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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 |
| ............ ....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. |
| ............ ............ ....15 Capsule straight; petals entire or barely emarginated; [tribe Arenarieae] |
| ............ ............ ....15 Capsule cylindrical, and often somewhat curved; petals emarginate to bifid; [tribe Alsineae] |