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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.

Key to Asteraceae, Key E: herbaceous composites with leaves spiny, leaves alternate or basal, and heads discoid

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1 Heads appearing spherical (the ‘visual head’ actually a secondary head aggregated of numerous 1-flowered heads); disk flowers blue (rarely almost white)
1 Heads not spherical; disk flowers pink (rarely yellow).
..2 Stem winged, the wings armed with spines.
....3 Pappus of plumose bristles
....3 Pappus of barbellulate bristles.
......4 Cypselas borne on the surface of the receptacle, intermixed with setiform scales; foliage glabrous or more loosely and sparsely pubescent
......4 Cypselas borne in the pits of the naked honeycombed receptacle; foliage densely white-tomentose
..2 Stem not winged.
........5 Leaves green with white mottles
........5 Leaves green.
..........6 Disk flowers pink (rarely white)
..........6 Disk flowers yellow.
............ 7 Pappus of numerous plumose bristles
............ 7 Pappus absent or of scales or barbellulate bristles.
............ ..8 Cypselas 4-angled; receptacles bearing subulate scales
............ ..8 Cypselas terete, 20-ribbed; receptacles bearing flattened bristles