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..2 Plant a shrub, erect, not requiring support. |
....3 Leaves with spiny margins |
....3 Leaves with crenate or serrate margins. |
......4 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head; [maritime situations] |
......4 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence either a head or otherwise; [collectively widespread]. |
........5 Leaves > 8 cm long, typically spotted with yellow, coarsely toothed; fruit a red drupe; [commonly cultivated, rarely seeding down nearby] |
........5 Leaves < 8 cm long, not yellow-spotted, serrulate; fruit a capsule or purplish drupe; [plants native or cultivated]. |
..........6 Inflorescence a head; [s. FL] |
..........6 Inflorescence otherwise; [more widespread]. |
............ 7 Corolla tubular, campanulate, bilaterally symmetrical; fruit a 1-seeded achene (rarely produced) |
............ 7 Corolla radially symmetrical, with 4-5 distinct petals; fruit a 2-10-seeded capsule or drupe. |
............ ..8 Fruit a 4-5-locular capsule, with 2 seeds per locule (though often fewer by abortion) |
............ ..8 Fruit a (2-) 3-locular, purplish-black drupe, with (2-) 3 single-seeded stones |
..2 Plant a subshrub, creeping shrub, or liana. |
............ ....9 Leaves spinose-serrate; [exotics, rarely naturalized] |
............ ....9 Leaves serrate (not spinose), serrulate, or crenate; [exotics and natives, collectively widespread]. |
............ ......10 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head; [maritime situations] |
............ ......10 Leaves not fleshy; inflorescence otherwise; [collectively widespread]. |
............ ........11 Leaves on vigorous shoots with a few coarse rounded teeth towards the base (most leaves entire) |
............ ........11 Leaves serrulate to serrate, the teeth uniformly around the margin or concentrated towards the tip; fruit dry, either indehiscent and 1-seeded or capsular and with several seeds. |
............ ..........12 Flowers 5-merous; petals fused; fruit indehiscent, 1-seeded; [montane, from e. TN, WV, and w. MD northwards in our area] |
............ ..........12 Flowers 4- or 5-merous; petals separate; fruit capsular, dehiscent, several-seeded; [collectively widespread in our area] |
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............ ............ 13 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head, subtended by an involucre of phyllaries; [maritime situations] |
............ ............ 13 Leaves not fleshy; 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.); [collectively widespread]. |
............ ............ ..14 Lianas climbing by twining or by adventitious roots. |
............ ............ ....15 Stems with retrorse prickles; foliage scabrous |
............ ............ ....15 Stems not prickly; foliage smooth to variously hairy, but not scabrous. |
............ ............ ......16 Leaves on vigorous shoots with a few coarse rounded teeth towards the base (most leaves entire), the larger leaves < 3 cm wide; lianas climbing by twining; fruit a fleshy berry; flowers 5-merous, with a fused, tubular corolla |
............ ............ ......16 Leaves serrate, the teeth towards the leaf apex, the larger leaves > 4 cm wide; lianas climbing by adventitious roots; fruit a capsule; flowers 7-10-merous, with separate petals |
............ ............ ..14 Upright shrubs or trees, lacking any adaptations for climbing. |
............ ............ ........17 Trees; leaves often a mix of alternate and opposite. |
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves harshly scabrous on the upper surface; fruit a multiple of achenes; leaf venation pinnate but irregular |
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves not scabrous; fruit a 2-4-seeded drupe; leaf venation neatly pinnate, the lateral veins nearly straight and parallel to one another |
............ ............ ........17 Shrubs or trees; leaves strictly opposite (or often a mix of alternate and opposite in RHAMNACEAE). |
............ ............ ............ 19 Trees; leaves palmately-veined, with 5 or more veins from the base; [rarely naturalizing] |
............ ............ ............ 19 Shrubs; leaves either triple-veined from near the base or pinnate-veined; [collectively widespread and common] |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves strongly triple-veined from at or near the base of the blade, the 2 lateral veins arching towards the tip and rejoining the midvein or nearly so (becoming diffuse before rejoining); petals 4, white; stamens 15-90 |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves pinnate-veined; petals various, not both 4 and white (except sometimes in Hydrangea); stamens 1-15 (except 15-30 in Exochorda in ROSACEAE). |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Inflorescence head-like; flowers sympetalous and 4-lobed; fruit 2 seeded |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Inflorescence more diffuse, with internal axes and pedicels; flowers not both sympetalous and 4-lobed (except in Forsythia and Buddleja); fruit 1-seeded, 2-4-seeded, or 4-many-seeded. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Plants in flower. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Corolla absent; flowers inconspicuous and small, in axillary fascicles or catkins. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Flowers in catkins; leaves usually a mix of opposite and alternate |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Flowers in axillary fascicles; leaves strictly opposite (subopposite) |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Corolla present; flowers larger, in terminal cymes, corymbs, racemes, panicles, or in axillary cymes or fascicles. |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Petals separate; stamens 8-10 (-60) (or 4-6 in RHAMNACEAE and Euonymus in CELASTRACEAE). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Flowers 1-few, in axillary cymes; stamens 4-6; stems brown, tan, gray, or green. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaf venation pinnate, but irregular and reticulated; stems green |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaf venation neatly pinnate, the lateral veins nearly straight and parallel to one another; stems brown, tan, or gray |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Flowers 1 and terminal, or many, in terminal panicles or corymbs; stamens 8-10 (-60); stems brown, tan or gray. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Inflorescence a solitary, terminal flower; stamens 30-60 |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Inflorescence a terminal panicle or corymb; stamens 8-15 |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Petals fused, at least basally, and often strongly tubular; stamens 2, 4, or 5. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Stamens 5. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Petals white, fused basally only, the lobes spreading |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Petals pink, yellow, or reddish, fused for most of their length |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Stamens 2 or 4. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Stamens 2; petals yellow; flowers radially symmetrical; inflorescence an axillary fascicle |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Stamens 4; petals white, pink, or lavender; flowers bilabiate; inflorescence a terminal thyrse or panicle or an axillary cyme. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Petals 4; inflorescence a terminal thyrse |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Petals 5; inflorescence a terminal panicle or an axillary cyme. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Inflorescence an axillary cyme |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Inflorescence a terminal panicle |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Plants in fruit. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Fruit a berry, drupe, or achene, indehiscent, fleshy at maturity (or dry in Kolkwitzia). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Fruit a berry, with 20+ seeds |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Fruit a drupe or achene, with 1-4 seeds. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit an achene (1-seeded), dry at maturity |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit a drupe (1-4-seeded), fleshy at maturity. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Inflorescence a terminal corymb |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Inflorescence axillary, fascicled or a cyme. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Foliage with stellate hairs; fruit a pink-purple 4-seeded drupe |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Foliage glabrous or with simple hairs; fruit a dark red, black, or blue 1-4-seeded drupe. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Fruit a 1-seeded drupe; [NC southwards and westwards] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Fruit a 2-4-seeded drupe; [widespread in our region] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Fruit a capsule, dehiscent, dry at maturity. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Inflorescence a catkin, the flowers small (< 5 mm in diameter) and tightly arranged on the inflorescence axis (> 5 per cm of the axis) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Inflorescence various, but more diffuse, the flowers larger (> 5 mm in diameter, except for some flowers in Hydrangea in HYDRANGEACEAE) and loosely arranged (< 5 per cm of axis). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Capsule prominently 5-angled (star-shaped in ×-section) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Capsule not angled. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Inflorescence axillary, fascicled. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Capsule pink to red; fruits solitary or in axillary cymes |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Capsule brown; fruits in axillary fascicles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Inflorescence terminal, a raceme, panicle, corymb, or compound cyme or thyrse. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Inflorescence a flat-topped corymb or rounded compound cyme, as wide as or wider than long |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Inflorescence elongated, a raceme, panicle, or thyrse, much longer than wide. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Capsule elongate (> 3× as long as wide), 8-25 mm long |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Capsule about as long as wide, 3-6 mm long. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Sepal lobes 5 |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Sepal lobes 4 |
1 Aerial and epiphytic, hemiparasitic shrub |
1 Terrestrial, autotrophic or hemiparasitic shrub or subshrub. |
..2 Leaves succulent, nearly as thick as wide; [brackish to saline situations] |
..2 Leaves herbaceous (succulent in Borrichia), much wider than thick; [various habitats]. |
....3 Creeping or short subshrubs, the stems primarily prostrate, < 2 dm tall. |
......4 Well-developed leaves 4-6 per stem; inflorescence a head subtended by 4 large white bracts |
......4 Well-developed leaves many per stem; inflorescence of individual flowers axillary in pairs or clusters or in terminal cymes. |
........5 Flowers yellow; leaves with pellucid or dark punctate glands (use at least 10× magnification) |
........5 Flowers white, pale pink, or deep pink; leaves lacking sessile, punctate glands. |
..........6 Leaves linear; flowers pale to deep pink, 5-merous |
..........6 Leaves orbicular or elliptic; flowers white to pale pink, 4-merous or 5-merous |
............ 7 Leaves elliptic; flowers 5-merous; fruit a brownish capsule |
............ 7 Leaves orbicular; flowers 4-merous; fruit a red berry |
....3 Upright or scrambling shrubs, > 3 dm tall |
............ ..8 Scrambling shrubs, armed with recurved paired spines at the nodes |
............ ..8 Upright shrubs, unarmed. |
............ ....9 Inflorescence a terminal head of many flowers. |
............ ......10 Head spherical, lacking an involucre of conspicuous bracts or phyllaries |
............ ......10 Head flattened, either subtended by 4 large white bracts or by an involucre with >5 green phyllaries. |
............ ........11 Head subtended by 4 large white bracts; leaves with prominently parallel-arcing secondary veins; flowers 4-merous |
............ ........11 Head subtended by an involucre of >5 green phyllaries; leaves with venation otherwise; flowers 5-merous |
............ ....9 Inflorescence otherwise, either of a solitary flower, or one of a wide variety of inflorescences with flowers attached at different points along branched or unbranched axes (e.g. axillary). {add: [ Lagerstroemia] LYTHRACEAE; [ Rosmarinus] LAMIACEAE; [ Laguncularia] COMBRETACEAE; [ Buxus] BUXACEAE; [ Exochorda] ROSACEAE; various other [see spreadsheet]} |
............ ..........12 Inflorescence flat-topped (broader than long), terminal, a compound cyme or corymb. |
............ ............ 13 Flowers bright yellow; stamens many; leaves < 1.5 cm wide; fruit a capsule; leaves with pellucid or dark punctate glands (use at least 10× magnification) |
............ ............ 13 Flowers white or creamy; stamens 4-5; leaves > 1.5 cm wide; fruit a drupe; leaves lacking sessile, punctate glands. |
............ ............ ..14 Petals 5; foliage with simple hairs |
............ ............ ..14 Petals 4; foliage with T-shaped hairs |
............ ..........12 Inflorescence either terminal and not flat-topped (longer than wide), or axillary and variously shaped, or terminal and solitary, or leaf-opposed. |
............ ............ ....15 Carpels many (> 9), either separate or fused; stamens many; perianth segments either many and undifferentiated into calyx and corolla, maroon, brown, or yellow (in CALYCANTHACEAE), or differentiated into a fleshy and persistent calyx of 5-9 sepals, and a deciduous corolla of 5-9 red (or white) petals ( Punica in LYTHRACEAE). |
............ ............ ......16 Fruit a wrinkled, 3-7 cm long, brown to black, elliptical aggregate of nearly spherical, large achenes; flowers solitary in axils; perianth segments many and undifferentiated into calyx and corolla, maroon, brown, or yellowish; ovary superior; branches unarmed |
............ ............ ......16 Fruit a leathery, 4-15 cm in diameter, reddish, spherical berry with obpyramidal seeds surrounded by a juicy sarcotesta (pomegranate); perianth differentiated, the sepals fleshy and persistent on the fruit, the petals deciduous, 5-9, bright red to white; ovary inferior; branches typically armed with axillary spines |
............ ............ ....15 Carpels 1-5, fused; stamens either 1-5 or 8-10; perianth segments 4-5 or 8, variously colored; fruit a simple capsule, drupe, or berry (including berry-like fruit); flowers 2-many, in axillary or terminal inflorescences (pistillate flowers sometimes solitary in SANTALACEAE and THESIACEAE); [Eudicots]. |
............ ............ ........17 Ovary inferior; corolla absent, radially symmetrical, or bilaterally symmetrical; fruit either a berry or a 1-seeded drupe. |
............ ............ ..........18 Flowers unisexual and plants dioecious; corolla absent; pistillate flowers solitary, staminate flowers in pedunculate umbels or cymes, either terminal or axillary; fruit a 1-seeded drupe; leaves acute to acuminate at the apex |
............ ............ ............ 19 Inflorescences terminal |
............ ............ ............ 19 Inflorescences axillary |
............ ............ ..........18 Flowers bisexual and plants hermaphroditic; corolla present; flowers paired, terminal or axillary, or in axillary spikes; fruit a berry; leaves rounded, obtuse, to acute (or acuminate in Lonicera maackii) at the apex |
............ ............ ........17 Ovary superior; corolla radially symmetrical (absent in Forestiera in OLEACEAE); fruit either a 1-4-seeded drupe, or a many-seeded berry (or berry-like fruit), or a capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves with a conspicuous mix of silvery stellate hairs (upper) and rusty colored scales (lower); ovaries bearing rusty colored scales; flowers small, yellowish and inconspicuous; [nw. PA northward] |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves glabrous or nearly so, lacking a conspicuous mix of stellate hairs adaxially and rusty scales abaxially; ovaries not bearing rusty colored scales; flowers of various size and color. |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Stamens 8-10, of 2 different lengths in each flower; petals separate, 4-5 (-7), pink purple, 10-15 mm long; stems strongly arching, rooting at the tips; [plants of flooded to saturated wetlands] |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Stamens either (1-) 2 (-4), or 4-5, or 10, all of the same length; petals fused (separate in RHAMNACEAE and BUXACEAE, but then < 5 mm long and white or cream), white, bright-yellow, lilac, or pink; stems erect (or at least not arching and rooting at the tips); [plants of various habitats]. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Petals separate, 4-5, white or cream; stamens 4-5. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Fruit a loculicidal capsule, dehiscing into 3 valves; branches square in ×-section; leaves < 2 cm long; [exotic, cultivated and weakly established, of temperate areas] |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Fruit a drupe with 2-4 pyrenes; branches round or nearly so in ×-section; leaves > 2 cm long; [natives, of peninsular FL] |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Petals fused, 4-5, white, bright yellow, lilac, or pink; stamens either (1-) 2 (-4) or 10; fruit either a capsule or a 1-seeded drupe. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Perianth 5-merous; corolla pink; stamens 10; fruit a 5-locular capsule |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Perianth 4-merous; corolla white, bright yellow, or lilac; stamens (1-) 2 (-4); fruit either a 1-seeded drupe or a 2-locular capsule |