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Key to Caryophyllaceae, Key A: Subkey in Caryophyllaceae

Caryophyllaceae

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1 Calyx immediately subtended by 1-3 pairs of bract; [tribe Caryophylleae].
  2 Calyx 20-40-nerved
  2 Calyx 15-nerved
1 Calyx lacking subtending bract.
    3 Sepal 25-62 mm long; calyx lobe longer than the calyx tube, the lobe as long as or longer than the corolla lobe; [tribe Sileneae]
    3 Sepal (1-) 10-28 (-40) mm long; calyx lobe shorter than the calyx tube, the lobe much shorter than the corolla lobe (except Gypsophila).
      4 Style 2; fruit valve 4; petal appendaged or not; [tribe Caryophylleae].
        5 Sepal 1-5 mm long, the commissure between the sepal scarious.
          6 Leaves lanceolate to ovate, (1-) 2-20 (-35) mm wide; plants few-branched, or if diffusely-branched, only in the upper half of the plant's length
          6 Leaves linear, 0.2-2 (-3) mm wide; plants diffusely branched from near the base upwards
        5 Sepal 7-25 mm long, lacking commissure.
             7 Calyx tubular, 20-nerved; petal appendaged; perennial
             7 Calyx ovoid, 5-nerved; petal not appendaged; annual
      4 Style 3-5 (or 0 in staminate plants); fruit valve 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, or 10; petal generally appendaged; [tribe Sileneae]
               8 Plant glabrous; calyx glabrous, narrowly funnelform, dilated above the midpoint; petal pink; stem with glutinous zones on upper internode
               8 Plant glabrous or pubescent; calyx glabrous or pubescent, either tubular (nearly the same diameter through its length) or broadened below the middle (flask-shaped); petal white or pink (rarely absent); stem lacking glutinous zones (except S. antirrhina).
                 9 Style mostly 3; capsule with 3 or 6 teeth; calyx tubular or campanulate at anthesis, not greatly inflated (except in S. vulgaris)
                 9 Style mostly 5; capsule with 5 or 10 teeth; calyx tubular at anthesis, becoming strongly inflated later in S. dioica and S. latifolia.
                   10 Petal limb deeply divided into 4 linear segment; [or, former Lychnis section Uebelinia]
                   10 Petal limb unlobed, emarginate, or shallowly 2-lobed.
                     11 Leaf blade with dense silky white hairiness; flowers bisexual; [or former Lychnis section Agrostemma]
                     11 Leaf blade variously pubescent, but not with silky-appressed pubescence; [Silene section Melandrium]