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Key to Sapindaceae

Sapindaceae

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1 Leaves opposite; leaves either palmately compound, or simple (and then palmately lobed and/or toothed), or pinnately compound.
  2 Leaves either simple (and palmately lobed and/or toothed) or pinnately compound; flowers radially symmetrical; fruit a schizocarp of 2 samaroid mericarps; [subfamily Hippocastanoideae, tribe Acereae]
  2 Leaves palmately compound; flowers bilaterally symmetrical; fruit a capsule, usually with single large “nut-like” seed; [subfamily Hippocastaoideae, tribe Hippocastaneae]
1 Leaves alternate; leaves compound (if unifoliolate and thus appearing simple [Dodonaea], then unlobed and with entire margins).
    3 Leaves unifoliolate, appearing simple; [subfamily Dodonaeoideae, tribe Dodonaeae]
    3 Leaves compound.
      4 Herbaceous vines or lianas; leaves 3-foliolate or otherwise compound (biternately or pinnately compound); [subfamily Sapindoideae, tribe Paullinieae]
        5 Leaves 3-foliolate
        5 Leaves pinnately to biternately compound.
          6 Fruit a schizocarp with 3 winged mericarps; seeds lacking a pseudohilum
          6 Fruit an inflated, papery capsule; seeds with a white or pale tan heart-shaped or kidney-shaped mark (pseudohilum)
      4 Tree or shrub; leaves 3-foliolate or pinnately or bipinnately compound.
             7 Leaves palmately 3-foliolate; [subfamily Dodonaeoideae, tribe Doratoxyleae]
                 9 Petals clawed; fruit appearing clustered in 2 or 3's, 1 (-2)-coccate, with (1-) 2 rudimentary cocci, tardily schizocarpic, separating into indehiscent globose mericarps, with fleshy pericarp containing much saponin; seeds globose, lacking an aril
                 9 Petals not clawed; fruit appearing singular, ellipsoid or nearly globose, usually with a single locule; seeds arillate or sarcotestal.
                   10 Fruit ripening dark purple or black
                   10 Fruit ripening green, brown or orange colored.
                     11 Leaves with (4) 8-10 (-18) leaflets; fruits light brown; seeds with a thin, translucent-white, fleshy aril, easily removable to show a shiny dark brown testa
                     11 Leaves with (2-) 4 leaflets, the rachis often winged; fruits green; seeds with a fleshy testa; petals usually with 2 marginal projections or appendages on or above the base, or lacking appendages
               8 Fruits dehiscent, a capsule with papery, membranaceous, coriaceous, or woody valves.
                       12 Leaves mostly odd-pinnate (with a definite terminal leaflet, the lower leaflets usually neatly opposite or subopposite along the rachis); [subfamily Sapindoideae, tribe Koelreuterieae]
                          13 Petals yellow; capsules papery or crustaceous, inflated (the capsule wall , with incomplete septae; seeds < 7 mm in diameter; [non-native, collectively widespread in our region]
                          13 Petals pink; capsules coriaceous, the capsule wall closely invested around the seeds, with complete septae; seeds 10-15 mm in diameter; [native, TX]
                       12 Leaves mostly even-pinnate (Cupania glabra can be oddly pinnate, but the leaflets are not neatly opposite along the rachis).
                              15 Locule 2- to several-seeded; [subfamily Dodonaeoideae, tribe Dodonaeae]
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Key F4: Key to Plantae

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1 Leaflets rounded to obtuse at the apex (or acute to acuminate in Gymnocladus); fruit a legume; inflorescence various, but not as below
1 Leaflets acuminate at the apex (except Cupaniopsis with leaflet apices rounded or retuse; fruit a drupe or capsule; inflorescence a panicle with many, small, radially symmetrical flowers.
    3 Leaflet apices rounded, retuse, or occasionally acute; fruit a yellow-orange, 3-valved capsule (green when maturing, sometimes browned after maturation), each of the 3 valves housing a black seed enclosed in an orange aril
    3 Leaflet apices acuminate or acute; fruit a hard brown capsule (Swietenia) or a 5-valved capsule (Toona); the seeds not accompanied by an orange aril.
      4 Leaflets strongly oblique at the base; leaflets fewer (4-10) per leaf; capsules 6-10 cm long; with 5 valves separating at the base of the capsule (but remaining fused at the apex of the persistent column); [s. FL only in our area]
      4 Leaflets weakley oblique at the base (if at all); leaflets numerous (16-40) per leaf; capsules 1.5-2 cm long, with 5 valves separating at the capsule apex (but remaining fused to the receptacle); [c. TN northeastward in our area, uncommon non-native]
  2 Fruit a drupe or berry-like.
        5 Leaflets 4 (sometimes 6 in Exothea) per leaf.
          6 Leaflets often 4 (sometimes 6) per leaf; the rachis never winged; petals lacking cilia; fruit ripening dark purple or black
          6 Leaflets 4, in two opposite and sessile pairs; the rachis sometimes winged; petals ciliate; fruit ripening yellowish-green
        5 Leaflets many (> 4 leaflets), usually 7-many.
             7 Tree dioecious; drupe ca. 5 mm long; stamens (of male flowers) 3-5 (-7)