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1 Leaves 2-foliolate or 1-foliolate (and then deeply notched). |
..2 Leaves 1-foliolate (2-lobed) |
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1 Leaves 3-, 5-, to many-foliolate. |
....3 Leaves 3-foliolate. |
......4 Plant a liana, climbing by twining, by tendrils, or by adventitious roots. |
........5 Leaves untoothed and unlobed |
........5 Leaves coarsely toothed or lobed. {add Eleutherococcus trifoliatus ARALIACEAE} |
..........6 Leaflets obovate or broadly elliptic (broadest at or above the middle), the teeth or lobes primarily or solely in the apical half of the leaf; plant climbing by leaf-opposed tendrils |
..........6 Leaflets orbicular or ovate (broadest at the middle or below the middle), the teeth or lobes primarily or solely in the basal half of the leaf; plant climbing by stem twining or by dense, reddish adventitious roots. |
............ 7 Plant climbing by the stem twining; [plant not actually woody, but so robust as to often be assumed to be so] |
............ 7 Plant climbing by dense, reddish adventitious roots attaching the stem to tree trunks or rock outcrops |
......4 Plant a shrub (sometimes scrambling or occasionally high-climbing with the support of other vegetation, but lacking the specialized climbing structures listed above). |
............ ..8 Stems armed with small prickles or stout thorns. |
............ ....9 Stems with stout thorns at the nodes; fruit a hesperidium (orange-like, but densely hairy) |
............ ....9 Stems with many small prickles along the internodes; fruit either a legume, or an aggregate of drupelets, or a hip. |
............ ......10 Leaflets with 2 rounded lateral lobes near the base, otherwise entire; fruit a legume |
............ ......10 Leaflets serrate and sometimes also cleft; fruit either an aggregate of drupelets or a hip |
............ ..8 Stems unarmed. |
............ ........11 Leaflets serrulate, crenulate, serrate, with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not), or shallowly lobed. |
............ ..........12 Leaflets serrulate or crenulate |
............ ..........12 Leaflets serrate, with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not), or shallowly lobed. |
............ ............ 13 Leaflets with 2 prominent, rounded lobes near the base; fruit a legume; flowers > 3 cm long, corollas bilaterally symmetrical, red, in a terminal raceme |
............ ............ 13 Leaflets serrate and sometimes also cleft, or with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not); fruit either a tan or red drupe or a red berry; flowers < 1 cm across, corollas radially symmetrical, green, yellow, or white, in axillary or terminal panicles or racemes |
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets with a few spine-tipped teeth; fruit a red berry; [TX westwards] |
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets not spine-tipped; fruit a red or tan drupe; [collectively widespread] |
............ ........11 Leaflets entire and unlobed. |
............ ............ ....15 Terminal leaflet sessile. |
............ ............ ......16 Leaflets < 2 cm long; stems and branches dark green |
............ ............ ......16 Leaflets 5-15 cm long; stems and branches tan to brown |
............ ............ ....15 Terminal leaflet with a petiolule. |
............ ............ ........17 Leaves pinnately trifoliolate, a rachis present as an extension of the petiole past the point of attachment of the 2 lateral leaflets, the terminal leaflet borne on a petiolule at the terminus of the rachis, with an obvious joint present between the rachis and petiolule |
............ ............ ........17 Leaves palmately trifoliolate, the terminal leaflet typically with a longer petiolule than the lateral leaflets, but lacking a rachis (the petiolule of the terminal leaflet attached at the same point as the 2 lateral leaflets and unjointed) |
....3 Leaves with 5-many leaflets (poorly developed leaves in some species with only 3 leaflets). |
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves palmately or palmately-pedately compound. |
............ ............ ............ 19 Leaves palmately-pedately 5-foliolate (the lateral 2 leaflets on each side borne on a common Y-shaped stalk). |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaflets entire; sap milky |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaflets toothed; sap clear |
............ ............ ............ 19 Leaves palmately compound (all the leaflets attached at a single point). |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves > 6 dm wide |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves < 3 dm wide. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaflets with entire margins |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaflets with serrate margins. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Stems armed with prickles scattered in the internodes |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Stems unarmed or with paired nodal spines. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Inflorescence an umbel; leaves evergreen, glossy; stems often with paired nodal spines |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Inflorescence a panicle; leaves deciduous, dull; stems unarmed |
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves pinnately, bipinnately, or complexly compound. |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves at least in part pinnate-pinnatifid, 2-pinnate, or otherwise more complexly compound than 1-pinnate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves evenly 2-pinnately compound |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves oddly pinnate-pinnatifid, 2-pinnately compound, or more complexly compound than 2-pinnate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves pinnate-pinnatifid, with 7-19 leaflets, each leaflet pinnatifid into narrowly lanceolate lobes; {upper leaflet surface dark green, lower surface silvery with gray sericeous pubescence} |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves 2-pinnately compound, or even more complexly compound. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plant a liana, climbing by tendrils |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plant a shrub or tree, not climbing. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant armed with prickles on the stem, and sometimes also on the axes and main veins of the leaves |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant unarmed. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Plant a shrub, < 2.5 m tall. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Foliage green; leaflets ovate, acute at the tip; flowers 3-merous, the tepals white or cream; fruit a red berry |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Foliage blue-green; leaflets obovate, rounded or notched at the tip; flowers 4-5-merous, the sepals green, the petals yellow; fruit a capsule |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Plant a tree, > 3 m tall when flowering and fruiting. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaflets entire |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaflets serrate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Fruit a globose drupe, tan at maturity, 10-15 mm in diameter; inflorescence an axillary panicle; corolla lavender |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Fruit an inflated capsule, 30-50 mm long; inflorescence a terminal thyrse; corolla yellow |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves 1-pinnately compound. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves even-pinnately compound (generally with 2 leaflets at the apex of the rachis, these obviously and symmetrically paired). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Leaflets rounded to obtuse at the apex (or acute to acuminate in Gymnocladus); fruit a legume; inflorescence various, but not as below |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Leaflets acuminate at the apex; fruit a drupe or capsule; inflorescence a panicle with many, small, radially symmetrical flowers. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit a capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit a drupe. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Tree dioecious; drupe ca. 5 mm long; stamens (of male flowers) 3-5 (-7) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Tree bisexual; drupe ca. 13 mm long; stamens 8-10 |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves odd-pinnately compound (generally with a single leaflet at the terminus of the rachis). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Leaves very large, > 10 dm long |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Leaves small to large, < 10 dm long. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Stems armed with prickles or stipular or nodal spines; leaves often also with prickles. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Leaves with conspicuous leafy stipules, often adnate to the petiole; plant a liana or small to medium shrub; leaves serrate, often sharply and prominently so; leaves not strongly aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucid punctate glands on the surface |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Leaves lacking leafy stipules; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves entire or obscurely crenate or serrate; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves either strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucid punctate glands or not aromatic and not pellucid-punctate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Leaves not aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucid punctate glands; leaves never with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices rounded |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Leaves strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucid punctate glands; leaves often with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices usually acuminate |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Stems unarmed (leaflets with spinose margins in some species, or the stem with dense hispid hairs). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Leaflets entire. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Plant a liana, climbing by twining |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Plant an upright shrub or tree, not climbing. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Plant a medium or tall tree. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Leaves with stipules; flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous, white, cream, or pink; stamens 10; fruit a legume; [collectively widespread in our area] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Leaves without stipules; flowers radially symmetrical, whitish; stamens 5 or 10; fruit a single-seeded drupe; [FL peninsula] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Plant a shrub or small tree to 7 (-10) m tall. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Leaf 2-5 cm long, with 5-7 leaflets |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Leaf > 8 cm long, with 5-many leaflets. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........47 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous (reduced in Amorpha to a single petal); stamens 10; fruit a legume; leaves with stipules. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........47 Flowers radially symmetrical, stamens 4-5; fruit either a drupe (Anacardiaceae), or a 1-3-seeded berry or a samara (Picramniaceae); leaves without stipules. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........48 Inflorescence a panicle; fruit a drupe; [collectively widespread] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........48 Inflorescence a raceme or compound thyrse; fruit a samara or 1-3-seeded berry; [s. FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Leaflets serrate or crenate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 49 Leaflets crenate, the teeth rounded and often inconspicuous. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..50 Leaflets with obscure crenations, not as below nor bearing glands; leaf rachis narrowly to conspicuously winged, especially towards the tip; fruit a drupe; plant a shrub or small tree |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..50 Leaflets (especially the basal and on the basalscopic side) with 1-5 large rounded teeth, each bearing a prominent dark green gland; leaf rachis not winged; fruit a schizocarp, with 2-5 samaroid mericarps; plant a medium to large tree |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 49 Leaflets serrate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....51 Leaf serrations spinose |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....51 Leaf serrations not spinose. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......52 Inflorescences axillary. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........53 Plant a tree, freely branched; rhizome inner bark not brightly colored; flowers unisexual, the male flowers in catkins, the female flowers solitary or few in a spike, the perianth greenish or tan and inconspicuous; fruit a nut covered by a dehiscent or indehiscent involucre |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........53 Plant a short shrub, < 1 m tall, little branched; rhizome inner bark of fresh plants bright yellow; flowers bisexual, petals absent, the 5 petaloid sepals maroon; inflorescence a drooping panicle from the base of the new year’s growth; fruit an aggregate of follicles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......52 Inflorescences terminal. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........54 Inflorescence corymbose (flat-topped or rounded, as wide as long or wider); fruit a red pome |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........54 Inflorescence paniculate (longer than wide); fruit various (see below), but not as above. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 55 Leaves stipulate; flowers bright white; fruit an aggregate of 5 follicles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 55 Leaves lacking stipules; flowers cream or yellow; fruit either a drupe or an inflated membranaceous capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..56 Fruit a drupe |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..56 Fruit an inflated membranaceous capsule |
1 Leaves either 2-3-foliolate or palmately 4-11-foliolate (all the leaflets attached at a common point). |
..2 Leaves 2-foliolate; fruit a capsule, opening by a circumscissile lid |
..2 Leaves either 3-foliolate or palmately or pedately 4-11-foliolate. |
....3 Inflorescence an involucrate head subtended by phyllaries, the heads solitary or many and variously arrayed in secondary inflorescences, the ovary inferior, the corolla connate and tubular at least basally, the calyx absent, the stamens 5, the fruit a cypsela |
....3 Inflorescence, flower, and fruit structure various, but not with the combination of features as above. |
......4 Inflorescence an umbel; ovary inferior; fruit a mericarp of 2 schizocarps |
......4 Inflorescence various, usually not an umbel (sometimes an umbel in Oxalis in OXALIDACEAE); ovary superior; fruit an aggregate, legume, berry, or 2-valved capsule. |
........5 Leaflets either entire or barely and very shallowly crenulate or notched at the tip (but otherwise entire). |
..........6 Inflorescence a spadix, surrounded by a spathe; fruit a berry; [Monocots {illogically keyed here because of the likelihood of being mistaken for a dicot}] |
..........6 Inflorescence a raceme or umbel, not surrounded by a spathe; fruit a capsule or legume; [Eudicots]. |
............ 7 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical; fruit a legume; [plant of uplands] |
............ 7 Flowers radially symmetrical; fruit a 2-valved or 5-valved capsule; [plant of uplands or wetlands] |
............ ..8 Leaflets not notched at the tip; flowers white; [plants of saturated saturated or ponded wetlands] |
............ ..8 Leaflets notched at the tip; flowers pink, white, or yellow; [plants of uplands or temporarily flooded wetlands] |
........5 Leaflets serrate, serrulate, or cleft. |
............ ....9 Petals 4; stamens 6; fruit a silique |
............ ....9 Petals 5 or more; stamens 10 or more; fruit either a legume or an aggregate of achenes or follicles |
............ ......10 Stamens many, fused into a staminal tube; carpels 10-20, in a ring; pubescence stellate (sometimes mixed with simple hairs) |
............ ......10 Stamens 10-many, separate, or fused but not all into a staminal tube; carpel either 1 (FABACEAE), or 3-7 in a ring (RANUNCULACEAE), or many and spirally arranged on a conical receptacle (RANUNCULACEAE or ROSACEAE) |
............ ........11 Leaflets serrulate; flowers bilaterally symmetrical; fruit a legume; corolla variously colored, including white |
............ ........11 Leaflets serrate; flowers radially symmetrical; fruit an aggregate of achenes or of follicles; corolla white or yellowish or greenish. |
............ ..........12 Fruit an aggregate of follicles |
............ ..........12 Fruit an aggregate of achenes (borne on a fleshy, expanded receptacle in Fragaria and some Potentilla) |
............ ............ 13 Flowers lacking a hypanthium |
............ ............ 13 Flowers with a hypanthium |
1 Leaves 1-pinnately compound (all leaflets attached to a central rachis) or more complexly compound (with several orders of branching, some leaflets at least attached to second-order branches from the rachis). |
............ ............ ..14 Leaves 1-pinnately compound (all leaflets attached to a central rachis). |
............ ............ ....15 Inflorescence an involucrate head subtended by phyllaries, the heads solitary or many and variously arrayed in secondary inflorescences, the ovary inferior, the corolla connate and tubular at least basally, the calyx absent, the stamens 5, the fruit a cypsela |
............ ............ ....15 Inflorescence, flower, and fruit structure various, but not with the combination of features as above. |
............ ............ ......16 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical; fruit a legume |
............ ............ ......16 Flowers radially symmetrical; fruit a silique/silicle, or a schizocarp of mericarps, or an achene. |
............ ............ ........17 Petals 4; stamens 6; fruit a silique/silicle |
............ ............ ........17 Petals 0 or 5 (if 0, the sepals petaloid); stamens 2, 4, 5, or many. |
............ ............ ..........18 Stamens 5; fruit a schizocarp of 2 mericarps |
............ ............ ..........18 Stamens 2, 4, or many; fruit an achene |
............ ............ ..14 Leaves more complexly compound (with 2 or more orders of branching, some leaflets at least attached to second-order branches from the rachis). |
............ ............ ............ 19 Inflorescence an involucrate head subtended by phyllaries, the heads solitary or many and variously arrayed in secondary inflorescences, the ovary inferior, the corolla connate and tubular at least basally, the calyx absent, the stamens 5, the fruit a cypsela |
............ ............ ............ 19 Inflorescence, flower, and fruit structure various, but not with the combination of features as above (sometimes the flowers in a head subtended by bracts, but then with other features differing, such as stamens 4, or green calyx present, or petals separate, or fruit a schizocarp of mericarps, etc.). |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaf segments or ultimate lobes linear or lanceolate, > 2× as long as wide, < 4 mm wide. |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Inflorescence an umbel; ovary inferior; fruit a mericarp of 2 schizocarps |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Inflorescence various, but not an umbel; ovary superior; fruit an aggregate of follicles or an elongate capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Carpels 2, fused; fruit an elongate capsule; flowers bilaterally symmetrical |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Carpels 5-10 or many, separate; fruit an aggregate; flower radially symmetrical |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaf segments or ultimate lobes ovate or elliptic, < 3× as long as wide, > 5 mm wide. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Inflorescence an umbel; ovary inferior; fruit a mericarp of 2 schizocarps or a 5-seeded drupe. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Fruit a schizocarp of 2 mericarps |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Fruit a 5-seeded drupe |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Inflorescence various, but not an umbel; fruit an aggregate of follicles or achenes, an elongate capsule, or a naked seed resembling a drupe. |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaflets with < 10 ultimate ‘points’ (lobe or tooth terminations), these rounded to broadly acute, often large in comparison to the leaflet and appearing as “sublobes”; pistil 1 or 4-many. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Corolla bilaterally symmetrical; fruit an elongate capsule; [cultivated exotic, rarely persistent near gardens] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Corolla radially symmetrical; fruit an aggregate of follicles or achenes, or a naked seed resembling a drupe; [native plants of moist to dry forests and rock outcrops]. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaflets 5-8 cm long, obviously longer than broad; pistil 1; fruit a naked blue seed resembling a drupe; flowers mainly 3-merous |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaflets 1-6 cm long, about as long as broad if > 4 cm long; pistils 4-many; fruit an aggregate of follicles or achenes; flowers mainly 4-5-merous |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaflets with >11 ultimate ‘points’ (lobe or tooth terminations), these acuminate to acute; pistils 1-8. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Pubescence of the stem and lower leaf surface glandular; flowers unisexual, on the same plant (monoecious); stamens 10; pistils 2, partly fused; fruit an aggregate of follicles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Pubescence of the stem and lower leaf surface non-glandular (or absent); flowers either bisexual (the plants hermaphroditic), or unisexual and the male and female flowers on separate plants (the plants dioecious); stamens 15 or more; pistils 1-8, separate; fruit an aggregate of follicles, a follicle, or a red or white berry. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Flowers bisexual (plants hermaphroditic); carpels 1-8 per flower; inflorescence a raceme, or a panicle of racemes with just a few branches; fruit an aggregate of follicles, a follicle, or a red or white berry |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious); carpels 3-4 per pistillate flower; inflorescence a panicle of racemes, with numerous branches; fruit an aggregate of follicles |