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Key to Cactaceae

Cactaceae

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(c) Hill, Sonnia
1 Leaves persistent, with broad, flat, pinnately-veined blades; flowers borne in many-flowered cymes; [FL peninsula and s. TX only]; [subfamily Pereskioideae]
(c) Campos, Aidan
1 Leaves absent, rudimentary (usually < 1 mm long), or caducous (lasting up to 3 months, up to 3 cm long, narrowly conical in shape, and terete or broadly elliptical in ×-section); flowers solitary; [collectively widespread in our area].
(c) Campos, Aidan - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
(c) Campos, Aidan - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
  2 Areoles with detachable glochids (retrorsely barbed bristles, finer than spines) (and also with or without spines), stems segmented into “pads” that are circular, ovate, obovate, or elliptical in outline and flattened in ×-section, at least apically (Consolea) or throughout (Opuntia), or into cylindric-clavate segments that are terete in ×-section (Cylindropuntia, Grusonia); [subfamily Opuntioideae].
(c) Campos, Aidan
    3 Stems segments terete in ×-section, spines bearing papery epidermal sheaths either deciduous for the whole length of the spine (Cylindropuntia), or deciduous only at apex of spine and exposing spine tips (Grusonia); [tribe Cylindropuntieae].
      4 Plants shrubs to small trees, spine sheaths deciduous for whole length of spine to expose the entire spine
      4 Plants mat-forming, spine sheaths deciduous only at apices of spines to expose the spine tips
(c) Campos, Aidan
    3 Stems segments flattened in ×-section to form pads, spines without papery epidermal sheaths; [tribe Opuntieae].
        5 Main axis of plant unsegmented, bearing ‘pads’ at its summit; fruits and flowers bearing spines; [FL peninsula only]
        5 Main axis of plant segmented throughout into ‘pads’; fruits and flowers lacking spines; [widespread in our area]
(c) Bradley, Keith
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
  2 Areoles lacking glochids (and also with or without spines); stems either cylindrical, or cylindrical but with 3-many ribs, or flattened with 2 wings and an apparent central thickened cord; [subfamily Cactoideae].
          6 Stems < 7 mm in diameter; plant a pendulous epiphyte; tepals <12; [tribe Rhipsalidae]
          6 Stems > 7 mm in diameter; plant either a tree, or an erect, ascending, to sprawling shrub, or an epiphyte with broadly winged stems; tepals > 12.
             7 Mature stems (2-) 3-8 angled or winged; [tribe Hylocereeae].
               8 Plants usually epiphytic or epipetric, conspicuously producing adventitious roots.
(c) Reverte, Ricard Busquets - CC-BY
                 9 Ribs 2 [-3 on proximal portions of juvenile stems], the stem margins crenate-undulate to shallowly lobed, leaf-like
                 9 Ribs [3-]4-8[-12]; stems conspicuously producing adventitious roots
             7 Mature stems terete in general outline, tuberculate or with 4-31 rounded to keeled ribs.
                   10 Spines absent from all areoles of stems, areoles instead with dense tufts of trichomes; stems spheric-hemispheric and often depressed at apex, or rarely cylindric in deep shade (Lophophora); [s. TX only]
                     11 Stems speckled with tufts of whitish trichomes outside of areoles; ribs [4-]8-10; inner tepals bright yellow and proximally red
                     11 Stems not speckled with tufts of whitish trichomes; ribs 5-13; inner tepals white with pinkish midribs
                   10 Spines present on at least some areoles, stems various.
(c) Wong, Michelle - CC-BY
                       12 Plants with at least some central spines recurved to hooked apically
(c) Cressler, Alan M.
                          13 Stems hemispheric to oblate; plants often buried to near flush with soil surface
(c) Wong, Michelle - CC-BY
                            14 Longest central spines all strongly flattened; stems 7.5-20cm in diameter; tepals bright yellow.
                            14 Longest central spines terete or flattened only adaxially, or rarely some entirely flattened (Hamatocactus); stems 2-12cm in diameter; tepals bright yellow and proximally red-tinged or bright green to yellow-green (rarely reddish).
(c) Keith, Eric - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
                              15 Stems with ribs thin & sharply keeled, radial spines 10-19 per areole; tepals bright yellow and proximally red-tinged.
(c) Wong, Michelle - CC-BY
                              15 Stems with ribs rounded or becoming tuberculate, radial spines 13-28 per areole, tepals bright green to yellow-green (rarely reddish).
                       12 Plants with central spines not apically-hooked, if not straight then only weakly curving downward (Coryphantha).
                                16 Long upper spines strongly flattened
 Thelocactus bicolor var. bicolor
(c) Steven, Daniel - C, permission granted to NCBG
                                  17 Stems strongly tuberculate.
                                    18 Flowers borne from stem apex, areoles with narrow, linear grooves on adaxial surfaces.
                                         20 Flower tube and fruit with prominent thick or bristle-like spines in addition to scales and hairs. [TX and OK only]
                                           21 Stems < 7 cm in diameter, stems unbranched to sparsely branched, ascending to sprawling, often scrambling through and supported by other vegetation
                                           21 Stems > 7cm in diameter, stems unbranched to heavily branched, ascending to erect; plants tree-like.
(c) Goldman, Douglas - CC-BY
                                             22 Ribs 4-7, spines of mature stems 8-10, flower tube 10 cm long
(c) Campos, Aidan
                                             22 Ribs 8-13, spines of mature stems 9-31, flower tube < 1.5 cm long