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.
1 Leaves 2-foliolate or 1-foliolate (and then deeply notched). |
..2 Leaves 1-foliolate (2-lobed) |
|
1 Leaves 3-, 5-, to many-foliolate. |
....3 Leaves trifoliolate. |
......4 Plant a liana, climbing by twining, by tendrils, or by adventitious roots. |
........5 Leaves untoothed and unlobed |
........5 Leaves coarsely toothed or lobed. {add Eleutherococcus trifoliatus ARALIACEAE} |
..........6 Leaflets obovate or broadly elliptic (broadest at or above the middle), the teeth or lobes primarily or solely in the apical half of the leaf; plant climbing by leaf-opposed tendrils |
..........6 Leaflets orbicular or ovate (broadest at the middle or below the middle), the teeth or lobes primarily or solely in the basal half of the leaf; plant climbing by stem twining or by dense, reddish adventitious roots. |
............ 7 Plant climbing by the stem twining; [plant not actually woody, but so robust as to often be assumed to be so] |
............ 7 Plant climbing by dense, reddish adventitious roots attaching the stem to tree trunks or rock outcrops |
......4 Plant a shrub (sometimes scrambling or occasionally high-climbing with the support of other vegetation, but lacking the specialized climbing structures listed above). |
............ ..8 Stems armed with small prickles or stout thorns. |
............ ....9 Stems with stout thorns at the nodes; fruit a hesperidium (orange-like, but densely hairy) |
............ ....9 Stems with many small prickles along the internodes; fruit either a legume, or an aggregate of drupelets, or a hip. |
............ ......10 Leaflets with 2 rounded lateral lobes near the base, otherwise entire; fruit a legume |
............ ......10 Leaflets serrate and sometimes also cleft; fruit either an aggregate of drupelets or a hip |
............ ..8 Stems unarmed. |
............ ........11 Leaflets serrulate, crenulate, serrate, with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not), or shallowly lobed. |
............ ..........12 Leaflets serrulate or crenulate |
............ ..........12 Leaflets serrate, with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not), or shallowly lobed. |
............ ............ 13 Leaflets with 2 prominent, rounded lobes near the base; fruit a legume; flowers > 3 cm long, corollas bilaterally symmetrical, red, in a terminal raceme |
............ ............ 13 Leaflets serrate and sometimes also cleft, or with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not); fruit either a tan or red drupe or a red berry; flowers < 1 cm across, corollas radially symmetrical, green, yellow, or white, in axillary or terminal panicles or racemes |
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets with a few spine-tipped teeth; fruit a red berry; [TX westwards] |
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets not spine-tipped; fruit a red or tan drupe; [collectively widespread] |
............ ........11 Leaflets entire and unlobed. |
............ ............ ....15 Terminal leaflet sessile. |
............ ............ ......16 Leaflets < 2 cm long; stems and branches dark green |
............ ............ ......16 Leaflets 5-15 cm long; stems and branches tan to brown |
............ ............ ....15 Terminal leaflet with a petiolule. |
............ ............ ........17 Leaves pinnately trifoliolate, a rachis present as an extension of the petiole past the point of attachment of the 2 lateral leaflets, the terminal leaflet borne on a petiolule at the terminus of the rachis, with an obvious joint present between the rachis and petiolule |
............ ............ ........17 Leaves palmately trifoliolate, the terminal leaflet typically with a longer petiolule than the lateral leaflets, but lacking a rachis (the petiolule of the terminal leaflet attached at the same point as the 2 lateral leaflets and unjointed) |
....3 Leaves with 5-many leaflets (poorly developed leaves in some species with only 3 leaflets). |
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves palmately or palmately-pedately compound. |
............ ............ ............ 19 Leaves palmately-pedately 5-foliolate (the lateral 2 leaflets on each side borne on a common Y-shaped stalk). |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaflets entire; sap milky |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaflets toothed; sap clear |
............ ............ ............ 19 Leaves palmately compound (all the leaflets attached at a single point). |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves > 6 dm wide |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves < 3 dm wide. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaflets with entire margins |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaflets with serrate margins. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Stems armed with prickles scattered in the internodes |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Stems unarmed or with paired nodal spines. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Inflorescence an umbel; leaves evergreen, glossy; stems often with paired nodal spines |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Inflorescence a panicle; leaves deciduous, dull; stems unarmed |
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves pinnately, bipinnately, or complexly compound. |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves at least in part pinnate-pinnatifid, 2-pinnate, or otherwise more complexly compound than 1-pinnate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves evenly 2-pinnately compound |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves oddly pinnate-pinnatifid, 2-pinnately compound, or more complexly compound than 2-pinnate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves pinnate-pinnatifid, with 7-19 leaflets, each leaflet pinnatifid into narrowly lanceolate lobes; {upper leaflet surface dark green, lower surface silvery with gray sericeous pubescence} |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves 2-pinnately compound, or even more complexly compound. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plant a liana, climbing by tendrils |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plant a shrub or tree, not climbing. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant armed with prickles on the stem, and sometimes also on the axes and main veins of the leaves |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant unarmed. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Plant a shrub, < 2.5 m tall. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Foliage green; leaflets ovate, acute at the tip; flowers 3-merous, the tepals white or cream; fruit a red berry |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Foliage blue-green; leaflets obovate, rounded or notched at the tip; flowers 4-5-merous, the sepals green, the petals yellow; fruit a capsule |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Plant a tree, > 3 m tall when flowering and fruiting. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaflets entire |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaflets serrate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Fruit a globose drupe, tan at maturity, 10-15 mm in diameter; inflorescence an axillary panicle; corolla lavender |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Fruit an inflated capsule, 30-50 mm long; inflorescence a terminal thyrse; corolla yellow |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves 1-pinnately compound. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves even-pinnately compound (generally with 2 leaflets at the apex of the rachis, these obviously and symmetrically paired). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Leaflets rounded to obtuse at the apex (or acute to acuminate in Gymnocladus); fruit a legume; inflorescence various, but not as below |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Leaflets acuminate at the apex; fruit a drupe or capsule; inflorescence a panicle with many, small, radially symmetrical flowers. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit a capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit a drupe. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Tree dioecious; drupe ca. 5 mm long; stamens (of male flowers) 3-5 (-7) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Tree bisexual; drupe ca. 13 mm long; stamens 8-10 |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves odd-pinnately compound (generally with a single leaflet at the terminus of the rachis). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Leaves very large, > 10 dm long |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Leaves small to large, < 10 dm long. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Stems armed with prickles or stipular or nodal spines; leaves often also with prickles. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Leaves with conspicuous leafy stipules, often adnate to the petiole; plant a liana or small to medium shrub; leaves serrate, often sharply and prominently so; leaves not strongly aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucid punctate glands on the surface |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Leaves lacking leafy stipules; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves entire or obscurely crenate or serrate; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves either strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucid punctate glands or not aromatic and not pellucid-punctate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Leaves not aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucid punctate glands; leaves never with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices rounded |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Leaves strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucid punctate glands; leaves often with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices usually acuminate |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Stems unarmed (leaflets with spinose margins in some species, or the stem with dense hispid hairs). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Leaflets entire. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Plant a liana, climbing by twining |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Plant an upright shrub or tree, not climbing. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Plant a medium or tall tree. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Leaves with stipules; flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous, white, cream, or pink; stamens 10; fruit a legume; [collectively widespread in our area] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Leaves without stipules; flowers radially symmetrical, whitish; stamens 5 or 10; fruit a single-seeded drupe; [FL peninsula] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Plant a shrub or small tree to 7 (-10) m tall. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Leaf 2-5 cm long, with 5-7 leaflets |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Leaf > 8 cm long, with 5-many leaflets. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........47 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous (reduced in Amorpha to a single petal); stamens 10; fruit a legume; leaves with stipules. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........47 Flowers radially symmetrical, stamens 4-5; fruit either a drupe (Anacardiaceae), or a 1-3-seeded berry or a samara (Picramniaceae); leaves without stipules. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........48 Inflorescence a panicle; fruit a drupe; [collectively widespread] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........48 Inflorescence a raceme or compound thyrse; fruit a samara or 1-3-seeded berry; [s. FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Leaflets serrate or crenate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 49 Leaflets crenate, the teeth rounded and often inconspicuous. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..50 Leaflets with obscure crenations, not as below nor bearing glands; leaf rachis narrowly to conspicuously winged, especially towards the tip; fruit a drupe; plant a shrub or small tree |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..50 Leaflets (especially the basal and on the basalscopic side) with 1-5 large rounded teeth, each bearing a prominent dark green gland; leaf rachis not winged; fruit a schizocarp, with 2-5 samaroid mericarps; plant a medium to large tree |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 49 Leaflets serrate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....51 Leaf serrations spinose |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....51 Leaf serrations not spinose. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......52 Inflorescences axillary. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........53 Plant a tree, freely branched; rhizome inner bark not brightly colored; flowers unisexual, the male flowers in catkins, the female flowers solitary or few in a spike, the perianth greenish or tan and inconspicuous; fruit a nut covered by a dehiscent or indehiscent involucre |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........53 Plant a short shrub, < 1 m tall, little branched; rhizome inner bark of fresh plants bright yellow; flowers bisexual, petals absent, the 5 petaloid sepals maroon; inflorescence a drooping panicle from the base of the new year’s growth; fruit an aggregate of follicles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......52 Inflorescences terminal. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........54 Inflorescence corymbose (flat-topped or rounded, as wide as long or wider); fruit a red pome |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........54 Inflorescence paniculate (longer than wide); fruit various (see below), but not as above. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 55 Leaves stipulate; flowers bright white; fruit an aggregate of 5 follicles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 55 Leaves lacking stipules; flowers cream or yellow; fruit either a drupe or an inflated membranaceous capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..56 Fruit a drupe |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..56 Fruit an inflated membranaceous capsule |