”.
          6 Calyx with 5 lobes, clearly separate apically, with the upper lobe expanded and “cap-like”
          6 Calyx with 2 entire lobes joined at the margins, rounded apically, with a distinct protuberance on the upper surface
        5 Calyx without an enlarged protuberance or “cap-like” upper lobe.
             7 Upper lip of corolla greatly reduced or lobes laterally disposed, thus the corolla appearing to consist of one large lower lip; [subfamily Ajugoideae].
               8 Lower lip with 2-4 lobes; flowers yellow or deep blue-purple; plants stoloniferous
               8 Lower lip appearing 5-lobed (proximal 2 lateral, erect lobes represent the cryptic upper lip); flowers white to pink; plants cespitose
             7 Upper lip of corolla conspicuous, flaring or galeate.
                 9 Plants distinctly repent and rooting at the nodes, or producing elongate stolons.
(c) Sorrie, Bruce A. - CC-BY
                   10 Plants stoloniferous.
                              15 Calyx with 3-4 prominent lobes (rarely 5, if one includes small teeth).
                                  17 Calyx with 4 unequal primary lobes; flowers large, 2.5-3.5 cm long, in bracteate terminal racemes
                                  17 Calyx with 3 primary lobes (upper lobe occasionally with 3 apiculate teeth, e.g. Salvia lyrata); flowers 3 cm or less, in terminal thyrses.
                              15 Calyx usually with 5 prominent lobes (except for Clinopodium with rarely fused upper lobes).
                                                                       34 Stems often with swollen nodes (areas just below appear dark and sunken upon drying, except G. ladanum); hairs of the stem either exclusively hispid or short recurved and mixed with longer glandular trichomes; corolla 15-28 mm long
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Key J2: woody angiosperms with opposite, simple leaves with toothed margins {add [Abelia] CAPRIFOLIACEAE}

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1 Leaves evergreen.
  2 Plant a shrub, erect, not requiring support.
    3 Leaves with spiny margins; fruit a drupe; [uncommon horticultural escapes].
      4 Flowers 5-merous, the petals clawed; leaves usually small (ca. 2-3 mm long or less); [FL]
      4 Flowers 4-merous; petals not clawed; leaves larger (the longer leaves usually > 3 mm long); [NC northeastward]
    3 Leaves with crenate or serrate margins (the teeth not bearing small spines); fruits various; [widespread natives and non-natives]
        5 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head; [maritime situations]
 Iva
        5 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence either a head or otherwise; [collectively widespread].
(c) 渡辺仁, Hitoshi WATANABE - CC-BY
(c) Danielson, Erik
          6 Leaves > 8 cm long, typically spotted with yellow, coarsely toothed; fruit a red drupe; [commonly cultivated, rarely seeding down nearby]
          6 Leaves < 8 cm long, not yellow-spotted, serrulate; fruit a capsule or purplish drupe; [plants native or cultivated].
             7 Inflorescence otherwise; [more widespread].
               8 Corolla tubular, campanulate, bilaterally symmetrical; fruit a 1-seeded achene (rarely produced)
               8 Corolla radially symmetrical, with 4-5 distinct petals; fruit a 2-10-seeded capsule or drupe.
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
                 9 Fruit a 4-5-locular capsule, with 2 seeds per locule (though often fewer by abortion)
                 9 Fruit a (2-) 3-locular, purplish-black drupe, with (2-) 3 single-seeded stones
  2 Plant a subshrub, creeping shrub, or liana.
                   10 Leaves serrate (not spinose), serrulate, or crenate; [exotics and natives, collectively widespread].
                     11 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head; [maritime situations]
 Iva
                     11 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence otherwise; [collectively widespread].
                       12 Leaves on vigorous shoots with a few coarse rounded teeth towards the base (most leaves entire)
                       12 Leaves serrulate to serrate, the teeth uniformly around the margin or concentrated towards the tip; fruit dry, either indehiscent and 1-seeded or capsular and with several seeds.
                          13 Flowers 5-merous; petals fused; fruit indehiscent, 1-seeded; [montane, from e. TN, WV, and w. MD northwards in our area]
                          13 Flowers 4- or 5-merous; petals separate; fruit capsular, dehiscent, several-seeded; [collectively widespread in our area]
1 Leaves deciduous.
                            14 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head, subtended by an involucre of phyllaries; [maritime situations]
 Iva
                            14 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence, flower, and fruit structure various, but not with the combination of features as above (sometimes the flowers in a head subtended by bracts, but then with other features differing, such as stamens 4, or green calyx present, or petals separate, or fruit a schizocarp of mericarps, etc.); [collectively widespread].
                                16 Stems not prickly; foliage smooth to variously hairy, but not scabrous.
                                  17 Leaves on vigorous shoots with a few coarse rounded teeth towards the base (most leaves entire), the larger leaves < 3 cm wide; lianas climbing by twining; fruit a fleshy berry; flowers 5-merous, with a fused, tubular corolla
                                  17 Leaves serrate, the teeth towards the leaf apex, the larger leaves > 4 cm wide; lianas climbing by adventitious roots; fruit a capsule; flowers 7-10-merous, with separate petals
                              15 Upright shrubs or trees, lacking any adaptations for climbing.
                                       19 Leaves not scabrous; fruit a 2-4-seeded drupe; leaf venation neatly pinnate, the lateral veins nearly straight and parallel to one another
                                    18 Shrubs or trees; leaves strictly opposite (or often subopposite in RHAMNACEAE).
                                         20 Trees; leaves palmately-veined, with 5 or more veins from the base; [rarely naturalizing]
                                         20 Shrubs; leaves either triple-veined from near the base or pinnate-veined; [collectively widespread and common]
                                           21 Leaves strongly triple-veined from at or near the base of the blade, the 2 lateral veins arching towards the tip and rejoining the midvein or nearly so (becoming diffuse before rejoining); petals 4, white; stamens 15-90
                                           21 Leaves pinnate-veined; petals various, not both 4 and white (except sometimes in Hydrangea); stamens 1-15 (except 15-30 in Exochorda in ROSACEAE).
                                             22 Inflorescence more diffuse, with internal axes and pedicels; flowers not BOTH sympetalous and 4-lobed (except in Forsythia and Buddleja, which have conspicuous axillary or paniculate inflorescences); fruit 1-seeded, 2-4-seeded, or 4-many-seeded.
                                                        27 Flowers 1 and terminal, or many, in terminal panicles or corymbs; stamens 8-10 (-60); stems brown, tan or gray.
(c) Fleming, Gary P.
                                                                                    40 Foliage with stellate hairs; fruit a pink-purple 4-seeded drupe
                                                                                        42 Inflorescence various, but more diffuse, the flowers larger (> 5 mm in diameter, except for some flowers in Hydrangea in HYDRANGEACEAE) and loosely arranged (< 5 per cm of axis).