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1 Plant a low shrub or subshrub, woody at base or throughout, < 3 dm tall. |
..2 Leaves alternate, palmately divided into 3-7, sharp-tipped linear segments; [rare waif] |
..2 Leaves opposite, linear to lanceolate, in some species needle-like or nearly so; [collectively widespread] |
1 Plant an herb, 1-20 dm tall. |
....3 Leaves simple and entire. |
......4 Leaves alternate; [subfamily Polemonioideae; tribe Gilieae] |
......4 Leaves all or at least the lower opposite; [subfamily Polemonioideae; tribe Polemoniae] |
....3 Leaves compound or deeply divided or lobed, 1-3× pinnately or 1× palmately. |
........5 Leaves 1× palmately divided into linear segments; leaves all opposite; [rare waif] |
........5 Leaves 1-3× pinnately divided into linear or broader segments; leaves all alternate, or at least the upper and midstem leaves alternate. |
..........6 Corollas salverform or funnelform, the tube narrow and 20-40 mm long, red, yellow, white, or lavender; larger leaves 1-pinnately lobed, the ultimate segments linear (and not further divided or toothed) |
..........6 Corollas variously funnelform, rotate, campanulate, the tube broadening and 3-21 mm long, lavender, white, blue, violet, or pink; larger leaves 1× or more (2-3) pinnately divided or lobed, the ultimate segments linear or broader (ovate, elliptic). |
............ 7 Leaves 1-pinnately compound, the leaflets ovate or elliptic, 5-16 mm wide, entire; corollas campanulate, borne in a corymb |
............ 7 Leaves 1-3-pinnately divided, the segments either broad or linear, 0.5-5 mm wide, often toothed, lobed or additionally divided; corollas rotate or funnelform, borne either in diffuse panicles or in bracted, terminal heads or head-like clusters. |
............ ..8 Inflorescences diffuse panicles; corollas rotate; leaf lobes broad (or linear in Giliastrum acerosum) |
............ ..8 Inflorescences of bracted terminal heads or head-like clusters (sometimes looser); leaf lobes linear. |
............ ....9 Inflorescence bracts not spinose; inflorescence on a long peduncle; flowers blue; plant 1-9 dm tall |
............ ....9 Inflorescence bracts spine-tipped; inflorescence not long-pedunculate, subtended by bracts; flowers white; plant < 1 dm tall |