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Support the Flora of the Southeastern US

2024 has been a banner year for making the best flora we can imagine. We've created:
With financial support from people like you, we are aiming even higher in 2025. Together we can accomplish all this: Vote on our 2025 priorities
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Key to Convolvulaceae

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1 Plant parasitic; stems orange; [tribe Cuscuteae)
1 Plant photosynthetic; stems green.
image of plant
Show caption*© Sequoia Janirella Wrens, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sequoia Janirella Wrens
image of plant
Show caption*© Sonnia Hill
  2 Corolla 0.1-0.2 cm long; capsule deeply 2-lobed; leaves orbicular-reniform, 1-3 cm long and wide, not fleshy; [tribe Dichondreae]
  2 Corolla 1-10 cm long; capsule entire; leaves various, but not as above (most similar vegetatively are Calystegia soldanella, Ipomoea brasiliensis, and Ipomoea imperati, all beach plants with fleshy, emarginate, and usually larger leaves).
    3 Styles 2, free nearly to the ovary or fused most of their length (at least the terminal 1-2 mm free); corolla either 1-2.5 cm long (Evolvulus, Stylisma) or 7-10 cm long (Bonamia); leaves cuneate or rounded at the base, and narrowly ovate, lanceolate, or linear; [tribe Cresseae].
      4 Styles free, each 2-cleft, the stigmas therefore 4, linear-filiform
      4 Styles free or fused at the base, the stigmas 2, globose-peltate.
        5 Flowers 7-10 cm long; leaves ovate, < 2× as long as wide; [FL only, north to Marion County]
        5 Flowers 1-2.5 cm long; leaves narrowly ovate, lanceolate, or linear, > 2× as long as wide; [widespread in our area, primarily in the Coastal Plain]
    3 Styles 1 (sometimes with 2 stigmas, or a bilobed stigma); stigmas capitate, globose, elongate, flattened, or filiform; corolla > 2.5 cm long (except Jacquemontia, Convolvulus, and a few Ipomoea spp.); leaves cordate, sagittate, or truncate at the base, and (mostly) ovate in outline.
          6 Calyx concealed by 2 large bracts; [tribe Convolvuleae]
          6 Calyx not concealed by bracts.
             7 Outer 3 sepals distinctly wider and longer than the inner sepals (and lacking an attenuated tip).
             7 Outer 3 sepals similarly sized to the inner, or if longer then with an attenuated tip.
               8 Stigmas 2, linear or elongate; leaves 2-4 cm long, truncate or weakly hastate at base; corolla white or pink
                 9 Stigmas elongate but not linear; [tribe Jacquemontiae]
               8 Stigma 1, capitate (or sometimes 2-lobed); leaves 3-15 cm long, mostly strongly hastate or cordate at base; corolla white, pink, lavender, blue, yellow, orange, or red.
                   10 Anthers straight after dehiscence; fruits valvate-dehiscent; [tribe Ipomoeeae]
                   10 Anthers coiled after dehiscence (making 1-4 complete 360 degree turns); fruits longitudinally or irregularly dehiscent; [tribe Merremieae].
image of plant
Show caption*© Paul Marcum
                     11 Fruit a four-valved capsule; [s. GA and FL to TX in our region]
image of plant
Show caption*© Alexis López Hernández, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alexis López Hernández
                     11 Fruit an operculate capsule (with a leathery exocarp that falls off like a lid and a brittle endocarp that shatters irregularly); [s. TX only in our region]