2024 Edition • Donate • Get the App • Cite this Page
X

Colors

Data mode

Account

Login
Sign up

Support FSUS...

We've finished our 2024 fundraiser. Many thanks to those who have given! It's not too late to support us (click here)...

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 to Polygonaceae

Copy permalink to share

1 Woody vine, climbing by tendrils; [subfamily Polygonoideae, tribe Coccolobeae].
  2 Leaf base deeply cordate
  2 Leaf base truncate to broadly cuneate
1 Herb (sometimes very robust and rather woody), herbaceous vine, tree or shrub (Coccoloba), or woody (Muehlenbeckia) or somewhat woody (Fallopia baldschuanica) vine lacking tendrils.
    3 Tree or large shrubs (> 2 m tall when mature); bark of medium to mature trees peeling.
      4 Leaves ovate to orbicular or sometimes lanceolate-elliptic (as in C. diversifolia); floral tube becoming fleshy, fruit not winged; [common in sandy coastal habitats, c. and s. FL]
      4 Leaves long elliptic to widely lanceolate; floral tube not becoming fleshy; fruit 3-winged [rare escape, disturbed areas in s. FL]
    3 Herbs, herbaceous vines, woody vines, or small shrubs (< 2 m tall); stem not exfoliating.
        5 Stem leaves (in our species) whorled; flowers in involucrate heads; ocreae absent; stamens 9; leaves densely white-tomentose on the lower surface; [of xeric situations of shale barrens and sandhills]; [subfamily Eriogonoideae, tribe Eriogoneae]
        5 Stem leaves alternate; flowers in various inflorescences (not involucrate); ocreae present; stamens (3-) 5-8 (-9); leaves glabrous or variously pubescent, but not densely white-tomentose; [of various habitats, including xeric ones]; [subfamily Polygonoideae].
          6 Tepals 6, in 2 series of 3 each; plants with leaves basally disposed, the largest basal (these withering in some species later in the season); [tribe Rumiceae].
             7 Tepals (the outer series) spinose
             7 Tepals foliose.
               8 Fruit 3-winged; basal leaves very large, 20-40 cm wide; inner and outer tepals similar; [plant cultivated, rarely persistent or escaped]
               8 Fruit 3-angled; basal leaves small to medium in size, 0.5-15 cm wide; inner tepals wider than the outer tepals; [plants common, mostly weedy]
                 9 Leaf blades of well-developed leaves (at least) hastate or sagittate; plants dioecious (rarely polygamo-monoecious), the flowers mostly unisexual; fresh foliage pleasantly acid to taste
                 9 Leaf blades not hastate or sagittate; plants synoecious (rarely with some dioecious or polygamo-monoecious individuals), the flowers normally bisexual (sometimes bisexual and unisexual flowers in the same inflorescence); fresh foliage “green” or bitter to taste
          6 Tepals mostly 5 in a single whorl; plants with leaves along the stem, lacking well-developed basal leaves.
                   10 Flowers in small clusters or very reduced racemes of 1-5 flowers, borne in the axils of normally sized or reduced leaves; plants erect or sprawling herbs with stems < 1 m long, from taproots; leaves jointed at base; [tribe Polygoneae].
                     11 Stems with 4 obscure ribs or angles (or lacking apparent ribs); leaf venation parallel, with inconspicuous secondary veins, longitudinally plicate; anthers pink-purple
                     11 Stems with 8-16 distinct ribs; leaf venation pinnate, the secondary veins apparent; anthers whitish yellow
                   10 Flowers in diffuse axillary panicles, or in terminal or long-peduncled axillary racemes, corymbs, or heads; plants various, either erect or sprawling herbs, or erect, robust, and suffrutescent herbs, or climbing herbaceous, suffrutescent, or woody vines, or suffrutescent bushy herbs; leaves not jointed at base (except Polygonella).
                       12 Leaves cuneate at the base, either linear, spatulate, or oblanceolate, mostly < 4 cm long and < 5 mm wide; leaves jointed at the base; pedicels jointed at the base; [tribe Polygoneae]
                       12 Leaves cuneate, cordate, or hastate at the base, either lanceolate or ovate, mostly > 5 cm long and > 8 mm wide; leaves not jointed at the base; pedicels not jointed at the base.
                          13 Inflorescence corymbiform, terminal; achenes strongly exserted at maturity; tepals almost free, horizontally spreading, white, 3-4 mm long; [erect annual, uncommonly cultivated and rarely persistent or escaped]; [tribe Persicarieae]
                          13 Inflorescence paniculate, racemiform, or headlike, terminal and axillary; achenes enclosed in the perianth at maturity; tepals fused for much of their length, ascending, pink, green, or white.
                            14 Plants wiry-stemmed, woody vines with small leaves (< 2 cm long); flowers unisexual, the tubes of the pistillate flowers becoming fleshy in fruit
                            14 Plants herbs or with thick, suffrutescent to woody, stems with larger leaves; flowers bisexual or unisexual (if unisexual, then the tubes of the pitillate flowers not becoming fleshy).
                              15 Outer tepals neither keeled nor winged at maturity; inflorescence of spikelike racemes, heads, or sparse, interrupted racemes; [tribe Persicarieae]
                              15 Outer tepals keeled or winged at maturity; inflorescence a compound panicle of racemes; [tribe Polygoneae].
                                16 Plants erect, robust (1-4 m tall), woody, the stems generally over 1 cm in diameter, hollow; perianth enlarging in fruit; stigma fimbriate
                                16 Plants climbing or sprawling, herbaceous to somewhat woody, the stems slender; perianth usually not enlarging in fruit; stigma capitate or peltate
                                  17 Ocreae smooth; perianth greenish to yellowish or pinkish; achene glossy or dull black; [mostly of lower elevations].
                                  17 Ocreae reflexed bristly at the base; perianth white; achene glossy black; [of high elevation openings and woodlands]