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Key to Caryophyllaceae, Key B: Subkey in Caryophyllaceae

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1 Petals absent; fruit a 1-seeded, indehiscent utricle; styles 2; [tribe Sclerantheae]  Scleranthus

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]  Honckenya

..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]  Moenchia

........5 Valves or teeth of the capsule as many as the styles; [tribe Sagineae]  Sagina

......4 Leaves ovate, obovate, > 4 mm wide; styles 5; [tribe Alsineae].

..........6 Capsule cylindric, dehiscent by 10 apical teeth  Dichodon viscidum

..........6 Capsule ovoid, dehiscent by 5 valves, each apically 2-cleft  Stellaria aquatica

....3 Styles 3.

............ 7 Inflorescence umbelliform; petals irregularly denticulate at apex; [tribe Alsineae]  Holosteum

............ 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  Cerastium

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  Rabelera holostea

............ ......10 Stems round or roundish; petals 2-cleft 2/3 to 3/4 of length  Stellaria

............ ..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]  Sabulina

............ ..........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]  Sabulina

............ ............ 13 Sepals 5; petals 5; [tribe Sclerantheae]  Geocarpon

............ ........11 Valves or teeth of the capsule twice as many as the styles.

............ ............ ..14 Seeds with an aril; [tribe Arenarieae]  Moehringia

............ ............ ..14 Seeds lacking an aril.

Show caption*© John Gwaltney ............ ............ ....15 Capsule straight; petals entire or barely emarginated; [tribe Arenarieae]  Arenaria

Show caption*© Richard & Teresa Ware ............ ............ ....15 Capsule cylindrical, and often somewhat curved; petals emarginate to bifid; [tribe Alsineae]  Cerastium