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Key to Euonymus

Celastraceae

Euonymus

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1 Leaf undersurface with mostly erect hairs to ca. 0.2 mm long; petioles 8-20 mm long; flowers 4-merous; [native]; [section Euonymus]
1 Leaf undersurface glabrous (or with some hairs on the midrib); petioles 1-33 mm long; flowers 4- or 5-merous; [introduced or native].
  2 Leaves evergreen; flowers 4-merous; [introduced species, rarely naturalized]; [section Ilicifolii].
    3 Leaves 2-5.5 cm long, 2-3.5 cm wide; capsule 5-6 mm in diameter; plant creeping
    3 Leaves (3-) 5-10 (-12) cm long, (2-) 3-5 (-5.5) cm wide; capsule 6-9 (-12) mm in diameter; plant erect
  2 Leaves deciduous; flowers 4- or 5-merous; [introduced or native].
      4 Petioles 5-33 mm long; flowers 4-merous; [introduced, rarely naturalized]; [section Euonymus].
        5 Leaf apex acute to short-acuminate; larger leaves with teeth 8-11 per cm
        5 Leaf apex long-acuminate; larger leaves with teeth 6-8 per cm
      4 Petioles 1-5 mm long; flowers 4- or 5-merous; [native and introduced].
          6 Twigs and branches with 2-4 corky wings (these sometimes lacking); flowers 4-merous; capsules smooth; [introduced, naturalizing and invasive]; [section Melanocarya]
          6 Twigs and small branches lacking corky wings, terete (or nearly so); flowers 5-merous; capsules muricate; [native species]; [section Echinococcus].
             7 Primary stems erect, to 20 dm tall; upper leaves widest at or below the middle; petioles mostly 1-3 mm long; [widespread in our area]
             7 Primary stems trailing or decumbent, the tips and flowering branches ascending to 3 (-6) dm tall; upper leaves widest at or beyond the middle; petioles mostly 3-5 mm long; [of the Mountains]