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Key to Lamiaceae

Lamiaceae

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1 Fruit a fleshy drupe; plant a small tree, shrub, or sprawling vine; mature stems terete or obscurely 4-sided (by secondary growth).
(c) Wong, Michelle - CC-BY
  2 Flowers zygomorphic; palmately (3-) 5-7 (-9) foliolate or simple (V. rotundifolia); [subfamily Viticoideae]
  2 Flowers essentially actinomorphic; leaves simple.
    3 Stems pubescent with dendritic hairs; inflorescence axillary; calyx 0.5-2 mm, lobes diminutive to nearly obsolete
    3 Stems glabrous or pubescent with simple (unbranched) hairs; inflorescence terminal (rarely only axillary); calyx lobes conspicuous or diminuitive.
      4 Corolla 5-40 mm long; calyx 5-18 mm, the lobes conspicuous, the calyx length often surpassing the fruit when mature; [subfamily Ajugoideae]
      4 Corolla 2-5 mm long; the calyx lobes inconspicuous and not surpassing the mature fruit; [subfamily Premnoideae]
(c) Gwaltney, John
1 Fruit a schizocarp of 4 dry mericarps; plant either an herb or a shrub to 5 (-20) dm tall; mature stems usually distinctly 4-sided (sometimes terete or obscurely 4-sided).
(c) Ward, Scott G
        5 Calyx with either a distinctly enlarged protuberance on the upper surface, or the upper lobe expanded and “cap-like”.
          6 Calyx with 5 lobes, clearly separate apically, with the upper lobe expanded and “cap-like”
          6 Calyx with 2 entire lobes joined at the margins, rounded apically, with a distinct protuberance on the upper surface
        5 Calyx without an enlarged protuberance or “cap-like” upper lobe.
             7 Upper lip of corolla greatly reduced or lobes laterally disposed, thus the corolla appearing to consist of one large lower lip; [subfamily Ajugoideae].
               8 Lower lip with 2-4 lobes; flowers yellow or deep blue-purple; plants stoloniferous
               8 Lower lip appearing 5-lobed (proximal 2 lateral, erect lobes represent the cryptic upper lip); flowers white to pink; plants cespitose
             7 Upper lip of corolla conspicuous, flaring or galeate.
                 9 Plants distinctly repent and rooting at the nodes, or producing elongate stolons.
(c) Sorrie, Bruce A. - CC-BY
                   10 Plants stoloniferous.
                              15 Calyx with 3-4 prominent lobes (rarely 5, if one includes small teeth).
                                  17 Calyx with 4 unequal primary lobes; flowers large, 2.5-3.5 cm long, in bracteate terminal racemes
                                  17 Calyx with 3 primary lobes (upper lobe occasionally with 3 apiculate teeth, e.g. Salvia lyrata); flowers 3 cm or less, in terminal thyrses.
                              15 Calyx usually with 5 prominent lobes (except for Clinopodium with rarely fused upper lobes).
                                                                       34 Stems often with swollen nodes (areas just below appear dark and sunken upon drying, except G. ladanum); hairs of the stem either exclusively hispid or short recurved and mixed with longer glandular trichomes; corolla 15-28 mm long
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Key I: woody plants with opposite, compound leaves

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1 Leaves 2-3-foliolate.
  2 Leaves 2-foliolate, with a branched tendril in the terminal position (this sometimes not developed, or withered); liana
  2 Leaves 3-foliolate, lacking tendrils; shrub, liana, or tree.
    3 Upright shrub or tree.
      4 Leaflets serrate or serrulate, not glandular-dotted; [collectively widespread].
        5 Leaflets 3-5 (-7), coarsely and jaggedly serrate, with < 5 teeth per leaflet side; fruit a schizocarp of 2 samaroid mericarps (maple “keys”)
        5 Leaflets 3, evenly serrulate, with > 10 teeth per leaflet side; fruit an inflated capsule
          6 Flowers yellow with fused petals; stems stiff, green
          6 Flowers either white, radially symmetrical, with separate petaloid sepals (Clematis), or blue, bilaterally symmetrical, with fused petals (Vitex).
             7 Leaves 3-more-foliolate; flowers white, radially symmetrical, uniseriate, with white petaloid sepals and no petals
             7 Leaves 1 (-3) foliolate; flowers blue, bilaterally symmetrical, biseriate, with green calyx and blue corolla
1 Leaves 4-15-foliolate.
                 9 Leaflets serrate; flowers white, yellow, or red; fruit a leathery capsule, irregularly spheroidal, 2-9 cm in diameter, with 1-3 (-6) large seeds, each with a large pale hilum contrasting with the dark brown color of the rest of the seed
                 9 Leaflets entire; flowers blue, pink, or purple; fruit either a 4-seeded drupe, < 0.5 cm in diameter, or an elongated capsule, 8-10 cm long and ca. 0.7 cm in diameter.
                   10 Leaflets < 3× as long as wide, broadly rounded at the tip; fruit an elongated capsule, 8-10 cm long and ca. 0.7 cm in diameter [peninsular FL]
                   10 Leaflets > 4× as long as wide, acute at the tip; fruit a 4-seeded drupe, < 0.5 cm in diameter; [widespread in our region]
                       12 Leaves pinnately compound, with 7-15 coarsely serrate leaflets; perianth biseriate, with a green synsepalous calyx and an orange sympetalous corolla; fruit an elongate capsule, with many winged seeds; stems to 20 cm in diameter, with tan bark
                       12 Leaves either pinnately compound, the leaflets 3-7 and coarsely serrate, or more complexly compound, the leaflets 5-many, not serrate though often lobed; perianth uniseriate, with a white, pink, or purplish aposepalous calyx and no corolla; fruit an aggregate of plumose achenes; stems to 1 cm in diameter, brown or green
                     11 Plant a tree or shrub, with stiff branches.
                          13 Leaves 3-7-foliolate and strictly 1-pinnate; leaflets with a few very coarse teeth; 1st year stems green; fruit a pair of winged, asymmetrical samaroid mericarps
                          13 Leaves 3-15-foliolate, 1-pinnate or partially 2-pinnate; leaflets evenly serrate with many teeth or entire; 1st year stems tan to brown (very new growth may be green); fruit either a symmetrical (winged) samara (Fraxinus) or a purplish-black, many-seeded berry (Sambucus).
                            14 Fruit a purplish-black or red, 4-seeded berry (Sambucus); plant a shrub or small tree; stems hollow or pithy; petiole prominently grooved on the upper side; fresh leaves somewhat fleshy in texture
                            14 Fruit either a green or tan, symmetrical (winged) samara or a blackish 5-seeded dryish drupe; plant a small to large tree; stems solid and woody; petiole nearly round in ×-section (not grooved); fresh leaves membranaceous or coriaceous in texture.
(c) Powell, Eric M - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
(c) Ware, Richard & Teresa - CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG
                              15 Fruit a symmetrical samara; axillary buds suprapetiolar (though sometimes almost hidden within the strongly U-shaped petiolar attachment; [common native (also planted)]
(c) Conboy, Andrew - CC-BY
                              15 Fruit a nearly spherical 5-seeded dry drupe; axillary buds infrapetiolar (hidden by the swollen petiole base; [rarely escaped exotic]