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1 Shrubs and trees, definitely woody, > 1 m tall when mature (flowering and fruiting).
3 Leaves either simple, or unifoliolate and appearing simple.
4 Stems unarmed, inflorescenceaxes and young stems with short, red-brown, scurfy hairs; inflorescences of short, compact to somewhat elongate racemes; [subfamily Aurantioideae; Bergera alliance]
4 Stems armed or unarmed, inflorescences and young stems glabrous, or pubescent with short, grey to white, erect to curved hairs; inflorescences of small fascicles, or solitary or paired flowers; [subfamily Aurantioideae; Citrus alliance].
5 Hesperidia bluish black when ripe, 0.8-1.2 cm in diameter; stamens 10; petiole not winged; stems armed; abaxial leaf surface with raised lateral veins; petals < 0.5 cm long
5 Hesperidia green, yellow, or orange when ripe, > 1.5 cm in diameter; stamens 20+; petiole usually winged; stems armed or unarmed; abaxial leaf surface without raised lateral veins; petals > 1 cm long
8Axillary buds concealed beneath the base of the petioles on mature, leafy stems; leaflets (7-) 9-13; bark on older stems corky; [subfamily Zanthoxyloideae]
8Axillary buds exposed above the base of the leaf petioles on mature, leafy stems; leaflets 3-9 (-11); bark on older stems smooth to somewhat rough but never corky.
9 Fruit a drupe; diameter of mid-point of internodes of leafy branches usually 1-3 mm; internode lenticels usually < 0.3 mm long, mostly round (or absent); [native in FL and TX, and also planted and escaped in FL]; [subfamily Amyridoideae]
9 Fruit of 1-5 follicles; diameter of mid-point of internodes of leafy branches usually 3-6 mm; internode lenticels usually > 0.4 mm long and round to elongate; [planted and escaped in more northern parts of our area]; [subfamily Zanthoxyloideae]
10 Leaflets opposite on the rachis; stems either not armed (Glycosmis) or stems (and also often leaves) armed with prickles (Zanthoxylum, except Z. flavum).
13Petiolewinged; stamens 20+; hesperidia 4-5 cm in diameter, dark yellow to orange when ripe, densely pubescent, usually with > 20 seeds (looking like a small, hairy orange)
13Petiole not winged; stamens 6-10; hesperidia 1-1.5 cm in diameter, glabrous, red when ripe, with 1-4 seeds; spines usually paired at nodes; petals often 3
3 Leaflets elliptic to lanceolate, acute at the apex; petals white, not clawed; fruit a pinkish-red berry, mucilagenous or dry at maturity; plants shrubs
3 Leaves cordate and deeply cleft (appearing 2-foliolate) or if subtly 2-foliolate, the lobes rounded at the ends; petals pink, clawed; fruit an elongated legume; plants shrubs or sometimes vines
6 Leaflets obovate or broadly elliptic (broadest at or above the middle), the teeth or lobes soley or primarily in the apical half of the leaf; plant climbing by tendrils; fruit a blue to black berry.
7 Plants with leaves trifoliolate only, the blades fleshy, > 1 mm thick when fresh, the leaftlets ovate to oblong; inflorescenceaxillary (accompanying leaves, not opposing them); [tribe Cayratieae]
6 Leaflets orbicular or ovate (broadest at the middle or below the middle), the teeth or lobes primarily or solely in the basal half of the leaf; plant climbing by stem twining or by dense, reddish adventitious roots; fruit a legume (Pueraria) or whitish berry (Toxicodendron).
8 Plant climbing by the stem twining; [plant not actually woody, but so robust as to often be assumed to be so]
4 Plant a shrub or small tree (sometimes scrambling or occasionally high-climbing with the support of other vegetation, but lacking the specialized climbing structures listed above, e.g., Akebia).
9 Stems armed with small prickles or stout thorns.
10 Stems with stout thorns at the nodes; fruit a hesperidium (orange-like, but densely hairy)
10 Stems with many small prickles along the internodes (directly below the nodes; sometimes inconspicuous on the vegetative stems of Erythrina); fruit various: either a legume, berry, an aggregate of drupelets, or a hip.
11Leaflet bases cuneate to rounded, unlobed (sometimes cleft), but lacking 2 rounded, lateral lobes at their bases; fruit either a drupe (Eleutherococcus), berry (Triphasia), OR a hip or aggregate of drupelets (ROSACEAE); corolla variously colored.
12 Flowers 3-merous (sometimes with 4 or rarely with 5 petals); fruit a glabrousberry, reddish when ripened; [uncommon non-native, s. FL]
12 Flowers 4- or 5-merous (with 4 or 5 petals); fruit a drupe, an aggregate of drupes, or a hip; [collectively widespread natives and non-natives, including s. FL].
13Inflorescence a panicle, not notably rounded in shape; leaves 3 or more foliolate; fruit an aggregate of drupelets or a hip; [natives and non-natives; widespread]
16 Leaflets usually 3 (leaves typically trifoliolate); fruit a conspicuously wingedsamara (dry at maturity), greenish-brown at maturity; [natives, c. FL northward and westward]
15 Leaflets serrate, with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not), or shallowly lobed (Erythrina).
17 Leaflets with 2 prominent, rounded lobes near the base; fruit a legume; flowers > 3 cm long, corollas bilaterally symmetrical, red, in a terminal raceme
17 Leaflets serrate and sometimes also cleft, or with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not); fruit either a tan or red drupeor a red berry; flowers < 1 cm across, corollas radially symmetrical, green, yellow, or white, in axillary or terminal panicles or racemes
18 Leaflets with a few spine-tipped teeth; fruit a red berry; [TX westwards]
20 Leaflets 2-5 cm long (Hypelate) or 5-15 cm long (Ptelea); stems and branches tan to brown
21 Leaflets obovate to oblanceolate, the apices usually rounded; leaves 2-5 cm long, often congested at branch tips; fruit a fleshy drupe, maroon or black-colored when ripened; flowers arranged in panicles; [s. FL only in our area]
21 Leaflets usually ovate, the apicesacute or acuminate; leaves 5-15 cm long, usually spaced throughout the stems, rarely congested at leaf tips; fruit a samara, brown when ripened; flowers arranged in cymes; [c. FL northward, widespread]
23 Petals small to large, variously colored (including white); fruit a legume or if berry like, then white at maturity, often somewhat laterally flattened, and plants vining, rhizomatous shrubs (Toxicodendron).
2 Stems armed with prickles or stipular or nodal spines; leaves often also with prickles.
3 Leaves with conspicuous leafy stipules, often adnate to the petiole; plant a liana or small to medium shrub; leaves serrate, often sharply and prominently so; leaves not strongly aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucidpunctate glands on the surface
3 Leaves lacking leafy stipules; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves entire or obscurely crenate or serrate; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves either strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucidpunctate glands or not aromatic and not pellucid-punctate.
8 Leaves with stipules; flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous, white, cream, or pink; stamens 10; fruit a legume; [collectively widespread in our area]
10 Flowers radially symmetrical, stamens 4-5 (to 10+ in Simarouba); fruit either a drupe (Anacardiaceae, Simaroubaceae), or a 1-3-seeded berry or a samara (Picramniaceae); leaves without stipules (exstipulate).
5 Leaflets serrate or crenate (sometimes minutely so, look closely).
14 Leaflets crenate or crenulate, the teeth rounded and coarse (Cupania) or often inconspicuous or minute.
15 Fruit a fleshy berry, red to dark orange at maturity; leaf surfaces often (but not always) with punctate glands; flowers white, solitary or in small fascicles; [uncommon non-native, s. FL]
15 Fruit a capsule, drupe, or shizocarp of mericarps, variously colored at maturity; leaf surfaces not glandular-punctate; flowers variously colored, the inflorescencepaniculate or thyrsiform; [collectively widespread natives and non-natives, including s. FL].
16 Fruit a dehiscentcapsule; mid to lower leaflets usually conspicuously alternate along the rachis, the leaflet crenations often coarse; [s. FL only in our area]
16 Fruit a drupe or schizocarp of 2-5 samaroid mericarps (these evidently winged); mid to lower leaflets usually opposite or subopposite along the rachis, the crenations often inconspicuous; [collectively widespread].
17 Leaflets with obscure crenations, not as below nor bearing glands; leaf rachis narrowly to conspicuously winged, especially towards the tip; fruit a drupe; plant a shrub or small tree
17 Leaflets (especially the basal and on the basalscopic side) with 1-5 large rounded teeth, each bearing a prominent dark green gland; leaf rachis not winged; fruit a schizocarp, with 2-5 samaroid mericarps; plant a medium to large tree
20 Plant a tree, freely branched; rhizome inner bark not brightly colored; flowers unisexual, the male flowers in catkins, the female flowers solitary or few in a spike, the perianth greenish or tan and inconspicuous; fruit a nut covered by a dehiscent or indehiscentinvolucre
20 Plant a short shrub, < 1 m tall, little branched; rhizome inner bark of fresh plants bright yellow; flowers bisexual, petals absent, the 5 petaloid sepals maroon; inflorescence a drooping panicle from the base of the new year’s growth; fruit an aggregate of follicles