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1 Cypselae (at least of the inner florets of the head) beaked, the beak usually > ½ the length of the cypselae body. |
..2 Heads solitary and terminal at the end of a stem unbranched to its base. |
....3 Flower color pink to purple or white |
....3 Flower color yellow to yellowish-white. |
......4 Leaves basal and cauline, grasslike (untoothed and unlobed); stem leafy |
......4 Leaves basal only, variously toothed to pinnately lobed; stem scapiform (leafless). |
........5 Pappus of bristles |
........5 Pappus either of outer scales and inner bristles or entirely of aristate scales. |
..........6 Pappus of outer scales and inner plumose bristles; leaves oblanceolate to oblong; plants annual or perennial |
..........6 Pappus of aristate scales; leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate; plants annual |
..2 Heads several per stem, in various corymbiform, umbelliform, spiciform, or paniculiform arrays (rarely solitary and terminal in the smallest and most depauperate individuals in a population. |
............ 7 Achenes distinctly flattened or compressed. |
............ ..8 Florets 5 per head |
............ ..8 Florets (6-)10-50+ per head |
............ ....9 Plants taprooted annuals or biennials, without rhizomes |
............ ....9 Plants rhizomatous perennials, the rhizomes deeply rooted in the substrate |
............ 7 Achenes terete or prismatic. |
............ ......10 Pappus of plumose bristles, at least the inner series; plant an annual or biennial. |
............ ........11 Receptacles lacking paleae |
............ ........11 Receptacles with paleae |
............ ......10 Pappus of simple capillary bristles; plant an annual, biennial, or perennial. |
............ ..........12 Beak of the cypsela with a ring of soft white reflexed hairs at the summit (just below the pappus) |
............ ..........12 Beak of the cypsela lacking a ring of hairs as described. |
............ ............ 13 Pappus of 80-150 barbellulate bristles; plant an annual or biennial |
............ ............ 13 Pappus either of 40-50 (or more) smooth bristles or of 20-30 barbellulate bristles; plant a perennial |
............ ............ ..14 Pappus of 40-50 (or more) smooth bristles |
............ ............ ..14 Pappus of 20-30 barbellulate bristles |
1 Cypselae beakless, the apex typically rounded or truncate (sometimes tapered but lacking a distinct beak and conspicuously < ½ the length of cypselae body). |
............ ............ ....15 Leaves basally disposed (stem leaves few or none, if present generally smaller in size than the basal leaves, which are persistent into flowering and fruiting); corollas yellow, orange, or red. |
............ ............ ......16 Pappus absent or of both scales and barbellulate bristles. |
............ ............ ........17 Heads solitary or 2-3; pappus absent, the cypselae never bearing scales or bristles; cypselae with 8-10 ribs (3-5 prominent); [waif, ne. US] |
............ ............ ........17 Heads solitary; pappus present (occasionally absent in Krigia); cypselae with 10-20 ribs; [widespread natives] |
............ ............ ..........18 Pappus of 40-80 smooth to barbellulate bristles and sometimes a few subulate to setiform scales (but pappus never absent); [Great Plains, midwest US] |
............ ............ ..........18 Pappus absent, of scales, or of 5-45 bristles and 5+ scales; [collectively widespread] |
............ ............ ......16 Pappus of bristles only (these barbellulate, plumose, or rarely smooth). |
............ ............ ............ 19 Pappus of plumose bristles (these somewhat flattened at their bases) |
............ ............ ............ 19 Pappus of barbellulate bristles (sometimes smooth-barbellulate). |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves with entire margins; plants perennials, from short rhizomes, a short caudex with fibrous roots, or a thick taproot. |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaf margins not undulate, the blades elliptic, oblong, or spatulate |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaf margins white-ciliolate and usually undulate, the blades linear-lanceolate |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves coarsely toothed or pinnately lobed; plants annuals, from a taproot. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Involucre 5-12 mm high; achenes usually > 2.5 mm long; pappus bristles distinct, 3-7 mm long |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Involucre 3-5 mm high; achenes 1.5-2.5 mm long; pappus bristles basally connate, 2.5-3.5 mm long |
............ ............ ....15 Leaves basal and cauline (plant often beginning with a basal rosette, but by flowering bearing well-developed stem leaves about as large as the basal leaves, the basal rosette often withering prior to flowering and fruiting); corollas yellow, orange, red, blue, pink, white, or lavender. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Pappus absent or of scales. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Corollas pale blue (rarely pink or white) |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Corollas yellow (rarely orange). |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Phyllaries enfolding the outer cypselae |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Phyllaries not enfolding the outer cypselae. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Stem winged and spiny; leaves spiny-margined; receptacle with paleae |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Stem not winged or spiny; leaves not spiny-margined; receptacle lacking paleae. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Cypselae 1.2-2.8 mm long; heads borne single at the ends of scapiform stems that are unbranched (rarely few-branched near the base); plants to 7 dm tall |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Cypselae 3-5 mm long; heads borne in corymbiform or thyrsiform arrays; plants to 15 dm tall |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Pappus of numerous smooth, barbellate, or plumose bristles. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Cypselae more or less strongly flattened. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Pappus of 30-45+ bristles, these at least partly plumose |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Pappus of simple capillary bristles only |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Cypselae terete or prismatic, slightly or not at all flattened. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Corollas pink, purple, lavender, white, or creamy-yellow. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Leaves linear, entire, < 3 mm wide, or reduced to scales; cypselae 11-14 mm long; [of the Coastal Plain of GA and se. AL south to s. FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Leaves broader, of various shapes, usually hastate, irregularly lobed, and/or serrate; cypselae 3.5-10 mm long; [collectively widespread in our area, south to n. FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Corollas bright yellow, orange, or red. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaves finely prickly; pappus of frizzy outer bristles and coarse, straight inner bristles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaves not finely prickly; pappus of barbellulate bristles (sometimes of uneven thickness but not of 2 distinct types) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Plants taprooted annuals and biennials (rarely perennials); pappus bristles white and soft in texture |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Plants fibrous-rooted perennials; pappus bristles white, light to medium tan, or sordid, stiff. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Cypselae (2-) 2.5-7 mm long; pappus of (30-) 40-80 white, tan, or sordid bristles, in 1-2+ series; plants cespitose; corollas yellow |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Cypselae 1-2.5 mm long; pappus of 25-40+ white to sordid bristles, in 1 series; plants stoloniferous (cespitose in a few species); corollas yellow or orange |