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1 Plant erect or trailing (but not twining), herbaceous or woody. |
..2 Plant a woody shrub, subshrub, or trailing woody vine. |
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......4 Fruit follicles; [waif] |
......4 Fruit drupes; [native and non-native] |
........5 Leaves lanceolate; corolla white, salverform, < 1 cm long; fruit white; [rare native, s. FL] |
........5 Leaves linear; corolla yellow, funnelform, ca. 5 cm long; fruit green to brown; [non-native, s. TX and FL peninsula] |
....3 Leaves opposite or whorled. |
..........6 Plants armed, the stems with stout, bifurcated spines |
..........6 Plants unarmed, the stems without spines. |
............ 7 Plant rhizomatous, suffrutescent, < 4 dm tall; leaves narrowly to broadly ovate; flowers blue, lavender, or white |
............ 7 Plant erect, > 4 dm tall; leaves either lanceolate or elliptic (or oblanceolate in Allamanda cathartica); flowers yellow, white, pink, or red. |
............ ..8 Flowers white, pink, or red; shrub 10-40 dm tall, much branched from the base; [commonly cultivated in our area (and sometimes persistent), particularly near the coast; NC s. to FL, w. to TX] |
............ ..8 Flowers yellow; plants erect subshrubs 4-12 dm tall ( Angadenia berteroi) or trailing to erect woody vines 0-20 m tall ( Allamanda cathartica); [FL]. |
............ ....9 Leaves oblanceolate, 15-40 mm wide, mostly in whorls of 3-4; plants larger trailing or erect woody vines; follicles rounded and spiny; [non-native of disturbed habitats, c. and s. FL] |
............ ....9 Leaves narrowly elliptic to oblong, 2.5-10 mm wide, leaves opposite; plants smaller subshrubs; follicles smooth; [native of pine rocklands and marl prairies, s. FL] |
..2 Plant an herb or trailing herbaceous vine. |
............ ......10 Flowers with conspicuous or less conspicuous corona; follicles not paired; seeds with coma present. |
............ ........11 Plant either an erect herb or a decumbent herb with stiff, thick stems (> 4 mm in diameter); leaves various, but not both petiolate and heart-shaped |
............ ........11 Plant a trailing herbaceous vine with weak, thin stems (<2 mm in diameter); leaves petiolate and heart-shaped, 2-4 cm long |
............ ......10 Flowers lacking corona; follicles paired (occasionally single by abortion); seeds with coma absent ( Catharanthus, Amsonia) or present ( Apocynum). |
............ ..........12 Leaves alternate (rarely a few on a plant subopposite) |
............ ..........12 Leaves opposite. |
............ ............ 13 Flower < 8 mm across; paired follicles pendent, 10-22 cm long; seeds with coma; mature plants normally > 7 dm tall |
............ ............ 13 Flower > 20 mm across; paired follicles erect, 1.5-2.5 cm long; seeds lacking coma; mature plants 2-6 dm tall |
1 Plant twining, herbaceous or woody. |
............ ............ ..14 Leaves conspicuously cordate at base (or subcordate to truncate in Vinceotoxicum), ovate to broadly lanceolate, ca. 1-4× as long as wide. |
............ ............ ....15 Plants in flower. |
............ ............ ......16 Latex clear |
............ ............ ........17 Flowers white-colored; leaf bases deeply cordate or sagittate |
............ ............ ........17 Flowers maroon-colored; leaf bases usually truncate or rounded (occasionally subcordate) |
............ ............ ......16 Latex white |
............ ............ ..........18 Stems glabrous to puberulent (the hairs sometimes curved), but lacking glandular-capitate hairs; petals white; gynostegial corona > ¾ as long as the corolla lobes. |
............ ............ ............ 19 Corolla lobes green with white margins, conspicuously bicolored; MORE |
............ ............ ............ 19 Corolla lobes uniformly whitish or cream colored, unicolored; MORE |
............ ............ ..........18 Stem pubescence a mix of eglandular and glandular-capitate hairs; petals purple-black, brown, yellow, yellow-green, cream, or maroon (white in Matelea baldwyniana); gynostegial corona < ½ as long as the corolla lobes. |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Corolla lobes glabrous on the outer surface; dorsal anther appendages laminar; carpels smooth and angled |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Corolla lobes glandular-puberulent or puberulent on the outer surface; dorsal anther appendages absent; carpels muricate ( Matelea) |
............ ............ ....15 Plants in fruit. |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Latex clear. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Corona a fleshy, lobed cup |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Corona nearly as long as to longer than the corolla lobes |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Latex white. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Follicles muricate (appearing studded) |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Follicles smooth, with or without apparent angles but not studded. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Stem pubescence a mix of eglandular and glandular-capitate hairs |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Stems glabrous to puberulent (the hairs sometimes curved), but lacking glandular-capitate hairs. |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Stems with nodes conspicuously pubescent, often with curved trichomes throughout; MORE |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Stems puberulent in a single line or glabrate; MORE |
............ ............ ..14 Leaves not cordate at base (cuneate, rounded, or truncate; occasionally subcordate but this not predominant); leaves ovate, lanceolate, or linear, ca. 1.5-10x as long as wide. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves linear, the margins parallel. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves petiolate; calyx lobes deltoid, obtuse, ca. 1 mm long; leaves petiolate, not reflexed, often caducous; follicle 1-3 mm in diameter; [of se. SC and southwards] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves sessile; calyx lobes lanceolate, acute, (1.3-) 1.5-2.5 mm long; leaves sessile, reflexed, persistent; follicle 6-7 mm in diameter; [of ne. NC and southwards] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves not linear, instead ovate or lanceolate (rarely deltoid/rhomboid shaped). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Flowers brownish-purple or maroon-colored. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Stems herbaceous; corollas maroon-colored throughout, without green corolla margins; [widespread non-natives, ne. US] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Stems woody; margins of corolla lobes often with green coloration; [waif or rarely garden escapes] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Flowers primarily white, whitish-green, creamy yellow, pure yellow, or light pink. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Flowers with a gynostegial corona (crown-like structure), greenish-white or pale pink colored |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Corolla lobes 1.5-3.5 mm long; leaves linear to ovate (but never hastate); [native of rocklands, woodlands, hammocks, pastures; TX and FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Corolla lobes 7-13 mm long; leaves ovate, deltate, or hastate; [non-native of disturbed habitats; FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Flowers lacking a corona, white to creamy yellow or pure yellow colored. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Corolla lobes 3-4 mm long, acute, reflexed, pale yellow; leaves subcoriaceous; [native, common] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Corolla lobes 8-18 mm long, rounded, spreading, white; leaves coriaceous; [native or non-native]. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Corolla salverform, long and tubular (viewing flower from the side), the lobes 11-18 mm long; [native, s. FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Corolla campanulate (above short cylindric base, view flower from side), the lobes 8-12 mm long; [non-native] |