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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 Agavaceae

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1 Plants with erect stems; leaves cauline.
  2 Plant an herb, the arching stems producing a whorl of leaves at the tip, which can root down and form a new plant
  2 Plant woody, a shrub or small tree.
    3 Ovary inferior; leaves to 25 cm wide, the margin with stout spinose teeth or entire
    3 Ovary superior; leaves to 6 cm wide, the margin fibrous, entire (cartilaginous), or serrulate
1 Plants acaulescent; leaves in basal rosettes or crowded very low on a short stem.
      4 Margins of leaves fraying into coarse, whitish, curly fibers; tepals about 4 cm long; leaves stiff and > 15 mm wide
      4 Margins of leaves entire, not fraying; tepals < 2 cm long; leaves stiff and wiry (and < 5 mm wide), herbaceous, or fleshy.
        5 Leaves oblong-acute, 2-25 cm wide, 2-20× as long as wide, fleshy or leathery.
          6 Tepals separate, not forming a tube; filaments dilated near their bases; [FL peninsula]
          6 Tepals fused below, forming a tubular perianth; filaments linear, not dilated; [widespread]
             7 Leaves 3-25 cm wide; inflorescence a panicle (or a spike in A. lophantha); leaf tip spinose; scale 25-130 dm tall; [exotics planted and rarely persistent or spreading usually on barrier islands, or natives of s. peninsular FL or s. TX].
             7 Leaves 0.6-10 cm wide; inflorescence a spike or raceme; leaf tip soft; leaf margins entire, papillose, or weakly toothed; scape 2-22 dm tall; [collectively widespread in dry habitats in our region]
        5 Leaves linear, 0.3-1.8 cm wide, 20-100× as long as wide, herbaceous or wiry.
               8 Leaves with an expanded ovate blade; perianth segments 40-130 mm long
               8 Leaves linear; perianth segments 5-18 mm long.
                 9 Perianth segments 13-18 mm long, blue or nearly white
                 9 Perianth segments 5-7 mm long, white, cream, or yellow
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