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Key to Viburnaceae

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1 Leaves pinnately compound; fruit 3-5-seeded; [subfamily Adoxoideae; tribe Sambuceae]
1 Leaves simple; fruit 1-seeded; [subfamily Viburnoideae; tribe Viburneae]

Key J2: woody angiosperms with opposite, simple leaves with toothed margins {add [Abelia] CAPRIFOLIACEAE}

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1 Leaves evergreen.
..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]
 Iva
......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]
 Iva
............ ......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]
1 Leaves deciduous.
............ ............ 13 Leaves slightly to strongly fleshy; inflorescence a head, subtended by an involucre of phyllaries; [maritime situations]
 Iva
............ ............ 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.
............ ............ ............ ........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.
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Petals white, fused basally only, the lobes spreading
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Petals pink, yellow, or reddish, fused for most of their length
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 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 5; inflorescence a terminal panicle or an axillary cyme.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Fruit a berry, drupe, or achene, indehiscent, fleshy at maturity (or dry in Kolkwitzia).
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..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.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......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).
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........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.

Key J4: shrubs and subshrubs with opposite simple leaves with entire margins

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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
............ ............ ..........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
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