1 Herbs or suffruticose, < 0.9 dm tall |
1 Trees and shrubs, nearly always > 10 dm tall. |
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3 Leaves pinnately compound with > 5 leaflets; petals absent; fruit a samara; small to large tree; [tribe Oleeae, subtribe Fraxininae] |
3 Leaves trifoliolate; petals 6-10, yellow, conspicuous; fruit a deeply 2- lobed dryish berry; [tribe Jasmineae] |
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4 Flowers bright yellow, showy; fruit a many-seeded capsule; [tribe Forsythieae] |
4 Flowers white, lilac, or purplish; fruit a drupe or 4-seeded capsule. |
5 Leaves cordate or truncate at the base; fruit a 4-seeded capsule; corolla lobes shorter than the tube; flowers lilac or white, in terminal panicles; [tribe Oleeae, subtribe Ligustrinae] |
5 Leaves cuneate to rounded at the base; fruit a drupe; corolla lobes either shorter or longer than the tube; flowers white or greenish-white, in terminal or lateral panicles or fascicles. |
6 Corolla absent; calyx minute or lacking; flowers in axillary fascicles; [tribe Oleeae, subtribe Oleinae] |
6 Corolla present (often conspicuous and showy); calyx present; flowers in lateral or terminal panicles or in terminal subumbellate clusters. |
7 Corolla lobes 5-12; flowers in terminal subumbellate clusters; [tribe Jasmineae] |
7 Corolla lobes 4; flowers in axillary or terminal panicles or axillary fascicles. |
8 Corolla lobes elongate, much longer than the corolla tube; [tribe Oleeae, subtribe Oleinae] |
8 Corolla lobes short, no longer than the corolla tube. |
9 Inflorescence a many-flowered terminal panicle; leaves generally ovate, elliptic or lanceolate (widest below or at the middle); [tribe Oleeae, subtribe Ligustrinae] |
9 Inflorescence a few-flowered axillary panicle or fascicle; leaves generally oblanceolate or obovate (widest above the middle); [tribe Oleeae, subtribe Oleinae]. |
10 Leaf margins entire; leaves usually >7 cm long; inflorescence an axillary panicle (with a central axis); [native tree of Coastal Plain forests] |
10 Leaf margins on at least some leaves coarsely spinose- serrate; leaves < 10 cm long; inflorescence an axillary fascicle (lacking a central axis); [horticulturally planted, rarely naturalizing] |
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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] |
5 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence either a head or otherwise; [collectively widespread]. |
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 a head; [s. FL] |
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. |
 Show caption*© Alan Cressler: Euonymus americanus, fruit, Coke Ovens Park, Dunlap, Sequatchie County, Tennessee 2 by Alan Cressler 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 spinose- serrate; [exotics, rarely naturalized] |
10 Leaves serrate (not spinose), serrulate, or crenate; [exotics and natives, collectively widespread]. |
11 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head; [ maritime situations] |
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] |
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14 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head, subtended by an involucre of phyllaries; [ maritime situations] |
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]. |
15 Lianas climbing by twining or by adventitious roots. |
16 Stems with retrorse prickles; foliage scabrous |
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. |
18 Trees; leaves often a mix of alternate and opposite. |
19 Leaves harshly scabrous on the upper surface; fruit a multiple of achenes; leaf venation pinnate but irregular |
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 head-like; flowers sympetalous and 4- lobed; fruit 2 seeded |
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. |
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24 Corolla absent; flowers inconspicuous and small, in axillary fascicles or catkins. |
25 Flowers in catkins; leaves usually a mix of opposite and alternate |
25 Flowers in axillary fascicles; leaves strictly opposite (subopposite) |
24 Corolla present; flowers larger, in terminal cymes, corymbs, racemes, panicles, or in axillary cymes or fascicles. |
26 Petals separate; stamens 8-10 (-60) (or 4-6 in RHAMNACEAE and Euonymus in CELASTRACEAE). |
27 Flowers 1-few, in axillary cymes; stamens 4-6; stems brown, tan, gray, or green. |
28 Leaf venation pinnate, but irregular and reticulated; stems green |
28 Leaf venation neatly pinnate, the lateral veins nearly straight and parallel to one another; stems brown, tan, or gray |
27 Flowers 1 and terminal, or many, in terminal panicles or corymbs; stamens 8-10 (-60); stems brown, tan or gray. |
29 Inflorescence a solitary, terminal flower; stamens 30-60 |
29 Inflorescence a terminal panicle or corymb; stamens 8-15 |
26 Petals fused, at least basally, and often strongly tubular; stamens 2, 4, or 5. |
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31 Petals white, fused basally only, the lobes spreading |
31 Petals pink, yellow, or reddish, fused for most of their length |
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32 Stamens 2; petals yellow; flowers radially symmetrical; inflorescence an axillary fascicle |
32 Stamens 4; petals white, pink, or lavender; flowers bilabiate; inflorescence a terminal thyrse or panicle or an axillary cyme. |
33 Petals 4; inflorescence a terminal thyrse |
33 Petals 5; inflorescence a terminal panicle or an axillary cyme. |
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35 Flowers lavender; fruit a shiny orange drupe (appearing berry-like) |
35 Flowers pinkish-white; fruit a bristly achene |
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36 Fruit a berry, drupe, or achene, indehiscent, fleshy at maturity (or dry in Kolkwitzia). |
37 Fruit a berry, with 20+ seeds |
37 Fruit a drupe or achene, with 1-4 seeds. |
38 Fruit an achene (1-seeded), dry at maturity |
38 Fruit a drupe (1-4-seeded), fleshy at maturity. |
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40 Foliage with stellate hairs; fruit a pink-purple 4-seeded drupe |
40 Foliage glabrous or with simple hairs; fruit a dark red, black, or blue 1-4-seeded drupe. |
41 Fruit a 1-seeded drupe; [NC southwards and westwards] |
41 Fruit a 2-4-seeded drupe; [widespread in our region] |
36 Fruit a capsule, dehiscent, dry at maturity. |
42 Inflorescence a catkin, the flowers small (< 5 mm in diameter) and tightly arranged on the inflorescence axis (> 5 per cm of the axis) |
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). |
43 Capsule prominently 5-angled (star-shaped in ×-section) |
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Show caption*© Alan Cressler: Euonymus americanus, fruit, Coke Ovens Park, Dunlap, Sequatchie County, Tennessee 2 by Alan Cressler pink to red; fruits solitary or in axillary cymes |
45 Capsule brown; fruits in axillary fascicles |
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46 Inflorescence a flat-topped corymb or rounded compound cyme, as wide as or wider than long |
46 Inflorescence elongated, a raceme, panicle, or thyrse, much longer than wide. |
47 Capsule elongate (> 3× as long as wide), 8-25 mm long |
47 Capsule about as long as wide, 3-6 mm long. |
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