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1 Petals absent; carpels 5, whorled, each expanding into a stalked and papery structure which bears 1-4 pea-sized seeds along its margins; tree; leaves 10-40 cm wide, 3-5 lobed, the lobes acute, the margins entire; [subfamily Sterculioideae] |
1 Petals present; carpels 1, 5, or many, united or separate, but not as above; tree, shrub, or herb; leaves< 15 cm wide, lobed or unlobed, but if lobed then also serrate. |
2 Epicalyx of bracts (immediately subtending the calyx) absent. |
3 Stamens 3 or 5; [subfamily Byttnerioideae]. |
4 Flowers solitary or in 2-3-flowered fascicles in leaf axils; petals hooded, caducous; capsules with prickles 0.3-0.5 mm long |
4 Flowers in capitate or umbellate clusters of > 4 flowers; petals flat, persistent; capsules smooth or hairy. |
5 Ovary with 5 carpels and 5 styles; capsule with 5-10 seeds; corolla pink, purple, or white |
5 Ovary with 1 carpel and 1 style; capsule with 1 seed; corolla orange to yellow |
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7 Tree; fruit a woody drupe; [subfamily Tilioideae] |
7 Herb or shrub; fruit a capsule; [subfamily Grewioideae, tribe Apeibeae]. |
8 Leaves rounded or subcordate at base, acute at apex; fruit much longer than broad, unarmed |
8 Leaves cuneate at base, acuminate at apex; fruit subglobose, with hooked spines |
6 Stamens united into a staminal column adnate to the corolla at its base; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Malveae]. |
9 Seeds 2 or more per carpel |
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10 Leaves palmately and deeply cleft (> 9/10s of the way to the midrib) into linear segments |
10 Leaves unlobed or lobed (if lobed , < 4/5’s of the way to the midrib and the lobes broad). |
11 Flowers many in a terminal panicle; corolla white; style branches filiform, the stigmatic surface elongate along the inner side of the branches; leaves >10 cm wide, deeply 5-9- lobed; plants 1-2 m tall |
11 Flowers solitary or a few in leaf axils (or many in a terminal panicle in Sida hermaphrodita); corolla blue-purple, yellow, or white; style branches truncate, the stigmatic surface terminal and capitate; leaves < 2 cm wide, unlobed (or leaves > 10 cm wide and deeply 3-7- lobed in Sida hermaphrodita); plants < 1 m tall (or 1-4 m tall in Sida hermaphrodita). |
12 Corolla blue to purple; lateral walls of the carpels disintegrating at maturity of the fruit |
12 Corolla yellow or white; lateral walls of the carpels persistent |
13 Leaves deeply palmately lobed; plants 1-2 (-4) m tall; petals white |
13 Leaves unlobed; plants 0.2-1 m tall; petals yellow |
 Show caption*© Scott Ward, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Scott Ward of bracts (immediately subtending the calyx) present. |
14 Fruit a loculicidal capsule or fleshy and berry-like. |
15 Fruit fleshy and berry-like; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Hibisceae] |
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16 Calyx spathe-like, soon falling after anthesis; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Hibisceae] |
16 Calyx radially symmetrical, 5- lobed. |
17 Style branches short, erect, the stigmas nearly sessile; epicalyx bracts 3, large, foliaceous, and incised; seeds bearing long white fibers; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Gossypiae] |
17 Style branches elongate, spreading; epicalyx bracts 6-15, linear to lanceolate and untoothed; seeds sometimes pubescent but not with long white fibers; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Hibisceae]. |
18 Locules of the fruit several-seeded; capsule longer than broad, the apex pointed or rounded; petals yellow, white, red, or pink (if pink, then > 4 cm long, or the plant a shrub) |
18 Locules of the fruit 1-seeded; capsule depressed- globose, indented at the apex; petals pink, 2-4 cm long |
14 Fruit of radially disposed, 1- to several-seeded, dry carpels that split apart at maturity. |
19 Bracts of the epicalyx 5 or more. |
20 Shrubs or woody herbs, with leaves not basally disposed; flowers in axils of well-developed leaves; fruit spiny (or lacking spines in Pavonia hastata); [of SC southward]; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Hibisceae]. |
21 Bracts of the epicalyx 5-15, distinct; fruit with 0-3 spines per carpel; leaves lacking foliar nectaries |
21 Bracts of epicalyx 5, fused basally; fruit covered with numerous glochidiate spines; leaves with 1-3 foliar nectaries (glands) on undersurface near base |
20 Herbs, with leaves basally disposed; flowers in terminal bracteates spikes or racemes; fruit lacking spines; [collectively widespread]; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Malveae]. |
22 Plant 1.5-3 m tall, usually unbranched; flowers 6-10 cm across |
22 Plant 0.5-1.2 m tall, branched; flowers 2-3 cm across |
19 Bracts of the epicalyx 2-3; [subfamily Malvoideae; tribe Malveae]. |
23 Ovules and seeds 2 or more per carpel. |
24 Herb 0.5-2.5 m tall, upright; petals 2-3 cm long, pink-purple; carpels not beaked at the tip |
24 Herb to 0.5 m tall, prostrate to ascending; petals 0.3-0.5 cm long, orange-red; carpels beaked at the tip |
23 Ovules and seeds 1 per carpel. |
25 Leaf blades 1.5-8× as long as wide. |
26 Style branches filiform, the stigmatic surface elongate along the inner side of the branches |
26 Style branches truncate, the stigmatic surface terminal and capitate |
25 Leaf blades orbicular, about as wide as long. |
27 Leaves deeply palmately cleft |
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