2024 Edition • Get the App
X

Colors

Data mode

Account

Login
Sign up

X
Keyed in multiple places:

Click the number at the start of a key lead to highlight both that lead and its corresponding lead. Click again to show only the two highlighted leads. Click a third time to return to the full key with the selected leads still highlighted.

Key J2: woody angiosperms with opposite, simple leaves with toothed margins {add [Abelia] CAPRIFOLIACEAE}

Copy permalink to share | Check for keys that lead to this key

1 Leaves evergreen.
  2 Plant a shrub, erect, not requiring support.
    3 Leaves with spiny margins
    3 Leaves with crenate or serrate margins.
      4 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head; [maritime situations]
 Iva
      4 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence either a head or otherwise; [collectively widespread].
        5 Leaves > 8 cm long, typically spotted with yellow, coarsely toothed; fruit a red drupe; [commonly cultivated, rarely seeding down nearby]
        5 Leaves < 8 cm long, not yellow-spotted, serrulate; fruit a capsule or purplish drupe; [plants native or cultivated].
          6 Inflorescence a head; [s. FL]
          6 Inflorescence otherwise; [more widespread].
             7 Corolla tubular, campanulate, bilaterally symmetrical; fruit a 1-seeded achene (rarely produced)
             7 Corolla radially symmetrical, with 4-5 distinct petals; fruit a 2-10-seeded capsule or drupe.
               8 Fruit a 4-5-locular capsule, with 2 seeds per locule (though often fewer by abortion)
               8 Fruit a (2-) 3-locular, purplish-black drupe, with (2-) 3 single-seeded stones
  2 Plant a subshrub, creeping shrub, or liana.
                 9 Leaves spinose-serrate; [exotics, rarely naturalized]
                 9 Leaves serrate (not spinose), serrulate, or crenate; [exotics and natives, collectively widespread].
                   10 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head; [maritime situations]
 Iva
                   10 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence otherwise; [collectively widespread].
                     11 Leaves on vigorous shoots with a few coarse rounded teeth towards the base (most leaves entire)
                     11 Leaves serrulate to serrate, the teeth uniformly around the margin or concentrated towards the tip; fruit dry, either indehiscent and 1-seeded or capsular and with several seeds.
                       12 Flowers 5-merous; petals fused; fruit indehiscent, 1-seeded; [montane, from e. TN, WV, and w. MD northwards in our area]
                       12 Flowers 4- or 5-merous; petals separate; fruit capsular, dehiscent, several-seeded; [collectively widespread in our area]
1 Leaves deciduous.
                          13 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head, subtended by an involucre of phyllaries; [maritime situations]
 Iva
                          13 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence, flower, and fruit structure various, but not with the combination of features as above (sometimes the flowers in a head subtended by bracts, but then with other features differing, such as stamens 4, or green calyx present, or petals separate, or fruit a schizocarp of mericarps, etc.); [collectively widespread].
                            14 Lianas climbing by twining or by adventitious roots.
                              15 Stems with retrorse prickles; foliage scabrous
                              15 Stems not prickly; foliage smooth to variously hairy, but not scabrous.
                                16 Leaves on vigorous shoots with a few coarse rounded teeth towards the base (most leaves entire), the larger leaves < 3 cm wide; lianas climbing by twining; fruit a fleshy berry; flowers 5-merous, with a fused, tubular corolla
                                16 Leaves serrate, the teeth towards the leaf apex, the larger leaves > 4 cm wide; lianas climbing by adventitious roots; fruit a capsule; flowers 7-10-merous, with separate petals
                            14 Upright shrubs or trees, lacking any adaptations for climbing.
                                  17 Trees; leaves often a mix of alternate and opposite.
                                    18 Leaves harshly scabrous on the upper surface; fruit a multiple of achenes; leaf venation pinnate but irregular
                                    18 Leaves not scabrous; fruit a 2-4-seeded drupe; leaf venation neatly pinnate, the lateral veins nearly straight and parallel to one another
                                  17 Shrubs or trees; leaves strictly opposite (or often a mix of alternate and opposite in RHAMNACEAE).
                                       19 Trees; leaves palmately-veined, with 5 or more veins from the base; [rarely naturalizing]
                                       19 Shrubs; leaves either triple-veined from near the base or pinnate-veined; [collectively widespread and common]
                                         20 Leaves strongly triple-veined from at or near the base of the blade, the 2 lateral veins arching towards the tip and rejoining the midvein or nearly so (becoming diffuse before rejoining); petals 4, white; stamens 15-90
                                         20 Leaves pinnate-veined; petals various, not both 4 and white (except sometimes in Hydrangea); stamens 1-15 (except 15-30 in Exochorda in ROSACEAE).
                                           21 Inflorescence head-like; flowers sympetalous and 4-lobed; fruit 2 seeded
                                           21 Inflorescence more diffuse, with internal axes and pedicels; flowers not both sympetalous and 4-lobed (except in Forsythia and Buddleja); fruit 1-seeded, 2-4-seeded, or 4-many-seeded.
                                             22 Plants in flower.
                                               23 Corolla absent; flowers inconspicuous and small, in axillary fascicles or catkins.
                                                 24 Flowers in catkins; leaves usually a mix of opposite and alternate
                                                 24 Flowers in axillary fascicles; leaves strictly opposite (subopposite)
                                               23 Corolla present; flowers larger, in terminal cymes, corymbs, racemes, panicles, or in axillary cymes or fascicles.
                                                    25 Petals separate; stamens 8-10 (-60) (or 4-6 in RHAMNACEAE and Euonymus in CELASTRACEAE).
                                                      26 Flowers 1-few, in axillary cymes; stamens 4-6; stems brown, tan, gray, or green.
                                                        27 Leaf venation pinnate, but irregular and reticulated; stems green
                                                        27 Leaf venation neatly pinnate, the lateral veins nearly straight and parallel to one another; stems brown, tan, or gray
                                                      26 Flowers 1 and terminal, or many, in terminal panicles or corymbs; stamens 8-10 (-60); stems brown, tan or gray.
                                                          28 Inflorescence a solitary, terminal flower; stamens 30-60
                                                          28 Inflorescence a terminal panicle or corymb; stamens 8-15
                                                    25 Petals fused, at least basally, and often strongly tubular; stamens 2, 4, or 5.
                                                            29 Stamens 5.
                                                              30 Petals white, fused basally only, the lobes spreading
                                                              30 Petals pink, yellow, or reddish, fused for most of their length
                                                            29 Stamens 2 or 4.
                                                                 31 Stamens 2; petals yellow; flowers radially symmetrical; inflorescence an axillary fascicle
                                                                 31 Stamens 4; petals white, pink, or lavender; flowers bilabiate; inflorescence a terminal thyrse or panicle or an axillary cyme.
                                                                   32 Petals 4; inflorescence a terminal thyrse
                                                                   32 Petals 5; inflorescence a terminal panicle or an axillary cyme.
                                                                     33 Inflorescence an axillary cyme
                                                                     33 Inflorescence a terminal panicle
                                             22 Plants in fruit.
                                                                       34 Fruit a berry, drupe, or achene, indehiscent, fleshy at maturity (or dry in Kolkwitzia).
                                                                         35 Fruit a berry, with 20+ seeds
                                                                         35 Fruit a drupe or achene, with 1-4 seeds.
                                                                           36 Fruit an achene (1-seeded), dry at maturity
                                                                           36 Fruit a drupe (1-4-seeded), fleshy at maturity.
                                                                              37 Inflorescence a terminal corymb
                                                                              37 Inflorescence axillary, fascicled or a cyme.
                                                                                38 Foliage with stellate hairs; fruit a pink-purple 4-seeded drupe
                                                                                38 Foliage glabrous or with simple hairs; fruit a dark red, black, or blue 1-4-seeded drupe.
                                                                                  39 Fruit a 1-seeded drupe; [NC southwards and westwards]
                                                                                  39 Fruit a 2-4-seeded drupe; [widespread in our region]
                                                                       34 Fruit a capsule, dehiscent, dry at maturity.
                                                                                    40 Inflorescence a catkin, the flowers small (< 5 mm in diameter) and tightly arranged on the inflorescence axis (> 5 per cm of the axis)
                                                                                    40 Inflorescence various, but more diffuse, the flowers larger (> 5 mm in diameter, except for some flowers in Hydrangea in HYDRANGEACEAE) and loosely arranged (< 5 per cm of axis).
                                                                                      41 Capsule prominently 5-angled (star-shaped in ×-section)
                                                                                      41 Capsule not angled.
                                                                                        42 Inflorescence axillary, fascicled.
                                                                                           43 Capsule pink to red; fruits solitary or in axillary cymes
                                                                                           43 Capsule brown; fruits in axillary fascicles
                                                                                        42 Inflorescence terminal, a raceme, panicle, corymb, or compound cyme or thyrse.
                                                                                             44 Inflorescence a flat-topped corymb or rounded compound cyme, as wide as or wider than long
                                                                                             44 Inflorescence elongated, a raceme, panicle, or thyrse, much longer than wide.
                                                                                               45 Capsule elongate (> 3× as long as wide), 8-25 mm long
                                                                                               45 Capsule about as long as wide, 3-6 mm long.
                                                                                                 46 Sepal lobes 5
                                                                                                 46 Sepal lobes 4
Cite as...