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Key to Celastraceae

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1 Lianas, climbing by adventitious roots, twining, or scrambling.
..2 Plants climbing by adventitious roots; sepals and petals 4; ovaries 4-carpellate (capsules 4-locular); [subfamily Celastroideae]
..2 Plants climbing by twining or scrambling; sepals and petals 5; ovaries 3-carpellate (capsules 3-locular).
....3 Leaves opposite, evergreen; seeds 5-6 per locule; seeds winged, tan or brown; [subfamily Hippocrateoideae]
....3 Leaves alternate, deciduous; seeds 2 per locule; seeds not winged, orange or red because of the enclosing aril; [subfamily Celastroideae]
1 Shrubs or trees, more or less erect and without climbing adaptations.
......4 Leaves alternate; leaf margins entire.
........5 Fruit a capsule; sepals, petals, and stamens 5; [subfamily Maytenoideae]
........5 Fruit a drupe; sepals, petals, and stamens 4; [subfamily Celastroideae]
......4 Leaves opposite; leaf margins entire, serrate, crenate, or spinose.
..........6 Leaves deciduous (though in some species dark green); seed arils yellow, orange, or red; seeds (2-) 4-10 per fruit; [subfamily Celastroideae]
..........6 Leaves evergreen; seed arils absent (Crossopetalum, Gyminda) or white to yellow (Paxistima); seeds (1-) 2 per fruit.
............ 7 Leaves 2-4 mm wide; plant 0.1-0.4 dm tall; fruit a capsule, 3-4 mm long; seeds black, ellipsoid, with a yellow or white aril; [of the Appalachians, native to calcareous rock outcrops, rarely naturalized elsewhere]; [subfamily Celastroideae]
............ 7 Leaves 5-30 mm wide; plant 0.1-8 m tall; fruit a drupe, 3-8 mm long; seeds ovoid or obovoid, lacking an aril; [of the Coastal Plain, and essentially limited to peninsular FL].
............ ..8 Branchlets terete; fruit a red drupe; [subfamily Crossopetaloideae]
............ ..8 Branchlets 4-angled; fruit either a bluish black drupe or a capsule; [subfamily Celastroideae]
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