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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 Acalypha

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1 Shrubs, 20-50 dm tall; [peninsular FL]
1 Herbs, 1-8 dm tall; [collectively widespread].
  2 Plants with terminal inflorescences bright red, the flowers lacking ovaries and with 5-8 styles in place of stamens
  2 Plants with terminal or axillary inflorescences green, yellowish, red-tinged, with unisexual, functional flowers.
    3 Bracts of pistillate flowers either with linear tips or lobes longer then the broad basal portion, or the entire bract linear.
      4 Pistillate inflorescences with the bracts densely crowded, completely hiding the inflorescence axis; bracts of pistillate flowers with lobes consisting of deltate bases bearing long linear tips, long-hirsute with nonglandular hairs to 2 mm long.
        5 Hairs of the stems, petioles, and peduncles gland-tipped; pistillate inflorescences terminal, staminate inflorescences axillary; styles usually unbranched (rarely bifid)
        5 Hairs of the stems, petioles, and peduncles eglandular; pistillate, bisexual, and staminate inflorescences axillary; styles multi-branched
      4 Pistillate inflorescences with the bracts loosely arranged, the axis visible between the bracts; bracts of pistillate flowers with the lobes linear throughout, glabrous or pubescence with nonglandular hairs < 0.25 mm long (glandular hairs may be longer).
          6 Leaves cordate at base; fruit tuberculate, but not pubescent
          6 Leaves rounded to widely cuneate at base; fruit pubescent with pustular-based trichomes
    3 Bracts of the pistillate flowers with deltate or lanceolate tips or lobes.
             7 Inflorescences (all or some) terminal.
               8 Stems erect; leaf blades 2-6 cm long
               8 Stems prostrate to ascending; leaf blades 0.3-2.5 cm long.
                 9 Petioles 1-5 mm long; inflorescences all terminal and bisexual; [FL]
                 9 Petioles 4-25 mm long; inflorescences both terminal (these staminate, pistillate, or bisexual) and axillary (these pistillate); [c. and s. TX and southwestwards].
                   10 Leaf blades with shallowly crenate margins; pistillate bract lobes comprising about 25% of the overall bract length
                   10 Leaf blades with deeply crenate margins; pistillate bract lobes comprising about 50% of the overall bract length
             7 Inflorescences all axillary.
                     11 Pistillate bracts 6-15 (-20) mm long.
                       12 Lobes of the pistillate bracts rounded, comprising ca. 5% of the overall length of the bract
                       12 Lobes of the pistillate bracts deltate, triangular, or lanceolate, comprising 10-75% of the overall length of the bract.
                          13 Leaves 3-6× as long as wide, the largest < 2 cm wide; pistillate bracts with sessile glands; pistillate bract lobes making up 10-25% of the overall bract length.
                            14 Pistils 3-carpellate; seeds 1.1-1.9 mm long; [widespread in our area]
                            14 Pistils 1-carpellate; seeds 1.6-2.4 mm long; [IL and se. IA south through MO, KS, AR, and OK to w. LA and e. and c. TX]
                          13 Leaves 1.5-2.8× as long as wide, the largest > 2 cm wide; pistillate bracts lacking sessile glands; pistillate bract lobes making up 25-75% of the overall bract length.
                              15 Lower surfaces of pistillate bracts hirsute and sometimes also stipitate-glandular; stems hirsute; pistillate bracts (9-) 10-14 (16)-lobed
                              15 Lower surfaces of pistillate bracts sparsely pubescent (sometimes stipitate-glandular); stems with only short, incurved hairs; pistillate bracts (5-) 7-9 (-11)-lobed.
                                16 Fruit 2-seeded; seeds 2.4-3.2 mm long
                                16 Fruit 3-seeded; seeds 1.2-2.0 mm long
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