Flora of the Southeastern United States

1 Trees, shrubs, or woody vines.

  2 Prostrate or climbing woody vines (lianas), or sprawling shrubs.

    3 Leaf bases cordate, rounded, or truncate; leaves usually cordate, ovate, or deltoid shaped (occasionally hastate or broadly elliptic); corolla pale lilac colored; [non-native, se. US including FL; tribe Paederieae]

    3 Leaf bases cuneate to rounded but not cordate; leaves oblanceolate, lanceolate or linear; corolla white or yellow; [native, FL].

      4 Flowers and fruit sessile or subsessile; fruit yellow

      4 Flowers and fruit borne on pedicels or peduncles; fruit white

  2 Shrub or tree, plants upright.

        5 Inflorescence spherical or globular, in a tight round head; [collectively widespread].

          6 Inside of corolla glabrous; [waif, s. FL]

          6 Inside of corolla pubescent; [natives and non-native; widespread, including s. FL]

             7 Fruits dry, dehiscent, composed of nutlets; lobes of the corolla smaller; [subfamily Cinchonoideae; tribe Naucleeae]

             7 Fruits fleshy, indehiscent, composed of drupe-like syncarps; lobes of the corolla larger (inflorescence with 1 petaloid calycophyll in M. citrifolia); [subfamily Rubioideae; tribe Morindeae]

        5 Inflorescence cymose, thyrsoid, or corymbose (the inflorescence more open, not globular); [Coastal Plain, from s. SC southward].

               8 Plants with paired spines.

                 9 Corolla lobes 4; leaves to ca. 1 cm long; fruit ca. 5 mm long

                 9 Corolla lobes 5; leaves ca. 2-5 cm long ; fruit ca. 10 mm long

               8 Plants unarmed, not bearing spines or thorns.

                   10 Flowers orange-red; leaves usually whorled; [subfamily Cinchonoideae; tribe Hamelieae]

                   10 Flowers white, green, or maroon; leaves predominantly opposite.

                     11 Leaves linear, revolute, and strongly congested at branch tips; [FL keys southward]

                     11 Leaves broad, not linear, nor strongly congested (except sometimes in Guettarda); [widespread, including s. FL].

                       12 Flowers solitary, terminal, appearing Rose or Magnolia-like; [horticultural waif; subfamily Ixoroideae; tribe Gardenieae]

                       12 Flowers in cymose or thyrsoid inflorescences, not appearing Magnolia or Rose-like (sometimes singular in Exostema, but the corolla is conspicuously salverform); [natives, s. SC southward through FL]

                          13 Corolla salverform, the tube long and slender, ca. (1.5-) 2-9 cm long, the petals noticeably shorter than the tube (or if of similar length then the lobes linear, as in Exostema); [c. and s. FL only in our area].

                            14 Leaves ovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, not conspicuously rounded in shape (or at least this not predominant); corolla tube 2-5 cm long, the corolla lobes often recurved apically, linear and of similar length to corolla tube; stamens conspicuously exerted; [s. FL]

                          13 Corolla not salverform (or if the tube somewhat lengthened not 2-5 cm long), the corolla lobes broadened and not typically recurved apically; stamens exerted or not; [s. SC southward through FL].

                              15 Inflorescence cymose; some calyx lobes expanded into pink or reddish “flags”, the corolla lobes often pink-dotted; leaves deciduous; domatia not present; [of s. SC southward]; [subfamily Ixoroideae; tribe Condamineeae]

                              15 Inflorescences thyrsoid; calyx lobes inconspicuous; leaves evergreen; domatia present or absent in secondary abaxial vein axils; [of ne. FL southward].

                                16 Fruit large, fig-like (5-7 cm long berries), obovoid, green-colored when ripened and somewhat dull; [subfamily Ixoroideae; tribe Gardenieae]

                                16 Fruit smaller (pea-sized or smaller, ca. 4-6 mm in diameter), rounded and berry or drupe-like, white, red, or black colored when ripened, usually at least somewhat lustrous.

                                  17 Leaves with 8-14 pairs of prominently depressed secondary veins on the upper (adaxial) surface, the veins nearly arising perpindicular from the midvein and often curving (arcuate) toward the leaf margins (thus causing the leaf tissue to almost "rise" from between the veins), the blades herbaceous or membranous; fruit red; [subfamily Rubioideae; tribe Psychotrieae]

                                  17 Leaves usually with < 8 secondary veins, these not conspicuously depressed within the leaf blade (sometimes the midvein moderately depressed); the blades leathery; fruit black or white; [subfamily Cinchonoideae; tribe Chiococceae]

                                    18 Inflorescence elongate-thyrsoid, pedicels bent to one side, petals yellowish; ripened fruit white; plants often vine-like or sprawling shrubs

                                    18 Inflorescence cymose or corymbose, usually terminal, petals whitish; ripened fruit black; plants upright shrubs

1 Herbs (or creeping subshrubs in Mitchella); [ADD Borreria]

                                       19 Leaves whorled; [subfamily Rubioideae; tribe Rubieae]

                                         20 Flowers 5-merous; leaves 30-115 × 8-25 (-35) mm; fruit fleshy, purplish black; [rare waif]

                                         20 Flowers 3-4-merous; leaves 1-60 × 0.5-22 mm; fruit usually dry, tan to brown (but fleshy and purplish-black in Trichoglium bermudense and T. uniflorum); [collectively common and widespread in our region]

                                           21 Leaf whorls primarily of 4 leaves (some nodes may have 2, 3, 5, or 6).

                                             22 Corollas yellow, 0.5-1 mm across; inflorescences axillary, of 1-4 flowers, the pedicels recurving as they develop, sometimes the flowers and at least the fruits then positioned below the whorl; plants annual

                                             22 Corollas white, yellow, or maroon, 1-10 mm across; inflorescences axillary or terminal, of 3-many flowers, the pedicels not recurving, the pedicels not recurving, the flowers and fruits borne above the leaf whorls; plants perennial (rarely annual)

                                               23 Leaves 1-veined; fruits smooth

                                               23 Leaves palmately 3-5-veined (except 1-3-veined in T. arkansanum and T. virgatum, which have tuberculate or bristly fruits, respectively); fruits either bristly, tuberculate, or smooth

                                           21 Leaf whorls primarily of 5-12 leaves, at least the largest whorls with more than 4 leaves.

                                                 24 Corollas pink, purple or blue, funnelform, the tube 4-7 mm long; flowers borne in clusters or headlike groupings, subtended by an involucre of leaflike bracts; plants annuals.

                                                    25 Bracts of involucre distinct from one another (not fused); sepals absent or minute; fruits glabrous

                                                    25 Bracts of involucre basally fused to one another; sepals triangular; leaves mostly 3-6× as long as wide; fruits with appressed hairs

                                                 24 Corollas white or yellow (rarely very pale rose), rotate with a short tube < 3 mm long; flowers not borne in involucrate clusters; plants annuals or perennials

                                                      26 Leaf apices sharply pointed to cuspidate; corollas white, cream, pale yellow, or yellow; primary leaf whorls with 4-12 leaves; corolla lobes 4

                                                      26 Leaf apices blunt; corollas white (rarely very pale rose); primary leaf whorls with 4-6 leaves; corolla lobes 3-4

                                       19 Leaves opposite.

                                                        27 Fruit bright blue or purple, the apex bearing a partially persistent calyx; [waif, c. FL]

                                                        27 Fruit variously colored but not bright blue to purple, the calyx not partially persistent or inconspicuously so; [widespread natives and non-natives].

                                                          28 Flowers paired, the ovaries connate and developing into a single fleshy red fruit; leaves roundish; creeping subshrub; [subfamily Rubioideae; tribe Mitchelleae]

                                                          28 Flowers single or in inflorescences with multiple flowers, the fruits either dry or fleshy and yellowish or black; leaves various; herb; [subfamily Rubioideae; tribe Spermacoceae].

                                                            29 Carpels with few to many seeds.

                                                              30 Corolla 5-lobed.

                                                                 31 Flowers variously colored, often pinkish-purple or whitish-pink; leaf blades often > 5 cm long; plants perennial, erect, not succulent; [waif, c. and s. FL]

                                                                 31 Flowers white; leaf blades < 5 cm long; plants annual, creeping or only partially erect, partially succulent; [uncommon exotic, SC s. to FL, w. to TX and AR]

                                                              30 Corolla 4-lobed.

                                                                   32 Leaf blades 1-5 mm long; plants conspicuously creeping

                                                                   32 Leaf blades (3-) 5-50 mm long; plants erect, spreading, or prostrate.

                                                                     33 Capsule longer than the calyx tube; flowers blue, pink, or white

                                                                     33 Capsule not longer than the calyx tube; flowers white

                                                            29 Carpels 1-seeded.

                                                                       34 Flowers in dense, terminal, involucrate heads; flowers 4- or-6-lobed; styles 3

                                                                       34 Flowers in axillary or terminal clusters, or single in axils, not involucrate; flowers 4-lobed; styles 2.

                                                                         35 Flowers usually solitary in leaf axils; fruit separating into 2 parts.

                                                                           36 Sepals 4 and similar in size; style entire; [of dry habitats]

                                                                           36 Sepals 2 (or 4, and then markedly dimorphic); style cleft; [of moist to wet habitats]

                                                                         35 Flowers in terminal and axillary clusters; fruits not separating into 2 parts.

                                                                              37 Carpels opening transversely

                                                                              37 Carpels opening longitudinally