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Key to Asteraceae, Key H: Herbaceous composites with the leaves alternate, the heads lacking rays, and with a pappus of bristles only
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1 Receptacle paleate (bearing receptacular bracts which individually subtend at least some of the flowers of the head). | |
2 Involucres absent or vestigial, usually with 0 phyllaries; heads very small, < 6 mm high, < 4 mm wide; annuals, < 4 dm tall; disc corollas hidden or dingy in color; [tribe Gnaphalieae]. | |
2 Involucres present, conspicuous, of many phyllaries; heads larger, 2-20+ mm wide; perennials or coarse annuals, 2-25 dm tall; disc corollas apparent, white, or pink to purplish or reddish. | |
5 Cypselae with 10 ribs; involucre 3.5-12 (-15) mm tall and in diameter; pappus of 35-40 barbellulate bristles; [mainly Coastal Plain; VA south to s. FL, west to e. LA] | |
6 Heads larger, the involucre 6-15 mm high, with 15-40 phyllaries; leaves with conspicuous (at least at 10× magnification) resin dots. | |
7 Stem with punctate glands; peduncles punctate-glandular and also hirsutulous; pappus bristles in 2 series; [of FL peninsula] | |
7 Stem eglandular, glabrous or spreading-hirsute; peduncles glabrous or stipitate-glandular; pappus bristles in 1 series; [widespread in the Coastal Plain]. | |
1 Receptacle epaleate (lacking receptacular bracts individually subtending flowers, but the receptacle sometimes bearing bristles, setae, hairs, or pits with laciniate margins; some taxa lacking paleae on many or most flowers of the head are keyed here as well, as a failsafe). | |
8 Phyllaries in 1-2 series and equal or subequal in length to one another, the phyllaries often coherent/fused (the involucre thus appearing as a cylinder with ribs extending from base to top, except in species in which the phyllaries are radially winged); calyculus (of bracts subtending the phyllaries and differing from them in texture, color, or orientation) present or not; [tribe Senecioneae] | |
10 Plants annual, upright or ascending, not purple-hairy. | |
9 Perennials (robust annuals in Erechtites), 2-30 dm tall; leaves basally disposed and alternate on the stem (except only alternate in Erechtites); disc flowers cream or yellow (rarely pale lavender in Arnoglossum). | |
12 Plants annual, with leaves primarily on the stem; leaves sharply and raggedly toothed or even pinnately lobed; heads disciform (the outer flowers female, the middle bisexual, and the inner functionally male) | |
13 Disc flowers yellow. | |
14 Annuals; leaves not basally disposed, evenly distributed on the stem, the lower stem leaves more-or-less pinnatifid | |
13 Disc flowers cream, white, or greenish white (to pale lavender in some Arnoglossum). | |
15 Phyllaries 7-21, not radially winged; disc flowers 10-55 (-80+); calyculus absent or of 1-9+ bracts. | |
8 Phyllaries in 3-17 series and unequal in length (imbricated); calyculus absent. | |
19 Plants perennial, mat-forming by stolons, with basal rosettes of spatulate leaves, these usually with obvious appressed hairiness on (at least) the lower and (sometimes also) the upper blade surfaces; erect stems (with scattered alternate leaves) 4-45 cm tall; plants usually dioecious (pistillate and staminate heads on separate plants) | |
19 Plants annual, biennial, or perennial, not mat-forming or stoloniferous, erect, the leaves usually lanceolate or linear (spatulate in some species), leaf surface hairiness variable; erect stems (with alternate leaves) 5-80 cm tall; plants hermaphroditic (with heads containing both pistillate and functionally staminate flowers) or dioecious or subdioecious (in Anaphalis). | |
20 Plants annuals (perennials in Omalotheca sylvatica); heads disciform (each bisexual); plants hermaphroditic. | |
21 Leaves oblanceolate, 1.5-4 mm wide, notched at the tip or with a minute apiculus in the notch; pappus bristles persistent, plumose | |
21 Leaves various in shape, the lager > 4 mm wide, acuminate, acute, obtuse or rounded at the tip; pappus readily falling, the bristles barbellate to barbellulate. | |
22 Heads in capitate clusters arrayed in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays; phyllaries white or silvery; pappus bristles distinct, falling individually | |
24 Perennial; phyllaries in 2-3 series; cypselas strigillose; involucre light to dark brown; [waif, in PA] | |
24 Annual; phyllaries in 3-7 series; cypselas papillate or glabrous; involucre white to red-tinged or brown; [widespread in our region] | |
26 Disc corollas yellow, pale yellow, orange, reddish, or brown. | |
27 Phyllaries 5, in one series; phyllaries streaked with elongate glands filled with strong-scented oil | |
29 Erect or ascending annual or perennial, 1-15 dm tall; heads in corymbiform, paniculiform, or racemiform arrays. | |
30 Plants dioecious, either male or female; heads either staminate, with 10-50 flowers, or pistillate, with 20-150 flowers; heads pale yellow to white | |
31 Leaves (at least the larger) toothed or lobed; flowers 5-35 per head; heads in racemiform, paniculiform, or corymbiform arrays, but if corymbiform, irregular. | |
33 Inflorescences in elongate, racemiform to paniculiform arrays; leaves moderately to densely hairy with both glandular and non-glandular hairs | |
26 Disc corollas pink, purple, lavender, blue, or white. | |
34 Phyllaries either spine-tipped, or appendaged with a marginal zone that is strikingly different in color and texture than the phyllary body (except Leuzea); receptacle epaleate, but densely beset with bristles or subulate scales (flattened bristles). | |
35 Phyllaries scarious-margined, neither spine-tipped nor appendaged with dentate or fringed appendages | |
35 Plyllaries either spine-tipped or appendaged. | |
34 Phyllaries not armed, also not appendaged with a marginal zone that is strikingly different in color and texture than the phyllary body. | |
39 Plants dioecious, either male or female; heads either staminate, with 10-50 flowers, or pistillate, with 20-150 flowers; heads pale yellow to white | |
40 Leaf blades linear, lanceolate, or ovate; leaf margin entire, serrulate, or serrate; [collectively common and widespread]. | |
45 All leaves entire (or at most with a few obscure crenations); phyllaries lacking elongate striations, the nerving not apparent. | |
46 Heads borne in spiciform or racemiform arrays (all heads directly attached to a central access of the capitulescence) | |
46 Heads borne in corymbiform, paniculiform, or thyrsiform arrays (at least some heads borne on secondary branches of the capitulescence. | |
47 Heads 3-20 mm tall; cypselas 10-ribbed. | |
48 Heads 3.5-6 mm tall; phyllaries 5-12 in 1-2 (-3) series; [Coastal Plain, NC to FL to e. LA]. | |
49 Stem with punctate glands; peduncles punctate-glandular and also hirsutulous; pappus bristles in 2 series; [of FL peninsula] | |
49 Stem eglandular, glabrous or spreading-hirsute; peduncles glabrous or stipitate-glandular; pappus bristles in 1 series; [widespread in the Coastal Plain]. | |
48 Heads 3-20 mm tall; phyllaries 15-50+ in 3-7 series; [collectively widespread]. | |
50 Heads borne in corymbiform arrays; involucres 6-12 (15) mm tall; receptacles paleate, at least towards the periphery of the receptacle; pappus of 35-40 barbellulate to barbellate bristles; [nearly restricted to the Coastal Plain] | |
50 Heads borne in paniculiform or thyrsiform arrays; involucres 3-20 mm tall; receptacles epaleate; pappus of 12-40 coarsely barbellate, subplumose, or plumose bristles; [widespread in our region] |
Key to Asteraceae, Key K: Herbaceous composites with the leaves alternate or basal and the heads radiate, the rays yellow, orange, red
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2 Stems not winged. | |
3 Pappus absent. | |
4 Phyllaries in 2-4 series, usually with apices not notably hooked or looped; pappus absent entirely (not just falling). | |
6 Leaves entire or sometimes toothed, but not pinnately lobed; receptacle epaleate or sometimes with short bristles or setae | |
10 Leaves pinnately compound with linear leaf segments 1-3 mm wide (if not pinnate as in T. tephroleuca, then plants ashy white subshrubs); calyculus present (occasionally absent), of linear bracts subtending the involucre; plants with translucent oil glands evident throughout most parts; [subtribe Pectidinae] | |
10 Leaves simple (if also sometimes subshrubs, these not ashy white as in Gutierrezia); calyculus absent; plants sometimes gland-dotted on leaves (or sometimes also with resinous phyllaries, but not with oil glands throughout). | |
11 Plants annual, with a strong terpenoid smell when crushed, the leaves and phyllaries glutinous; phyllaries 12-15 in 1-2(-3) series | |
11 Plants annuals, biennials, or perennials, if annuals then not bearing a strong terpenoid smell when crushed, the leaves sometimes glutinous but not also the phyllaries; phyllaries 4-40 in 2-4 series (Gutierrezia) or 5-12 in 1-2 series (Psilostrophe). | |
12 Stems glabrous, or papillate-scabrous (but not clearly gray-green in appearance); involucre 1.5-5.5 mm in diameter; plants either annuals or subshrubs; phyllaries 4-40 in 2-4 series | |
12 Stems arachno-villous, appearing gray-green; involucre 4-7 mm in diameter; plants biennials or perennials; phyllaries 5-12 in 1-2 series | |
13 Phyllaries in (3-) 4-9+ series; cypselae glabrous; leaves often toothed (and also often ovate to oblanceolate). | |
14 Pappus in 2 series, the outer of 25-40 barbellate bristles, the inner of 8-15+ setiform awns or subulate scales 7-10 mm long | |
13 Phyllaries in 2-3 series (2-3+ in Gaillardia); cypselae villous or otherwise sparsely to densely pubescent; leaves entire, toothed, or sometimes pinnately lobed (the lobes linear, as in Hymenoxys). | |
15 Receptacles typically with spine-like setae or enations (except Gaillardia aestivalis) or very short bristles (i.e. not appearing "chaffy" overall, but these setae apparent upon dissection of the heads); ray florets (apical portion of the laminae) either unlobed (Amblyolepis) or 3-5 lobed (Gaillardia). | |
19 Plants herbaceous vines; flowers conspicuously orange; calyculus of lanceolate-filiform bractlets; [non-native, FL and TX] | |
19 Plants not herbaceous vines; flowers primarily yellow (sometimes yellow-orange); calyculus absent (or 1-2 indistinct bractlets); [natives or non-natives, collectively widespread] | |
20 Pappus bristles white; flowers primarily yellow; [native and non-native, widespread] | |
21 Disc florets fertile; stems with leaves, the leaves simple to pinnately lobed (or otherwise compound); [natives and non-natives, widespread and of both intact and disturbed habitats]. | |
22 Stem leaves deeply toothed, pinnately lobed, or otherwise compound, not clasping or weakly so; plants perennial or rarely annuals (P. glabella) | |
18 Phyllaries in 2-8+ series. | |
23 Plants not herbaceous vines; flowers primarily yellow (sometimes yellow-orange) | |
24 Pappus double, of both an inner (more apparent) series of longer bristles and an outer series consisting of short triangular scales or significantly shorter (and often coarser) bristles, these sitting more or less at the base of the inner pappus bristles (in Prionopsisthe outer bristles subtend the inner awns or scales). | |
25 Plants usually gland-dotted; phyllaries often looped/hooked; outer bristles subtending inner scales; involucres globose/hemispheric | |
28 Leaves pinnately veined, usually broader and not grass-like. | |
29 Plants biennials or perennials, with taproots or fibrous-rooted; phyllaries linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate; inner pappus whitish to stramineous, outer pappus linear to narrowly-triangular | |
29 Plants annuals with taproots; phyllaries linear to linear-lanceolate; inner pappus yellow to rust-colored proximally, outer pappus scale-like; disc florets bisexual and fertile (B. pilosa) or functionally staminate (B. hirtella) | |
31 Phyllaries spine-tipped with accompanying white margins (if lacking spine tips as in X. texanum, then inner phyllaries abruptly enlarged into ovate or sometimes elliptic blades 2-5 mm wide) | |
34 Pappus bristles > 60 (30-80+ in Senecio), white-colored. | |
35 Stem leaves deeply toothed, pinnately lobed, or otherwise compound, not clasping or weakly so; plants perennial or rarely annuals (P. glabella) | |
36 Phyllaries in 1-2 equal/subequal series (outer minute bracts sometimes present); stem leaves shallowly toothed to subentire, conspicuously clasping the stem; plants annuals; [tribe Senecioneae) | |
36 Phyllaries in 3+ series, unequal (or rarely subequal); [tribe Astereae]. | |
37 Heads larger, globose, hemispheric, or broadly conic (2 cm+ broad in Grindelia), usually wider than long; rays conspicuous. | |
39 Leaves entire, sessile throughout; faces of cypselae strigose to sericeous; pappus persistent, of 30-35 tawny to reddish-brown barbellate bristles | |
39 Leaves toothed, proximal leaves petiolate; faces of cypselae variously textured (smooth, striate, furrowed, or rugose); pappus readily falling, of 2-3 smooth to setiform awns OR subulate scales 2.5-8 mm long (sometimes with up to 6-8 total barbellulate/setiform awns in G. squarrosa, G. lanceolata, and G. texana) |