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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 Asteraceae, Key from FOV: for editing and augmentation:

1 Receptacles with paleae or bristles.
..2 Pappus lacking or of scales or awns.
....3 Pappus lacking.
......4 Involucre of dentate or fimbriate phyllaries
......4 Involucre of the pistillate heads a bur with hooked prickles
....3 Pappus present.
........5 Phyllaries dentate or fimbriate
........5 Phyllaries entire
..2 Pappus of bristles.
..........6 Phyllaries fimbriate, dentate, or spiny; leaves often prickly or spiny
..........6 Phyllaries entire, leaves not prickly or spiny.
............ 7 Basal leaves 1-5 mm wide; outer florets pistillate
............ 7 Basal leaves > 5 mm wide (except in Liatris pseudoliatris); florets all perfect.
............ ..8 Phyllaries hooked at tip; heads forming burs at maturity
............ ..8 Phyllaries not hooked at tip; heads not forming burs at maturity.
............ ....9 Heads larger, the involucre 6-15 mm high, with 15-40 phyllaries; leaves with conspicuous (at least at 10× magnification) resin dots
............ ....9 Heads small, the involucre 3.5-6 mm high, with 5-12 phyllaries; leaves without shining punctate glands (except punctate-glandular in Litrisa, of the FL peninsula).
............ ......10 Stem with punctate glands; peduncles punctate-glandular and also hirsutulous; pappus bristles in 2 series; [of FL peninsula]
............ ......10 Stem eglandular, glabrous or spreading-hirsute; peduncles glabrous or stipitate-glandular; pappus bristles in 1 series; [widespread in the Coastal Plain]
1 Receptacles naked.
............ ........11 Pappus lacking or of scales or awns.
............ ..........12 Disk florets blue or purple.
............ ............ 13 Heads few-flowered, aggregated into secondary heads with leafy bracts
............ ............ 13 Heads many-flowered, not aggregated into secondary heads
............ ..........12 Disk florets yellow to yellowish green or reddish to reddish brown.
............ ............ ..14 Cypselas winged and spined; heads sessile in the branch forks
............ ............ ..14 Cypselas not winged and spined; heads not sessile in the branch forks.
............ ............ ....15 Inflorescence elongate, paniculiform, spiciform, or racemiform
............ ............ ....15 Inflorescence a flat-topped corymb, or heads solitary.
............ ............ ......16 Receptacle strongly convex and pointed; plants pineapple-scented
............ ............ ......16 Receptacle flat to convex; plants scented, but not of pineapple
............ ........11 Pappus of barbellate or plumose bristles.
............ ............ ........17 Heads yellow.
............ ............ ..........18 Perennial; leaves remotely toothed to entire; [of shale barrens]
............ ............ ..........18 Annual; leaves irregularly toothed to pinnatifid; [weed of disturbed soil]
............ ............ ........17 Heads white, whitish, pink, purple, red,
............ ............ ............ 19 Florets all perfect.
............ ............ ............ ..20 Larger leaves hastate; heads whitish
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves not hastate; heads whitish to red or pink to violet or deep purple.
............ ............ ............ ....21 Phyllaries in essentially one series; leaves palmately veined, ovate to reniform
............ ............ ............ ....21 Phyllaries in several series; leaves variously veined, linear to broadly ovate.
............ ............ ............ ......22 Heads white or whitish; [of uplands]
............ ............ ............ ......22 Heads pink to red or violet to deep purple or, rarely, white; [of uplands or wetlands].
............ ............ ............ ........23 Pappus bristles of one length
............ ............ ............ ........23 Pappus double with inner bristles long and the outer very short
............ ............ ............ 19 Some or all florets pistillate.
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Leaves not white-woolly.
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Phyllaries in essentially one series; fresh plants not strongly scented
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Phyllaries in several series; fresh plants with a strong, aromatic fragrance
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Leaves white woolly or gray-tomentose, at least beneath (abaxially).
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Plants dioecious.
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Blooming Jul-Sep; leaves numerous on stem
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Blooming Mar-May; leaves basally disposed
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Plants not dioecious.
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Bristles plumose; pappi persistent
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Bristles barbellate to barbellulate; pappi falling
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Pappus bristles united at their base, falling as units.
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Blooming Mar-Jul; phyllaries in 3-7 series, sometimes tinged with purple or brown but lacking a conspicuous dark brown spot
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Blooming Jul-Oct; phyllaries in 2-3 series, some or all phyllaries bearing a conspicuous (distal-middle) dark brown spot
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Pappus bristles distinct, not united at the base and falling seperately.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Involucre < 4 mm; mature plants > 25 cm tall
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Involucre 4-8 mm; mature plants usually > 2 dm tall