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Key E: angiosperm shrubs and subshrubs with basally-disposed leaves

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1 Leaves giant, either pinnately compound and > 15 dm long, or palmately divided into numerous segments and > 6 dm wide; [Monocots]
1 Leaves small to giant, simple or 3-foliolate; leaves < 9 dm long and < 2 dm wide (except Agave, with leaves < 20 dm long and < 2.5 dm wide); [Eudicots or Monocots].
  2 Leaves linear-lanceolate, flat or channeled or V-shaped in ×-section, > 3 dm long; flowers 3-merous; rosette shrubs; [Monocots].
    3 Leaves 1-25 cm wide; capsules 25-80 mm long
    3 Leaves 0.4-1 cm wide; capsules 4-8 mm long
  2 Leaves either broader in shape or distinctly fleshy and essentially terete in ×-section, < 2 dm long; flowers 5-merous; rosette subshrubs; [Eudicots].

Key F2: Leaves with 4-many leaflets (poorly developed leaves in some species with only 3 leaflets, but usually leaves elsewhere on the plant with 4 or 5+).

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1 Leaves palmately-pedately 5-foliolate (the lateral 2 leaflets on each side borne on a common Y-shaped stalk).
  2 Leaflets entire; sap milky
  2 Leaflets toothed; sap clear
1 Leaves palmately compound (all the leaflets attached at a single point).
    3 Leaves > 6 dm wide
    3 Leaves < 3 dm wide.
      4 Leaflets with entire margins; [non-natives].
        5 Plants deciduous woody climbers (but not twining, or specialized climbing structures); leaflets usually 5 per leaf (occasionally 3 or 7); flowers maroon-colored, lacking petals but with 3 prominent sepals, the inflorescences axillary
        5 Plants evergreen shrubs or trees (occasionally partially epiphytic); leaflets usually 7-9 per leaf (occasionally 5 or 10); flowers yellowish-green or red, petals present, lacking showy prominent sepals, the inflorescences (most often) terminal
      4 Leaflets with serrate margins; [natives and non-natives].
          6 Stems armed with prickles scattered in the internodes
          6 Stems unarmed or with paired nodal spines.
             7 Inflorescence an umbel; leaves evergreen, glossy; stems often with paired nodal spines
             7 Inflorescence a panicle; leaves deciduous, dull; stems unarmed

Key F5: Key to Plantae

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1 Leaves very large, > 10 dm long
1 Leaves small to large, < 10 dm long.
  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 pellucid punctate 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 pellucid punctate glands or not aromatic and not pellucid-punctate.
      4 Leaves not aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucid punctate glands; leaves never with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices rounded
image of plant
Show caption*© Mary Keim, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
image of plant
Show caption*© Gary P. Fleming
      4 Leaves strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucid punctate glands; leaves often with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices usually acuminate
  2 Stems unarmed (leaflets with spinose margins in some species, or the stem with dense hispid hairs, but these not particularly sharp to the touch).
        5 Leaflets entire.
          6 Plant a liana, climbing by twining
          6 Plant an upright shrub or tree, not climbing.
             7 Plant a medium or tall tree.
               8 Leaves with stipules; flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous, white, cream, or pink; stamens 10; fruit a legume; [collectively widespread in our area]
               8 Leaves without stipules; flowers radially symmetrical, whitish; stamens 5 or 10; fruit a single-seeded drupe; [FL peninsula]
             7 Plant a shrub or small tree to 7 (-10) m tall.
                 9 Leaf 2-5 cm long, with 5-7 leaflets
                 9 Leaf > 8 cm long, with 5-many leaflets.
                   10 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous (reduced in Amorpha to a single petal); stamens 10; fruit a legume; leaves with stipules (stipulate).
                   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).
                     11 Inflorescence a panicle; fruit a drupe; [collectively widespread]
                       12 Plants with pellucid (translucent) gland dots (usually variously present across vegetative and flowering parts)
                       12 Plants lacking pellucid gland dots.
                          13 Carpels remaining united, forming a compound fruit (the fruits various)
                          13 Carpels becoming distinct, each forming a simple drupe
                     11 Inflorescence a raceme or compound thyrse; fruit a samara or 1-3-seeded berry; [s. FL]
        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 inflorescence paniculate or thyrsiform; [collectively widespread natives and non-natives, including s. FL].
                                16 Fruit a dehiscent capsule; 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
                            14 Leaflets serrate.
                                    18 Leaf serrations spinose
                                    18 Leaf serrations not spinose.
                                       19 Inflorescences axillary.
                                         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 indehiscent involucre
                                         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
                                       19 Inflorescences terminal.
                                           21 Inflorescence corymbose (flat-topped or rounded, as wide as long or wider); fruit a red pome
                                           21 Inflorescence paniculate (longer than wide); fruit various (see below), but not as above.
                                             22 Leaves stipulate; flowers bright white; fruit an aggregate of 5 follicles
                                             22 Leaves lacking stipules; flowers cream or yellow; fruit either a drupe or an inflated membranaceous capsule.
                                               23 Fruit a drupe
                                               23 Fruit an inflated membranaceous capsule

Key G2: woody plants with alternate, simple, palmately lobed leaves

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1 Lianas.
  2 Lianas climbing by adventitious roots
  2 Lianas climbing by twining or by tendrils.
    3 Lianas climbing by twining
    3 Lianas climbing by tendrils.
      4 Tendrils branched, leaf-opposed; leaves mostly 5-7-lobed, the margins also serrate or dentate
      4 Tendrils simple (though paired in Smilax in SMILACACEAE), axillary; leaves 3-lobed, the margins entire, serrulate, or prickly.
        5 Leaves longer than wide, entire or prickly-margined; stems usually obviously armed with prickles; flowers 6-merous, greenish, in umbels borne in leaf axils; tendrils stipular, 2 per leaf axil, adnate to the petiole basally
        5 Leaves wider than long, entire or serrulate; stems not armed; flowers 5-merous, blue-purple or yellow, solitary or in small fascicles in leaf axils; tendrils 1 per leaf axil
1 Trees or shrubs.
          6 Trees.
             7 Leaves > 3 dm long and wide; tree monopodial, with a single, unbranched stem (rarely with a few branches).
               8 Leaf lobes > 15, not sublobed; venation of each lobe parallel; fruit a drupe, with 1 seed; [Monocots]
               8 Leaf lobes < 13, most of these sublobed; venation of each lobe pinnate; fruit either a many-seeded berry or a single-seeded nutlet; [Eudicots].
                 9 Petiole attachment marginal; leaf lobes mostly sublobed; fruit a large berry, with many seeds
                 9 Petiole attachment peltate; leaf lobes not sublobed; fruit an nutlet, single-seeded
             7 Leaves < 3 dm long and wide; tree branching; [Eudicots].
                   10 Leaves 2-lobed (deeply notched at the apex), each lobe separated by the midvein, asymmetrical; [peninsular FL and s. TX]
                   10 Leaves 3-5 (-7) lobed; [collectively widespread].
                     11 Leaf blades (3-) 5 (-7) lobed, to 15 cm wide and long, each lobe finely serrate-crenate (>3 teeth per cm of margin) and rarely with a small sub-lobe; multiple fruit spherical and spiky, consisting of multiple bird-beak-like loculicidal capsules; buds axillary
                     11 Leaves 3 (-5)-lobed, to 35 cm wide and long, each lobe coarsely toothed or sublobed, the teeth or sublobes (at most 1-2 per cm of margin) attenuate-acuminate; multiple fruit spherical and merely rough on the surface, consisting of multiple achenes with tawny bristles; buds infrapetiolar (completely hidden in the swollen petiole base)
          6 Shrubs.
                       12 Leaf lobe margins entire (or undulate to sublobed at the tip).
                          13 Leaves bilobed; fruit a legume
                          13 Leaves palmate, usually with at least 3-7 lobes; fruit a capsule
                       12 Leaf lobe margins serrate.
                            14 Leaves glabrous
                            14 Leaves pubescent (slightly or strongly).
                              15 Pubescence of simple hairs; plants armed or not with nodal spines
                                16 Leaves 10-30 cm long and wide; fruit a berry; inflorescence of solitary to a few flowers, or a raceme
                                16 Leaves 2-10 cm long and wide; fruit an aggregate of drupelets; inflorescence a cyme
                              15 Pubescence of stellate hairs; plants unarmed.
                                  17 Leaves > 30 cm wide
                                  17 Leaves < 15 cm wide

Key M2: monocots with broad leaves

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1 Leaves compound.
  2 Plants herbaceous; leaves palmately 3-foliolate or pedately compound
  2 Plants woody; leaves either palmately divided or pinnately compound into > 20 segments
1 Leaves simple.
    3 Leaves opposite or whorled, cauline.
      4 Leaves opposite; flowers bilaterally symmetrical
      4 Leaves whorled; flowers radially or bilaterally symmetrical.
        5 Plant with 2 or more leaf-bearing nodes (all nodes whorled or some alternate).
          6 Leaves broad, < 2× as long as wide, cordate at the base; flowers unisexual and plants dioecious
          6 Leaves lanceolate, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, > 4× as long as wide, cuneate at the base; flowers bisexual and plants hermaphroditic
        5 Plant with a single leaf-bearing node.
             7 Leaves in whorls of 3 leaves
             7 Leaves in whorls of 5 or more leaves.
               8 Stem floccose, wiry (and at maturity with a second smaller whorl with usually 3 leaves subtending the flowers); flowers radially symmetrical
               8 Stem glabrous, fleshy, never with a second whorl; flowers bilaterally symmetrical
    3 Leaves alternate, either cauline or basal.
                 9 Inflorescence a spadix (a dense spike of hundreds of flowers, the rachis thickened and somewhat fleshy) subtended by a spathe (a green, white, orange, yellowish-green, or maroon bract) (spathe missing in Orontium)
                 9 Inflorescence otherwise, a raceme, panicle, cyme, umbel, spike, etc., the flowers arrayed in a more diffuse manner, the central rachis not thickened, the inflorescence subtended or not by green or scarious spathes.
                   10 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical or asymmetrical; fertile stamens 1 or 2 (or 5 in MUSACEAE), often with several staminodes present as well; tepals 6.
                     11 Leaf venation parallel; leaves various in size and shape, if > 3 dm long, then < 1 dm wide; perianth often differentiated into a lip and 5 petaloid tepals
                     11 Leaf venation prominently penni-parallel; leaves large, at least some on a plant with blade > 2 dm long.
                       12 Fertile stamens 5-6; leaf blades 6-30 dm long
                       12 Fertile stamen 1; leaf blades 0.5-7 dm long.
                          13 Leaves spirally arranged.
                            14 Leaves lacking ligules; ovary and fruit with warty excrescences
                            14 Leaves with 2 stipule-like ligules; ovary and fruit smooth
                          13 Leaves 2-ranked.
                              15 Leaves jointed and swollen at the summit of the petiole, forming a pulvinus.
                                16 Plants terrestrial; bracts persistent; flowers white, sepals > 5 mm long; [se. FL only]
                                16 Plants aquatic (or at least in very wet soils); bracts not persistent; flowers purple; sepals ≤ 3 mm long; [more widely distributed in southeastern coastal plain, including se. FL (T. geniculata)]
                              15 Leaves neither jointed not swollen at the summit of the petiole
                   10 Flowers radially symmetrical (weakly to strongly bilaterally symmetrical in PONTEDERIACEAE); stamens 6 (rarely 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, 15, or 18); tepals usually 6 (rarely 3 or 4), when 6, either undifferentiated (6 or 4 tepals) or differentiated into 3 petals and 3 sepals.
                                  17 Inflorescence subtended by spathes (well-developed green or scarious bracts).
                                    18 Perianth not differentiated, consisting of 6 similarly colored and shaped tepals; flowers strongly to slightly bilaterally symmetrical; inflorescence lacking well-developed spathaceous bracts
                                    18 Perianth differentiated into green sepals and more brightly colored petals; flowers radially symmetrical (or weakly bilaterally symmetrical, as in some Commelina).
                                       19 Ovary superior; fruit a capsule; stamens 6; [plants mainly of uplands (Murdannia and sometimes Commelina of wetlands)]
                                       19 Ovary inferior; fruit a berry; stamens 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, or 18; [plants of wetlands]
                                  17 Inflorescence not subtended by spathes, though individual small green bracts sometimes subtending individual flowers.
                                         20 Gynoecium of 2 or more pistils (6 in Butomus); fruit achenes or follicles; inflorescence a raceme or panicle with branching in whorls of 3 OR a bracteate umbel; [wetland plants].
                                           21 Flowers consisting of white petals and green sepals, with 1-many stamens and 3-many carpels (but not consistently with 9 stamens and 6 carpels); inflorescence a raceme or panicle in whorls of 3, branched; leaf blades flat or terete
                                           21 Flowers consisting of pink petals and green-pink sepals, usually with 9 stamens and 6 carpels; inflorescence an umbel; leaf blades triquetrous in cross-section
                                         20 Gynoecium of 1 pistil; fruit simple, a capsule or berry; inflorescence various, terminal or axillary, but if a raceme or panicle, not with branching in whorls of 3; [upland (or very rarely wetland) plants].
                                             22 Leaves basal or basally disposed.
                                               23 Leaves 2 (rarely 3 in Convallaria in RUSCACEAE).
                                                 24 Inflorescence a raceme; fruit a berry; tepals united, the perianth urceolate
                                                 24 Inflorescence an umbel or a solitary flower; fruit a capsule; tepals separate or basally fused.
                                                    25 Flowers in an umbel, white; fresh plants with oniony odor
                                                    25 Flowers solitary, white or yellow; fresh plants without strong odor
                                               23 Leaves 4 or more.
                                                      26 Inflorescence a terminal umbel; fruit a blue or black berry; tepals white or yellow; flowers bisexual
                                                      26 Inflorescence a terminal raceme or panicle; fruit a capsule; tepals white, green, yellowish, or pink; flowers either bisexual (Helonias in HELONIADACEAE), or unisexual and primarily on different plants (dioecious) (Chamaelirium in CHIONOGRAPHIDACEAE), or a mix of bisexual and unisexual staminate flowers (Veratrum in MELANTHIACEAE)
                                                        27 Inflorescences bracteate, with bracts subtending individual pedicels and (if they are present) branches of the inflorescence; tepals white, greenish-white, or cream
                                                        27 Inflorescence ebracteate, lacking bracts subtending pedicels; flowers bisexual (Helonias) or predominantly unisexual and on different plants (dioecious) (Chamaelirium); tepals pink (Helonias) or white to cream (Chamaelirium).
                                                          28 Flowers white to cream; plants dioecious (individual plants either male or female, with all male flowers or all female flowers)
                                                          28 Flowers pink; plants hermaphroditic (individual flowers bisexual)
                                             22 Leaves cauline.
                                                            29 Leaves both cordate/subcordate (rarely merely rounded at the base) and obviously petiolate.
                                                              30 Inflorescence an axillary many-flowered umbel; fruit a berry; axillary tendrils often present (absent in some species)
                                                              30 Inflorescence an axillary solitary flower, a few-flowered cyme, or a panicle; fruit a capsule (winged in Dioscorea, unwinged in Croomia); axillary tendrils never present (plant not climbing, or climbing by twining).
                                                                 31 Tepals 6; stamens 6; flowers unisexual (and generally on separate plants, therefore dioecious); inflorescence of a solitary flowers or a panicle; ovary inferior; [widespread in our area]
                                                                 31 Tepals 4 (-5); stamens 4 (-5); flowers bisexual; ovary superior; [AL and adjacent GA, FL, and perhaps LA]
                                                            29 Leaves not both cordate/subcordate and petiolate (some with cordate clasping or perfoliate leaf bases).
                                                                   32 Leaves alternate and in whorls at some nodes; flowers orange; tepals > 5 cm long; inflorescence a terminal umbel or single flower
                                                                   32 Leaves strictly alternate; flowers yellow, white, pink, greenish, or maroon; tepals < 5 cm long; inflorescence either a terminal cluster, raceme, panicle or umbel, or an axillary raceme, cluster or solitary flower.
                                                                     33 Inflorescence a terminal umbel; flowers slightly zygomorphic, reddish, the tepals 3.5-4.5 cm long
                                                                     33 Inflorescence either a terminal cluster, raceme, or panicle, or an axillary raceme, cluster or solitary flower; flowers actinomorphic, variously colored (most white or yellow), the tepals < 3.5 cm long (except Uvularia grandiflora).
                                                                       34 Leaves arrayed spirally around an erect, unbranched stem; fruit a septicidal capsule; flowers a mixture of bisexual and unisexual (staminate) on a plant; perianth white, greenish white, or maroon.
                                                                         35 Leaves basally disposed; leaves not at all to slightly plicate, 1-14 cm wide; tepals glabrous, 4-9 mm long, 1-3 mm wide (3-5 mm wide in M. hybridum), with either conspicuous (M. hybridum) or diffuse (M. parviflorum and M. woodii) glands; filaments fused to the basal claw of the tepal
                                                                         35 Leaves cauline; leaves strongly plicate, 6-15 cm wide; tepals pubescent, 8-13 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, with a conspicuous pair of glands near the base of the tepal blade (these sometimes more or less fused); filaments free from the tepals
                                                                       34 Leaves arrayed distichously (2 ranked) along an arching, unbranched or dichotomously (Y-forking) branched stem; fruit a berry or loculicidal capsule; flowers all bisexual; perianth white, pink, or yellow.
                                                                           36 Stems of fertile and sterile individuals simple (never branched); inflorescence a terminal raceme or panicle (Maianthemum) or axillary racemes or clusters of 1-9 flowers (Polygonatum); fruit a berry.
                                                                              37 Inflorescence terminal, a raceme or panicle; tepals separate; leaves with 3 main parallel veins, acute to acuminate at the apex; foliage green, not glaucous
                                                                              37 Inflorescence of 1-several axillary flowers; tepals fused; leaves with > 7 main parallel veins, obtuse to acute at the apex; foliage blue-green, glaucous
                                                                           36 Stems of fertile individuals branched (always at least bifurcate), but sterile individuals in some genera characteristically unbranched; inflorescence either of 1 (-2) flower(s) borne in a leaf axil (Uvularia, Streptopus), or of (1) 2 (-3) flowers borne terminally opposite the last leaf (Prosartes); fruit a berry or capsule.
                                                                                38 Leaves perfoliate; fruit a capsule
                                                                                38 Leaves sessile (though sometimes slightly to strongly clasping); fruit a berry or capsule.
                                                                                  39 Stem brown, wiry, puberulent; last 2 leaves (near stem tip) on each branch approximate to one another (sometimes subopposite) and with noticeably oblique bases; flowers and fruits terminal on the branches
                                                                                  39 Stem green, not wiry, glabrous; last 2 leaves (near stem tip) on each branch no closer together than other leaves, with symmetrical bases; flowers (and fruits) either terminal on the branches or solitary and axillary to most leaves.
                                                                                    40 Flowers and fruits in single terminal clusters (sometimes appearing axillary, but still only one cluster per branch of the stem); tepals pale to rich yellow
                                                                                    40 Flowers and fruits 1 (-2) in the axils of many leaves; tepals white to pink