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 Caryophyllaceae, Key B: Subkey in Caryophyllaceae

Copy permalink to share | Check for keys that lead to this key

1 Petals absent; fruit a 1-seeded, indehiscent utricle; styles 2; [tribe Sclerantheae]  Scleranthus

1 Petals present (rarely obsolete or essentially absent); fruit a few-many seeded capsule; styles 3-5.

2 Leaves fleshy; seeds > 3 mm long; [of seabeaches and dunes] ; [tribe Sclerantheae]  Honckenya

2 Leaves membranaceous or stiff; seeds < 2 mm long; [of various habitats].

3 Styles 4-5.

4 Leaves linear-subulate, < 2 mm wide; styles 4-5.

5 Valves or teeth of the capsule twice as many as the styles; [tribe Alsineae]  Moenchia

Show caption*© Scott Ward, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Scott Ward         5 Valves or teeth of the capsule as many as the styles; [tribe Sagineae]  Sagina

4 Leaves ovate, obovate, > 4 mm wide; styles 5; [tribe Alsineae].

6 Capsule cylindric, dehiscent by 10 apical teeth  Dichodon viscidum

6 Capsule ovoid, dehiscent by 5 valves, each apically 2-cleft  Stellaria aquatica

3 Styles 3.

7 Inflorescence umbelliform; petals irregularly denticulate at apex; [tribe Alsineae]  Holosteum

7 Inflorescence cymose or racemiform; petals entire, notched, or deeply cleft.

8 Petals shallowly to deeply 2-cleft, notched at least 1/4 of the length, often divided nearly to the base and then appearing almost as 10 petals; [tribe Alsineae].

9 Capsule cylindric, twice as long as the sepals; petals 2-cleft 1/5 - 1/2 length; styles (3-) 5 (-6), 0.5-2 mm long  Cerastium

Show caption*© Sonnia Hill                  9 Capsule spherical, ellipsoid, or globose, as long as or slightly longer than the sepals; petals 2-cleft 2/3-3/4 length (1/2 length in Rabelera); styles (2-) 3 (-5), 0.2-7 mm long

10 Stems square; petals 2-cleft ca 1/2 of length  Rabelera holostea

10 Stems round or roundish; petals 2-cleft 2/3 to 3/4 of length  Stellaria

8 Petals entire, or emarginate.

11 Valves or teeth of the capsule as many as the styles.

12 Leaves strongly basally disposed, most in the lowermost 1/3 of the stem, and overlapping (the internodes < the leaf length; leaves firm, with axillary fascicles of leaves; [tribe Sagineae]  Sabulina

12 Leaves evenly distributed along the stem and widely spaced (the internodes > the leaf length); leaves herbaceous to slightly fleshy, generally without axillary fascicles of leaves.

13 Sepals 4; petals 0; [tribe Sagineae]  Sabulina

13 Sepals 5; petals 5; [tribe Sclerantheae]  Geocarpon

11 Valves or teeth of the capsule twice as many as the styles.

14 Seeds with an aril; [tribe Arenarieae]  Moehringia

14 Seeds lacking an aril.

Show caption*© John Gwaltney                               15 Capsule straight; petals entire or barely emarginated; [tribe Arenarieae]  Arenaria

Show caption*© Richard & Teresa Ware                               15 Capsule cylindrical, and often somewhat curved; petals emarginate to bifid; [tribe Alsineae]  Cerastium