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Key to Rutaceae

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1 Herbs, becoming somewhat woody at the base, < 1 (exceptionally to 1.4) m tall; [subfamily Rutoideae].
..2 Leaves 2-pinnatifid, with many segments; [exotic, grown horticulturally, scattered as persistent or weakly naturalized]
..2 Leaves simple; [native in calcareous grasslands and woodlands in ne. and c. TX westwards and southwards]
1 Shrubs and trees, definitely woody, > 1 m tall when mature (flowering and fruiting).
....3 Leaves either simple, or unifoliolate and appearing simple.
......4 Stems unarmed, inflorescence axes and young stems with short, red-brown, scurfy hairs; inflorescences of short, compact to somewhat elongate racemes; [subfamily Aurantioideae; Bergera alliance]
......4 Stems armed or unarmed, inflorescences and young stems glabrous, or pubescent with short, grey to white, erect to curved hairs; inflorescences of small fascicles, or solitary or paired flowers; [subfamily Aurantioideae; Citrus alliance].
........5 Hesperidia bluish black when ripe, 0.8-1.2 cm in diameter; stamens 10; petiole not winged; stems armed; abaxial leaf surface with raised lateral veins; petals < 0.5 cm long
........5 Hesperidia green, yellow, or orange when ripe, > 1.5 cm in diameter; stamens 20+; petiole usually winged; stems armed or unarmed; abaxial leaf surface without raised lateral veins; petals > 1 cm long
....3 Leaves pinnately or palmately compound (1-foliolate leaves sometimes also present).
..........6 Leaves 1-pinnate, either odd-pinnate and (3-) 5-19-foliolate or even-pinnate and (4-) 6-8 (-14)-foliolate.
............ 7 Leaves opposite; stems and leaves unarmed.
............ ..8 Axillary buds concealed beneath the base of the petioles on mature, leafy stems; leaflets (7-) 9-13; bark on older stems corky; [subfamily Zanthoxyloideae]
............ ..8 Axillary buds exposed above the base of the leaf petioles on mature, leafy stems; leaflets 3-9 (-11); bark on older stems smooth to somewhat rough but never corky.
............ ....9 Fruit a drupe; diameter of mid-point of internodes of leafy branches usually 1-3 mm; internode lenticels usually < 0.3 mm long, mostly round (or absent); [native in FL and TX, and also planted and escaped in FL]; [subfamily Amyridoideae]
............ ....9 Fruit of 1-5 follicles; diameter of mid-point of internodes of leafy branches usually 3-6 mm; internode lenticels usually > 0.4 mm long and round to elongate; [planted and escaped in more northern parts of our area]; [subfamily Zanthoxyloideae]
............ 7 Leaves alternate; stems and leaves either unarmed, or armed with prickles.
............ ......10 Leaflets alternate on the rachis; fruit a berry, orange to red when ripe; stems and leaves unarmed; [subfamily Aurantioideae]
............ ......10 Leaflets opposite on the rachis; stems either not armed (Glycosmis) or stems (and also often leaves) armed with prickles (Zanthoxylum, except Z. flavum).
............ ........11 Fruit a berry; [subfamily Aurantioideae]
............ ........11 Fruit of 1-5 follicles; [subfamily Zanthoxyloideae]
..........6 Leaves palmately 3-foliolate.
............ ..........12 Branches armed with axillary spines; fruit a hesperidium; [subfamily Aurantioideae].
............ ............ 13 Petiole winged; stamens 20+; hesperidia 4-5 cm in diameter, dark yellow to orange when ripe, densely pubescent, usually with > 20 seeds (looking like a small, hairy orange)
............ ............ 13 Petiole not winged; stamens 6-10; hesperidia 1-1.5 cm in diameter, glabrous, red when ripe, with 1-4 seeds; spines usually paired at nodes; petals often 3
............ ..........12 Branches unarmed; fruit a drupe, few-seeded berry, or samara.
............ ............ ..14 Fruit a drupe or few-seeded berry; [subfamily Amyridoideae]
............ ............ ..14 Fruit a samara; [subfamily Zanthoxyloideae]

Key F: woody angiosperms with alternate, compound leaves

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1 Leaves 2-foliolate or 1-foliolate (and then deeply notched).
..2 Leaves 1-foliolate (2-lobed)
..2 Leaves 2-foliolate
1 Leaves 3-, 5-, to many-foliolate.
....3 Leaves 3-foliolate.
......4 Plant a liana, climbing by twining, by tendrils, or by adventitious roots.
........5 Leaves untoothed and unlobed
........5 Leaves coarsely toothed or lobed. {add Eleutherococcus trifoliatus ARALIACEAE}
..........6 Leaflets obovate or broadly elliptic (broadest at or above the middle), the teeth or lobes primarily or solely in the apical half of the leaf; plant climbing by leaf-opposed tendrils
..........6 Leaflets orbicular or ovate (broadest at the middle or below the middle), the teeth or lobes primarily or solely in the basal half of the leaf; plant climbing by stem twining or by dense, reddish adventitious roots.
............ 7 Plant climbing by the stem twining; [plant not actually woody, but so robust as to often be assumed to be so]
............ 7 Plant climbing by dense, reddish adventitious roots attaching the stem to tree trunks or rock outcrops
......4 Plant a shrub (sometimes scrambling or occasionally high-climbing with the support of other vegetation, but lacking the specialized climbing structures listed above).
............ ..8 Stems armed with small prickles or stout thorns.
............ ....9 Stems with stout thorns at the nodes; fruit a hesperidium (orange-like, but densely hairy)
............ ....9 Stems with many small prickles along the internodes; fruit either a legume, or an aggregate of drupelets, or a hip.
............ ......10 Leaflets with 2 rounded lateral lobes near the base, otherwise entire; fruit a legume
............ ......10 Leaflets serrate and sometimes also cleft; fruit either an aggregate of drupelets or a hip
............ ..8 Stems unarmed.
............ ........11 Leaflets serrulate, crenulate, serrate, with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not), or shallowly lobed.
............ ..........12 Leaflets serrulate or crenulate
............ ..........12 Leaflets serrate, with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not), or shallowly lobed.
............ ............ 13 Leaflets with 2 prominent, rounded lobes near the base; fruit a legume; flowers > 3 cm long, corollas bilaterally symmetrical, red, in a terminal raceme
............ ............ 13 Leaflets serrate and sometimes also cleft, or with a few coarse and jagged teeth (spine-tipped or not); fruit either a tan or red drupe or a red berry; flowers < 1 cm across, corollas radially symmetrical, green, yellow, or white, in axillary or terminal panicles or racemes
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets with a few spine-tipped teeth; fruit a red berry; [TX westwards]
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets not spine-tipped; fruit a red or tan drupe; [collectively widespread]
............ ........11 Leaflets entire and unlobed.
............ ............ ....15 Terminal leaflet sessile.
............ ............ ......16 Leaflets < 2 cm long; stems and branches dark green
............ ............ ......16 Leaflets 5-15 cm long; stems and branches tan to brown
............ ............ ....15 Terminal leaflet with a petiolule.
............ ............ ........17 Leaves pinnately trifoliolate, a rachis present as an extension of the petiole past the point of attachment of the 2 lateral leaflets, the terminal leaflet borne on a petiolule at the terminus of the rachis, with an obvious joint present between the rachis and petiolule
............ ............ ........17 Leaves palmately trifoliolate, the terminal leaflet typically with a longer petiolule than the lateral leaflets, but lacking a rachis (the petiolule of the terminal leaflet attached at the same point as the 2 lateral leaflets and unjointed)
....3 Leaves with 5-many leaflets (poorly developed leaves in some species with only 3 leaflets).
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves palmately or palmately-pedately compound.
............ ............ ............ 19 Leaves palmately-pedately 5-foliolate (the lateral 2 leaflets on each side borne on a common Y-shaped stalk).
............ ............ ............ 19 Leaves palmately compound (all the leaflets attached at a single point).
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaflets with serrate margins.
............ ............ ............ ........23 Stems armed with prickles scattered in the internodes
............ ............ ............ ........23 Stems unarmed or with paired nodal spines.
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Inflorescence an umbel; leaves evergreen, glossy; stems often with paired nodal spines
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Inflorescence a panicle; leaves deciduous, dull; stems unarmed
............ ............ ..........18 Leaves pinnately, bipinnately, or complexly compound.
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves at least in part pinnate-pinnatifid, 2-pinnate, or otherwise more complexly compound than 1-pinnate.
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves oddly pinnate-pinnatifid, 2-pinnately compound, or more complexly compound than 2-pinnate.
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves pinnate-pinnatifid, with 7-19 leaflets, each leaflet pinnatifid into narrowly lanceolate lobes; {upper leaflet surface dark green, lower surface silvery with gray sericeous pubescence}
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves 2-pinnately compound, or even more complexly compound.
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant armed with prickles on the stem, and sometimes also on the axes and main veins of the leaves
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Foliage green; leaflets ovate, acute at the tip; flowers 3-merous, the tepals white or cream; fruit a red berry
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Foliage blue-green; leaflets obovate, rounded or notched at the tip; flowers 4-5-merous, the sepals green, the petals yellow; fruit a capsule
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Plant a tree, > 3 m tall when flowering and fruiting.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Fruit a globose drupe, tan at maturity, 10-15 mm in diameter; inflorescence an axillary panicle; corolla lavender
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Fruit an inflated capsule, 30-50 mm long; inflorescence a terminal thyrse; corolla yellow
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves even-pinnately compound (generally with 2 leaflets at the apex of the rachis, these obviously and symmetrically paired).
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Leaflets rounded to obtuse at the apex (or acute to acuminate in Gymnocladus); fruit a legume; inflorescence various, but not as below
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Leaflets acuminate at the apex; fruit a drupe or capsule; inflorescence a panicle with many, small, radially symmetrical flowers.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Tree dioecious; drupe ca. 5 mm long; stamens (of male flowers) 3-5 (-7)
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves odd-pinnately compound (generally with a single leaflet at the terminus of the rachis).
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Stems armed with prickles or stipular or nodal spines; leaves often also with prickles.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Leaves with conspicuous leafy stipules, often adnate to the petiole; plant a liana or small to medium shrub; leaves serrate, often sharply and prominently so; leaves not strongly aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucid punctate glands on the surface
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Leaves lacking leafy stipules; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves entire or obscurely crenate or serrate; plant a tree or tall shrub; leaves either strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucid punctate glands or not aromatic and not pellucid-punctate.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Leaves not aromatic when fresh, lacking pellucid punctate glands; leaves never with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices rounded
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Leaves strongly aromatic when fresh, with conspicuous pellucid punctate glands; leaves often with prickles on the rachis; leaflet apices usually acuminate
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Stems unarmed (leaflets with spinose margins in some species, or the stem with dense hispid hairs).
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Leaves with stipules; flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous, white, cream, or pink; stamens 10; fruit a legume; [collectively widespread in our area]
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 Leaves without stipules; flowers radially symmetrical, whitish; stamens 5 or 10; fruit a single-seeded drupe; [FL peninsula]
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........47 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical, papilionaceous (reduced in Amorpha to a single petal); stamens 10; fruit a legume; leaves with stipules.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........47 Flowers radially symmetrical, stamens 4-5; fruit either a drupe (Anacardiaceae), or a 1-3-seeded berry or a samara (Picramniaceae); leaves without stipules.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........48 Inflorescence a raceme or compound thyrse; fruit a samara or 1-3-seeded berry; [s. FL]
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..50 Leaflets with obscure crenations, not as below nor bearing glands; leaf rachis narrowly to conspicuously winged, especially towards the tip; fruit a drupe; plant a shrub or small tree
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..50 Leaflets (especially the basal and on the basalscopic side) with 1-5 large rounded teeth, each bearing a prominent dark green gland; leaf rachis not winged; fruit a schizocarp, with 2-5 samaroid mericarps; plant a medium to large tree
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........53 Plant a tree, freely branched; rhizome inner bark not brightly colored; flowers unisexual, the male flowers in catkins, the female flowers solitary or few in a spike, the perianth greenish or tan and inconspicuous; fruit a nut covered by a dehiscent or indehiscent involucre
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........53 Plant a short shrub, < 1 m tall, little branched; rhizome inner bark of fresh plants bright yellow; flowers bisexual, petals absent, the 5 petaloid sepals maroon; inflorescence a drooping panicle from the base of the new year’s growth; fruit an aggregate of follicles
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........54 Inflorescence corymbose (flat-topped or rounded, as wide as long or wider); fruit a red pome
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........54 Inflorescence paniculate (longer than wide); fruit various (see below), but not as above.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 55 Leaves lacking stipules; flowers cream or yellow; fruit either a drupe or an inflated membranaceous capsule.
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