Colors

Data mode

Account

Login
Sign up

X
Keyed in multiple places:

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.

Key to Stellaria

Copy permalink to share

1 Styles 5 (-6); capsule opening by 5 (-6) shallowly bifid valves
1 Styles 3' capsule opening by 6 valves.
..2 Leaves narrow, usually linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, the blade 3-10× as long as wide, 0.8-10 mm wide; stems prominently 4-angled.
....3 Sepals 2.0-3.5 mm long; petals 0-3.0 mm long, shorter than the sepals or absent; seeds 0.3-0.9 mm long.
......4 Inflorescence a leafy (or with obvious bracts) terminal cyme of (1-) 5-50 flowers; seeds 0.7-0.9 mm long, smooth or slightly rugose.
........5 Bracts subtending the pedicels green, herbaceous throughout; [Larbreae clade, Foliaceo-bracteatae subclade]
........5 Bracts subtending the pedicels scarious (membranous), not foliaceous; [Larbreae clade, Parviflorae subclade]
......4 Inflorescences axillary, solitary or in small cymes of 2-5 flowers; seeds 0.3-0.8 mm long, distinctly papillose.
..........6 Flowers in axillary inflorescences of 1-5 flowers; sepals 5; petals 5; seeds 0.3-0.4 mm long, with small, rounded tubercles; [widespread]; [Larbreae clade, Uliginosae subclade]
..........6 Flowers solitary in leaf axils; sepals 4 (-5); petals absent; seeds 0.6-0.8 mm long, with stalked, knoblike tubercles; [of c. KY and TN]
....3 Sepals 3.5-9 mm long; petals 3.5-13 mm long, equaling or longer than the sepals; seeds 0.7-2.5 mm long.
............ 7 Seeds 2-2.5 mm long; bracts of the inflorescence herbaceous; petals notched < halfway to the base
............ 7 Seeds 0.7-1.2 mm long; bracts of the inflorescence scarious; petals notched > halfway to the base; [Larbreae clade].
............ ..8 Sepals 4.5-5.5 (-7) mm long, strongly 3-nerved, narrowly lanceolate to triangular; leaves usually widest below the middle; seeds 0.8-1.2 mm long, coarsely tuberculate; inflorescence diffuse, many-flowered; [Gramineae subclade]
............ ..8 Sepals (2-)3.5-4-5 mm long, weakly 3-nerved, ovate-elliptic; leaves usually widest at or above the middle; seeds 0.7-1.0 mm long, obscurely sculptured and appearing almost smooth; inflorescence more compact, fewer-flowered; [Parviflorae subclade]
..2 Leaves broad, usually ovate, obovate, or broadly elliptic, the blade 1-2.5× (or to 4×) as long as wide, 4-30 mm wide (if > 2.5× as long as wide, then definitely > 10 mm wide); stems terete or 4-angled.
............ ....9 Leaves long-petiolate, the petiole about as long as the blade, the blades cordate to truncate at the base; sepals 2.5-3.5 mm long, obtuse to broadly acute; seeds 0.6-0.8 mm long; stem glabrous or glandular-puberulent (the pubescence not in lines); [Petiolares clade]
............ ....9 Leaves sessile, short-petiolate, to long-petiolate (if long petiolate, the blades cuneate), the blades rounded to cuneate at the base; sepals 2.5-11 mm long, broadly acute to acuminate; seeds 0.4-2.0 mm long; stem puberulent to short-pilose (the pubescence in vertical lines or not).
............ ......10 Leaves (1.0-) 2.5-10 cm long (with strong dimorphism between sterile and fertile shoots, the leaves of sterile shoots much larger); seeds 1.7-2 mm long; sepals 4-11 mm long; stem pubescence in vertical lines or uniformly distributed; perennial, the stems strong and ascending to erect; [native]; [Insignes clade].
............ ........11 Sepals 7-11 (-12) mm long, acuminate, ciliate, but more-or-less glabrous on the back; [of the mountains]
............ ........11 Sepals 3.5-7 mm long, acute, ciliate and more-or-less pubescent on the back; [widespread in our area]
............ ......10 Leaves 0.3-4.0 cm long; seeds 0.6-1.7 mm long; sepals 2.5-6.5 mm long; stem pubescence always in vertical lines; annual, the stems weak and in part prostrate, the tips or vigorous growth ascending; [exotic]; [Petiolares clade].
............ ..........12 Sepals 5.0-6.5 mm long; stamens 8-10; seeds 1.1-1.7 mm long
............ ..........12 Sepals 2.5-5.2 (-6.0) mm long; stamens 1-5 (-8); seeds 0.4-1.3 mm long.
............ ............ 13 Stamens 3-5 (-8); sepals 4.5-5.2 (-6.0) mm long, lacking red band at base; seeds 0.9-1.4 mm long; petals usually present
............ ............ 13 Stamens 0-3 (-5); sepals 3.0-4.0 mm long, frequently with a red band at the base; seeds 0.4-0.9 mm long; petals usually absent

Key to Caryophyllaceae, Key B: Subkey in Caryophyllaceae

Copy permalink to share | Check for keys that lead to this key

1 Petals absent; fruit a 1-seeded, indehiscent utricle; styles 2; [tribe Sclerantheae]
1 Petals present (rarely obsolete or essentially absent); fruit a few-many seeded capsule; styles 3-5.
..2 Leaves fleshy; seeds > 3 mm long; [of seabeaches and dunes] ; [tribe Sclerantheae]
..2 Leaves membranaceous or stiff; seeds < 2 mm long; [of various habitats].
....3 Styles 4-5.
......4 Leaves linear-subulate, < 2 mm wide; styles 4-5.
........5 Valves or teeth of the capsule twice as many as the styles; [tribe Alsineae]
........5 Valves or teeth of the capsule as many as the styles; [tribe Sagineae]
......4 Leaves ovate, obovate, > 4 mm wide; styles 5; [tribe Alsineae].
..........6 Capsule cylindric, dehiscent by 10 apical teeth
..........6 Capsule ovoid, dehiscent by 5 valves, each apically 2-cleft
....3 Styles 3.
............ 7 Inflorescence umbelliform; petals irregularly denticulate at apex; [tribe Alsineae]
............ 7 Inflorescence cymose or racemiform; petals entire, notched, or deeply cleft.
............ ..8 Petals shallowly to deeply 2-cleft, notched at least 1/4 of the length, often divided nearly to the base and then appearing almost as 10 petals; [tribe Alsineae].
............ ....9 Capsule cylindric, twice as long as the sepals; petals 2-cleft 1/5 - 1/2 length; styles (3-) 5 (-6), 0.5-2 mm long
image of plant
Show caption*© Sonnia Hill
............ ....9 Capsule spherical, ellipsoid, or globose, as long as or slightly longer than the sepals; petals 2-cleft 2/3-3/4 length (1/2 length in Rabelera); styles (2-) 3 (-5), 0.2-7 mm long
............ ......10 Stems square; petals 2-cleft ca 1/2 of length
............ ......10 Stems round or roundish; petals 2-cleft 2/3 to 3/4 of length
............ ..8 Petals entire, or emarginate.
............ ........11 Valves or teeth of the capsule as many as the styles.
............ ..........12 Leaves strongly basally disposed, most in the lowermost 1/3 of the stem, and overlapping (the internodes < the leaf length; leaves firm, with axillary fascicles of leaves; [tribe Sagineae]
............ ..........12 Leaves evenly distributed along the stem and widely spaced (the internodes > the leaf length); leaves herbaceous to slightly fleshy, generally without axillary fascicles of leaves.
............ ............ 13 Sepals 4; petals 0; [tribe Sagineae]
............ ............ 13 Sepals 5; petals 5; [tribe Sclerantheae]
............ ........11 Valves or teeth of the capsule twice as many as the styles.
............ ............ ..14 Seeds with an aril; [tribe Arenarieae]
............ ............ ..14 Seeds lacking an aril.
image of plant
Show caption*© John Gwaltney
............ ............ ....15 Capsule straight; petals entire or barely emarginated; [tribe Arenarieae]
image of plant
Show caption*© Richard & Teresa Ware
............ ............ ....15 Capsule cylindrical, and often somewhat curved; petals emarginate to bifid; [tribe Alsineae]
Cite as...