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Key to Plantaginaceae

Plantaginaceae

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1 Leaves alternate, at least those on the upper stem; calyx 5-merous; stamens 4.
  2 Corolla lacking a spur or pouch at the base
    3 Plants erect herbs, not vining; [tribe Digitaleae]
    3 Plants vining; [tribe Antirrhineae].
      4 Calyx glandular-pilose; corolla lacking a raised palate (the raised area of lower lip)
      4 Calyx glabrous; corolla with a raised yellow palate (the raised area of lower lip)
  2 Corolla with a distinct spur or broad pouch protruding between the 2 lower calyx lobes; [tribe Antirrhineae].
        5 Corolla with a broad pouch at the base (saccate or gibbose).
          6 Calyx lobes about equal, all shorter than the corolla tube; corolla 25-40 mm long; leaves to 15 mm wide
          6 Calyx lobes distinctly unequal, all longer than the corolla tube; corolla 10-13 mm long; leaves to 5 mm wide
        5 Corolla with a slender spur at the base.
             7 Flowers in terminal racemes
             7 Flowers solitary in leaf axils.
               8 Stems erect; leaves linear
               8 Stems prostrate; leaves orbicular, ovate, or triangular.
                 9 Leaves orbicular in outline, palmately lobed and veined; stems rooting at nodes
                 9 Leaves ovate or triangular, pinnately veined; stems not rooting
1 Leaves either strictly basal, or opposite or whorled throughout; calyx 0-, 4-, or 5-merous; stamens 1, 2, or 4.
                   10 Leaves strongly basally disposed, usually all the leaves basal (or with significantly reduced cauline leaves); petals 3 or 4, scarious and translucent in texture or otherwise dull-yellow and inconspicuous; inflorescence a spike; [tribe Plantagineae]
                     11 Plants with leaves usually all basal; petals scarious and translucent in texture, not bilabiate; fruit a circumsessile dehiscent capsule (i.e. a lid-bearing pyxide); [collectively widespread]
                     11 Plants with prominent basal leaves and reduced, sub-whorled, cauline leaves; petals yellow, bilabiate; fruit a loculicidal capsule; [s. OH w. to s. IL, northward]
                   10 Leaves cauline, either opposite or whorled; petal 0, or 4, or 5; inflorescence various.
                       12 Leaves whorled.
                          13 Aquatic; leaves 5-30 mm long, lanceolate, toothed to deeply dissected into linear segments; [tribe Gratioleae]
                          13 Terrestrial; leaves 40-15 cm long, lanceolate or elliptic, toothed; [tribe Veroniceae]
                       12 Leaves opposite.
                            14 Petals 0; sepals 0, stamens 1; leaves both < 2 cm long and entire; [tribe Callitricheae]
                            14 Petals 4 or 5; sepals 4 or 5; stamens 2 or 4; leaves > 2 cm long, or serrate, or both.
                              15 Calyx and corolla 4-merous.
                                16 Leaves punctate; stamens 4; [tribe Gratioleae]
                                16 Leaves not punctate; stamens 2; [tribe Veroniceae]
                              15 Calyx and corolla 5-merous.
                                  17 Plants erect, moderately robust, usually > 4 dm tall, larger leaves > 5 cm long; inflorescences terminal (the bracts subtending flowers strongly reduced in size in comparison to main leaves of the stem); [tribe Cheloneae].
                                    18 Inflorescence compact, the inflorescence axis generally hidden by the closely packed and overlapping flowers; each flower subtended by large overlapping bracts
                                    18 Inflorescence more diffuse, the inflorescence axis readily visible between the flowers; flowers lacking extra subtending bracts
                                  17 Plants creeping, decumbent or erect, small, usually < 4 dm tall (except Mecardonia, to 5 dm tall), larger leaves < 5 cm long; inflorescences axillary (all or most of the flowers axillary to more-or-less normally sized leaves).
                                       19 Stamens 2; [section Gratioleae].
                                         20 Capsule flattened, compressed in ×-section; capsule wider than long, notched; leaves dimorphic, with narrow submersed leaves on the lower stems, and broad floating leaves just subtending the aerial inflorescences; [of vernal pools on granite outcrops in Piedmont SC, GA, and AL]
                                         20 Capsule turgid, roundish in ×-section; capsule longer than wide; leaves monomorphic; [collectively of many habitats and widespread].
                                           21 Flowers and fruits on definite pedicels; annual or perennial; leaves not papillose
                                           21 Flowers and fruits sessile or subsessile, the pedicels < 1 mm long; perennial; leaves papillose on the surfaces and margins
                                       19 Stamens 4.
                                             22 Sepals evidently connate into a tube about as long as the lobes; [section Cheloneae]
                                             22 Sepals distinct or very nearly so.
                                               23 Leaves deeply pinnatifid; [tribe Stemodieae]
                                               23 Leaves entire or toothed; [tribe Gratioleae].
                                                 24 Corolla nearly radially symmetrical; corolla lobes about as long as the corolla tube; leaves palmately veined, with parallel veins diverging from the base, margins entire to crenulate; of aquatic to moist habitats, often somewhat succulent
                                                 24 Corolla distinctly bilabiate; corolla lobes shorter than the corolla tube; leaves pinnately veined, with a single main-vein and lateral veins diverging along it, margins serrate; of moist habitats, not succulent

Key C5: rooted aquatics with cauline leaves, compound or divided

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1 Leaves (or leaf-like adventitious roots) 1-pinnately compound or divided (with a central axis bearing pinnae, the pinnae not further divided).
  2 Leaves crowded at the upper end of the stem, supported by inflated branches
  2 Leaves (or leaf-like adventitious roots) spaced along the stem, no branches inflated.
    3 Emersed leaves diamond-shaped, the blade < 2× as long wide, serrate only in the upper portion of its length
    3 Emersed leaves lanceolate, the blade > 4× as long as wide, serrate along its length
1 Leaves dichotomously or otherwise complexly (2-3×) compound or divided.
      4 Plants bearing numerous bladder-like traps
      4 Plants lacking bladder-like traps.
        5 Leaves alternate; leaf segments complexly (but not dichotomously) branched.
          6 Leaf dissection 2-pinnate to 3-pinnate; flowers in racemes; petals 4, white
          6 Leaf dissection 2-ternate to 3-ternate; flowers solitary; petals 5, yellow or white
        5 Leaves opposite or whorled; leaf segments dichotomously branched.
             7 Leaves whorled; leaf segments entire or toothed with denticles.
               8 Leaf segments toothed with denticles
             7 Leaves opposite; leaf segments entire.
                 9 Leaves sessile
                 9 Leaves petiolate

Key C7: rooted aquatics with simple, cauline, opposite or whorled leaves

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1 Leaves whorled, most nodes with 3 or more leaves.
  2 Leaves strongly toothed to pectinate
  2 Leaves entire or finely toothed.
    3 Leaves tipped by a callus (visible at 10× magnification); leaf margins entire; flowers many, grouped in a terminal involucrate head; [Eudicots]
    3 Leaves not callus-tipped; leaf margins finely toothed or at least with conical protrusions remaining from the disintegration of better-developed deciduous teeth; flowers solitary on elongate, flexuous stalks; [Monocots]
1 Leaves opposite, no nodes with 3 or more leaves.
      4 Cauline leaves in 1 pair
      4 Cauline leaves in 2-many nodes.
        5 Leaves in 2-3 pairs, appearing verticillate; plants of marine waters; [of FL, MS, LA and southward]
        5 Leaves along stem at 2-many nodes; plants of fresh to brackish waters; [collectively widespread].
          6 Flowers 3-merous; [Monocots].
             7 Leaf margins (or at least leaf sheaths) serrate or minutely spiny; fruits sessile, entire; leaves 5-15× as long as wide
             7 Leaf margins (including sheaths) entire; fruit stalked, dentate on one side; leaves >20× as long as wide
          6 Flowers 4- or 5-merous; [Eudicots].
               8 Leaves 1-12 cm long; flowers borne in axillary or terminal spikes or clusters
               8 Leaves 0.5-3 (-5) cm long; flowers solitary, axillary.
                 9 Carpels 4-5, separate; fruit an aggregate of follicles; leaves succulent
                 9 Carpels 2-5, fused; fruit capsular (variously dehiscent); leaves thin in texture or somewhat succulent (e.g. Bacopa in PLANTAGINACEAE).
                   10 Leaves dimorphic, the terminal leaves usually spatulate (strongly expanded towards the apex); corolla absent; stamen 1
                   10 Leaves monomorphic, obovate, oblanceolate, or parallel-margined; corolla present (absent in Didiplis in LYTHRACEAE); stamens 2-6.
                     11 Flower radially symmetrical, 3-4-merous; petals absent or separate
                       12 Stems lacking ridges running down from leaf bases
                       12 Stems with ridges running down from leaf bases
                     11 Flower bilaterally symmetrical, 4-5-merous; petals present, fused at least basally, forming a tube.
                          13 Corolla 4-merous
                          13 Corolla 5-merous