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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

Asteraceae

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1 Receptacle paleate (bearing receptacular bract which individually subtend at least some of the flowers of the head).
  2 Involucre absent or vestigial, usually with 0 phyllaries; heads very small, < 6 mm high, < 4 mm wide; annuals, < 4 dm tall; disc corolla hidden or dingy in color; [tribe Gnaphalieae].
    3 Receptacle cylindric to clavate (5-15× as tall as the diameter); most paleae of pistillate flowers open to ± folded (at most each enfolding, not enclosing a floret; apices acuminate to aristate); innermost paleae erect to ascending in fruit; cypselae monomorphic (the outer ± equaling the inner)
    3 Receptacle obovoid (0.4-1.6× as tall as the diameter); most paleae of pistillate flowers ± saccate, each ± enclosing a floret, apices blunt; innermost paleae spreading in fruit; cypselae dimorphic (the outer longer than the inner)
  2 Involucre present, conspicuous, of many phyllaries; heads larger, 2-20+ mm wide; perennials or coarse annuals, 2-25 dm tall; disc corolla apparent, white, or pink to purplish or reddish.
      4 Phyllaries tipped by a hooked spine
      4 Phyllaries not armed, herbaceous to the tip.
        5 Cypselae with 5 angles or 5 grooves; involucre 2-3 mm tall and in diameter; pappus of 1 (-5+) usually glandular setae (interpretable as bristle, hence keyed here); [Coastal Plain; FL and GA]
        5 Cypselae with 10 rib; involucre 3.5-12 (-15) mm tall and in diameter; pappus of 35-40 barbellulate bristle; [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.
          6 Heads smaller, the involucre 3.5-6 mm high, with 5-12 phyllaries; leaves without shining punctate gland (except punctate-glandular in Litrisa carnosa, of the FL peninsula).
             7 Stem with punctate gland; peduncle punctate-glandular and also hirsutulous; pappus bristle in 2 series; [of FL peninsula]
             7 Stem eglandular, glabrous or spreading-hirsute; peduncle glabrous or stipitate-glandular; pappus bristle in 1 series; [widespread in the Coastal Plain].
1 Receptacle epaleate (lacking receptacular bract individually subtending flowers, but the receptacle sometimes bearing bristle, setae, hair, or pit with laciniate margin; 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 rib extending from base to top, except in species in which the phyllaries are radially winged); calyculus (of bract subtending the phyllaries and differing from them in texture, color, or orientation) present or not; [tribe Senecioneae]
                 9 Annuals, 2-10 dm tall (or perennial, vining or sprawling and to 30 dm long in Gynura); leaves cauline and alternate; disc flowers orangey-brown, brick-red, purplish, yellow.
                   10 Plants perennial, vining or sprawling, velutinous or villous with purple hair
                   10 Plants annual, upright or ascending, not purple-hairy.
                     11 Involucre subtended by several leafy bract; cypselae 8- or 10-ribbed
                     11 Involucre not subtended by bract; cypselae 5-ribbed
                 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)
                       12 Plants perennial, with leaves basally disposed (larger basal leaves, decreasing in size upwards, the basal leaves sometimes withering late in the year); leaves with generally regular toothing, stem leaves sometimes pinnately lobed; heads discoid (all flowers bisexual)
                          13 Disc flowers yellow.
                            14 Perennials; leaves basally disposed, the basal or lower stem leaves unlobed (though toothed)
                            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 5, radially wing-keeled or not; disc flowers 5; calyculus absent
                              15 Phyllaries 7-21, not radially winged; disc flowers 10-55 (-80+); calyculus absent or of 1-9+ bract.
                                16 Plants (5-) 6-24 dm tall; calyculus of 4-9+ bract; [collectively relatively widespread in our region]
                                16 Plants 1-7 dm tall; calyculus absent or of 1-5+ bract; [Mountains of w. NC and e. TN]
               8 Phyllaries in 3-17 series and unequal in length (imbricated); calyculus absent.
                                  17 Stem prominently winged, the wings > 1 mm wide
                                  17 Stem not winged (sometimes the leaves decurrent < 2 cm down the stem from the node).
                                    18 Phyllaries usually 12-30+ in 3-10+ series, scarious (at least the margin).
                                       19 Plants perennial, mat-forming by stolon, with basal rosette 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 perennials; heads discoid (unisexual or nearly so); plants usually unisexual and dioecious
                                         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 bristle persistent, plumose
                                           21 Leaves various in shape, the lager > 4 mm wide, acuminate, acute, obtuse or rounded at the tip; pappus readily falling, the bristle barbellate to barbellulate.
                                             22 Heads in capitate clusters arrayed in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays; phyllaries white or silvery; pappus bristle distinct, falling individually
                                               23 Pappus bristle connate basally into a ring, falling together
                                               23 Pappus bristle distinct, falling individually
                                             22 Heads in spicate arrays, or in glomerule axillary to leaves or well-developed bract; phyllaries white to red-tinged or brown; pappus connate at the base into a ring, falling as a unit.
                                                 24 Perennial; phyllaries in 2-3 series; cypsela strigillose; involucre light to dark brown; [waif, in PA]
                                                 24 Annual; phyllaries in 3-7 series; cypsela papillate or glabrous; involucre white to red-tinged or brown; [widespread in our region]
                                                    25 Pappus of 12-28 bristle; cypsela faces papillate
                                                    25 pappus of 8-12 bristle; cypsela faces glabrous
                                    18 Phyllaries in 3-5 series, herbaceous to thickened, generally green in color.
                                                      26 Disc corolla yellow, pale yellow, orange, reddish, or brown.
                                                        27 Phyllaries 5, in one series; phyllaries streaked with elongate gland filled with strong-scented oil
                                                        27 Phyllaries 10-60+ in 2-9 series; phyllaries eglandular or with small punctate gland.
                                                          28 Phyllaries strongly armed with long spine
                                                          28 Phyllaries unarmed
                                                            29 Decumbent annual, to 2 dm tall; heads solitary and axillary
                                                            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
                                                              30 Plants hermaphroditic; heads bisexual, with 2-35 flowers, either all perfect (bisexual), or a mixture of perfect (bisexual) and functionally staminate flowers.; heads yellow to pale yellow.
                                                                 31 Leaves entire; flowers 2-6 per head; heads arrayed in a neatly flat-topped corymb
                                                                 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.
                                                                   32 Larger leaves 2.5-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide; involucre 6-12 mm in diameter; [widespread in our region]
                                                                   32 Larger leaves 1-5 cm long, < 1 cm wide; involucre 2-7 mm in diameter; [s. and se. TX].
                                                                     33 Inflorescence in rounded, corymbiform arrays; leaves glabrous
                                                                     33 Inflorescence in elongate, racemiform to paniculiform arrays; leaves moderately to densely hairy with both glandular and non-glandular hair
                                                      26 Disc corolla 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 bristle or subulate scale (flattened bristle).
                                                                         35 Phyllaries scarious-margined, neither spine-tipped nor appendaged with dentate or fringed appendage
                                                                         35 Plyllaries either spine-tipped or appendaged.
                                                                           36 Phyllaries tipped by a hooked spine
                                                                           36 Phyllaries appendaged, the appendage black, brown, tan, or scarious, and toothed or fimbriate.
                                                                              37 Phyllary bodies linear, their margin entire (phyllary appendage fimbriate; however); leaf margin entire, denticulate or serrulate
                                                                              37 Phyllary bodies oblong, ovate, or obovate, both their margin and appendage fimbriate; leaf margin entire, toothed, or pinnately lobed.
                                                                                38 Flower heads pink, lavender, or purplish; phyllary appendage scarious and spineless, decurrent along the phyllary margin nearly to the phyllary base; perennial; flowers pink to purple, flowering Jun-Oct
                                                                                38 Flowers heads blue; phyllary appendage not or only slightly decurrent along the phyllary margin; annual; flowers pale to medium blue, flowering Apr-Jun
                                                                       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
                                                                                  39 Plants hermaphroditic; heads bisexual, with 3-100+ flowers, either all perfect (bisexual), or a mixture of perfect (bisexual) and functionally staminate flowers.; heads purple, pink, lavender, or whitish.
                                                                                    40 Leaf blade orbicular; leaf margin scalloped or crenate; [rare waif in our region]
                                                                                    40 Leaf blade linear, lanceolate, or ovate; leaf margin entire, serrulate, or serrate; [collectively common and widespread].
                                                                                      41 Style branch appendage absent, the style branch stigmatic along the upper surface nearly to the tip; [tribe Vernonieae].
                                                                                        42 Pappus bristle in 1 series; heads disciform (the outer flowers of the head pistillate, the inner flowers of the head functionally staminate); leaf margin toothed; corolla white to cream or pink (rarely purple)
                                                                                      41 Style branch appendage deltate, lanceolate, or terete to clavate, the style branch various.
                                                                                           43 Style branch appendage deltate or lanceolate; style branches stigmatic along 2 lines from near the base to the attachment of the appendage; [tribe Astereae].
                                                                                             44 Disc flowers 8-20; pappus bristle in 2 series; [GA and Panhandle FL west to AL, GA, and LA]
                                                                                             44 Disc flowers 75-95+; pappus bristle in 1 series; [waif]
 Symphyotrichum ciliatum
                                                                                           43 Style branch appendage terete to clavate; style branches "eupatorious", linear to slightly clavate-thickened at the tip, the stigmatic surface usually papillate; [tribe Eupatorieae]
                                                                                               45 Lower stem leaves with at least a few divergent teeth; phyllaries elongate-striate nerved
                                                                                               45 All leaves entire (or at most with a few obscure crenation); 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 Involucre 2-3 mm tall; cypsela 5-ribbed
                                                                                                   47 Heads 3-20 mm tall; cypsela 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 gland; peduncle punctate-glandular and also hirsutulous; pappus bristle in 2 series; [of FL peninsula]
                                                                                                        49 Stem eglandular, glabrous or spreading-hirsute; peduncle glabrous or stipitate-glandular; pappus bristle 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; involucre 6-12 (15) mm tall; receptacle paleate, at least towards the periphery of the receptacle; pappus of 35-40 barbellulate to barbellate bristle; [nearly restricted to the Coastal Plain]
                                                                                                          50 Heads borne in paniculiform or thyrsiform arrays; involucre 3-20 mm tall; receptacle epaleate; pappus of 12-40 coarsely barbellate, subplumose, or plumose bristle; [widespread in our region]

Key to Asteraceae, Key I: Herbaceous composites with the leaves alternate, the heads lacking rays, and with a pappus wholly or partly of scales or awns

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1 Disc flowers yellow, orange, red, or brownish.
  2 Leaves 1-2× pinnately lobed into linear or filiform segment.
    3 Pappus of 16-20 scale
    3 Pappus of 6-10 scale; [historical waif]
  2 Leaves unlobed, or if pinnately lobed, the segment broad (> 3 mm wide).
      4 Receptacle paleate
      4 Receptacle epaleate.
        5 Pappus scale rudimentary, crown-like
        5 Pappus scale conspicuous.
          6 Phyllaries 25-125 in 3-9 series; receptacle flat or slightly convex
          6 Phyllaries 6-25 (-60) in 2-3 series; receptacle globose.
             7 Stems not winged
             7 Stems winged from node to node
1 Disc flowers pink, purple, or white
               8 Receptacle paleate
               8 Receptacle epaleate.
                 9 Disc flowers 1-5 (rarely more) per head.
                   10 Disc flowers white (rarely cream), 3; heads not aggregated into a secondary cluster subtended by bract; [se. TX]
                   10 Disc flowers lavender to purple, sometimes so lightly so as to be white, 1-4 (-5+); heads aggregated into clusters of 1-40 heads, subtended by 1-3 bract; [collectively widespread in our region]
                     11 Heads (1-) 10-40 per secondary cluster, borne in corymbiform arrays; bract subtending clusters (2-) 3, deltate; pappus of 5 (-6) scale, each aristate
                     11 Heads 1-5+ per secondary cluster, borne in spiciform arrays; bract subtending clusters 1-2, linear, lanceolate, or spatulate; pappus of 6-10 scale, laciniate or aristate
                 9 Disc flowers (2-) 10-100+ per head (at least most heads with >10 flowers).
                       12 Phyllaries 5-15 (-21) in 1-2 (-3) series.
                          13 Involucre 2-3 mm in diameter; flowers 7-10 per head; [Coastal Plain, FL and GA]
                          13 Involucre 4-15+ mm in diameter; flowers 20-80 per head; [SC, GA, and FL westwards]
                       12 Phyllaries 18-many in 5+ series.
                            14 Phyllary tips modified into a spine or into an enlarged, lacerate or pectinate network or fringe; receptacle epaleate, but densely bristly; [tribe Cynareae].
                              15 Heads discoid, all flowers similar
                                16 Pappus normally of plumose bristle (and keyed elsewhere), but sometimes reduced to scale or awn
                                16 Pappus of an outer setiform scale (appearing as "flattened bristle"
                              15 Heads disciform or radiant, the outer flowers of the head sterile, with long lobe, appearing like false ray
                                  17 Plant a perennial; flowers pink to purple, flowering Jun-Oct
                                  17 Plant an annual; flowers pale to medium blue, flowering Apr-Jun
                            14 Phyllary tips not so modified, unarmed and unelaborate; receptacle epaleate and naked; [tribe Vernonieae].
                                    18 Peripheral flowers of the heads enlarged and bilaterally symmetrical, appearing like "false ray"
                                    18 Peripheral flowers of the heads similar to the interior flowers, all disc flowers.
                                       19 Annuals; cypsela not ribbed
                                       19 Perennials; cypsela 8-10-ribbed.
                                         20 Heads each subtended by 3-8 leafy bract; pappus of narrow scale only, quickly falling
                                         20 Heads not subtended by leafy bract; pappus of an inner series of scale or bristle and an outer series of bristle, persistent