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1 Leaves 2-foliolate or 1-foliolate (and then deeply notched). |
..2 Leaves 1-foliolate (2-lobed) |
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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). |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaflets entire; sap milky |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaflets toothed; sap clear |
............ ............ ............ 19 Leaves palmately compound (all the leaflets attached at a single point). |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves > 6 dm wide |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves < 3 dm wide. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaflets with entire margins |
............ ............ ............ ......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 evenly 2-pinnately compound |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..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. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plant a liana, climbing by tendrils |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plant a shrub or tree, not climbing. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant armed with prickles on the stem, and sometimes also on the axes and main veins of the leaves |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant unarmed. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Plant a shrub, < 2.5 m tall. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 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. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaflets entire |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaflets serrate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....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 |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves 1-pinnately compound. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......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. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit a capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Fruit a drupe. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Tree dioecious; drupe ca. 5 mm long; stamens (of male flowers) 3-5 (-7) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Tree bisexual; drupe ca. 13 mm long; stamens 8-10 |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves odd-pinnately compound (generally with a single leaflet at the terminus of the rachis). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Leaves very large, > 10 dm long |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Leaves small to large, < 10 dm long. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....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). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Leaflets entire. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Plant a liana, climbing by twining |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Plant an upright shrub or tree, not climbing. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Plant a medium or tall tree. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....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] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Plant a shrub or small tree to 7 (-10) m tall. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Leaf 2-5 cm long, with 5-7 leaflets |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......46 Leaf > 8 cm long, with 5-many leaflets. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........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 panicle; fruit a drupe; [collectively widespread] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........48 Inflorescence a raceme or compound thyrse; fruit a samara or 1-3-seeded berry; [s. FL] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Leaflets serrate or crenate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 49 Leaflets crenate, the teeth rounded and often inconspicuous. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..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 |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 49 Leaflets serrate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....51 Leaf serrations spinose |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....51 Leaf serrations not spinose. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......52 Inflorescences axillary. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........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 |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......52 Inflorescences terminal. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........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 stipulate; flowers bright white; fruit an aggregate of 5 follicles |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 55 Leaves lacking stipules; flowers cream or yellow; fruit either a drupe or an inflated membranaceous capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..56 Fruit a drupe |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..56 Fruit an inflated membranaceous capsule |
|
..2 Lianas climbing by adventitious roots |
..2 Lianas climbing by twining or by tendrils. |
....3 Lianas climbing by twining |
....3 Lianas climbing by tendrils. |
......4 Tendrils branched, leaf-opposed; leaves mostly 5-7-lobed, the margins also serrate or dentate |
......4 Tendrils simple (though paired in Smilax in SMILACACEAE), axillary; leaves 3-lobed, the margins entire, serrulate, or prickly. |
........5 Leaves longer than wide, entire or prickly-margined; stems usually obviously armed with prickles; flowers 6-merous, greenish, in umbels borne in leaf axils; tendrils stipular, 2 per leaf axil, adnate to the petiole basally |
........5 Leaves wider than long, entire or serrulate; stems not armed; flowers 5-merous, blue-purple or yellow, solitary or in small fascicles in leaf axils; tendrils 1 per leaf axil |
1 Trees or shrubs. {add: Vernicia in EUPHORBIACEAE, Firmiana in MALVACEAE, Kalopanax in ARALIACEAE, Ficus in MORACEAE} |
|
............ 7 Leaves > 3 dm long and wide; tree monopodial, with a single, unbranched stem (rarely with a few branches). |
............ ..8 Leaf lobes > 15, not sublobed; venation of each lobe parallel; fruit a drupe, with 1 seed; [Monocots] |
............ ..8 Leaf lobes < 13, most of these sublobed; venation of each lobe pinnate; fruit either a many-seeded berry or a single-seeded nutlet; [Eudicots]. |
............ ....9 Petiole attachment marginal; leaf lobes mostly sublobed; fruit a large berry, with many seeds |
............ ....9 Petiole attachment peltate; leaf lobes not sublobed; fruit an nutlet, single-seeded |
............ 7 Leaves < 3 dm long and wide; tree branching; [Eudicots]. |
............ ......10 Leaves 2-lobed (deeply notched at the apex, each lobe separated by the midvein, asymmetrical; [peninsular FL and s. TX] |
............ ......10 Leaves 3-5 (-7) lobed; [collectively widespread]. |
............ ........11 Leaf blades (3-) 5 (-7) lobed, to 15 cm wide and long, each lobe finely serrate-crenate (>3 teeth per cm of margin) and rarely with a small sub-lobe; multiple fruit spherical and spiky, consisting of multiple bird-beak-like loculicidal capsules; buds axillary |
............ ........11 Leaves 3 (-5)-lobed, to 35 cm wide and long, each lobe coarsely toothed or sublobed, the teeth or sublobes (at most 1-2 per cm of margin) attenuate-acuminate; multiple fruit spherical and merely rough on the surface, consisting of multiple achenes with tawny bristles; buds infrapetiolar (completely hidden in the swollen petiole base) |
|
............ ..........12 Leaf lobe margins entire (or undulate to sublobed at the tip) |
............ ..........12 Leaf lobe margins serrate. |
............ ............ 13 Leaves glabrous |
............ ............ 13 Leaves pubescent (slightly or strongly). |
............ ............ ..14 Pubescence of simple hairs; plants armed or not with nodal spines |
............ ............ ....15 Leaves 10-30 cm long and wide; fruit a berry; inflorescence of solitary to a few flowers, or a raceme |
............ ............ ....15 Leaves 2-10 cm long and wide; fruit an aggregate of drupelets; inflorescence a cyme |
............ ............ ..14 Pubescence of stellate hairs; plants unarmed. |
............ ............ ......16 Leaves > 30 cm wide |
............ ............ ......16 Leaves < 15 cm wide |
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..2 Plants herbaceous; leaves palmately 3-foliolate or pedately compound |
..2 Plants woody; leaves either palmately divided or pinnately compound into > 20 segments |
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....3 Leaves opposite or whorled, cauline. |
......4 Leaves opposite; flowers bilaterally symmetrical |
......4 Leaves whorled; flowers radially or bilaterally symmetrical. |
........5 Plant with 2 or more leaf-bearing nodes (all nodes whorled or some alternate). |
..........6 Leaves broad, < 2× as long as wide, cordate at the base; flowers unisexual and plants dioecious |
..........6 Leaves lanceolate, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, > 4× as long as wide, cuneate at the base; flowers bisexual and plants hermaphroditic |
........5 Plant with a single leaf-bearing node. |
............ 7 Leaves in whorls of 3 leaves |
............ 7 Leaves in whorls of 5 or more leaves. |
............ ..8 Stem floccose, wiry (and at maturity with a second smaller whorl with usually 3 leaves subtending the flowers); flowers radially symmetrical |
............ ..8 Stem glabrous, fleshy, never with a second whorl; flowers bilaterally symmetrical |
....3 Leaves alternate, either cauline or basal. |
............ ....9 Inflorescence a spadix (a dense spike of hundreds of flowers, the rachis thickened and somewhat fleshy) subtended by a spathe (a green, white, orange, yellowish-green, or maroon bract) (spathe missing in Orontium) |
............ ....9 Inflorescence otherwise, a raceme, panicle, cyme, umbel, spike, etc., the flowers arrayed in a more diffuse manner, the central rachis not thickened, the inflorescence subtended or not by green or scarious spathes. |
............ ......10 Flowers bilaterally symmetrical or asymmetrical; fertile stamens 1 or 2 (or 5 in MUSACEAE), often with several staminodes present as well; tepals 6. |
............ ........11 Leaf venation parallel; leaves various in size and shape, if > 3 dm long, then < 1 dm wide; perianth often differentiated into a lip and 5 petaloid tepals |
............ ........11 Leaf venation prominently penni-parallel; leaves large, at least some on a plant with blade > 2 dm long. |
............ ..........12 Fertile stamens 5-6; leaf blades 6-30 dm long |
............ ..........12 Fertile stamen 1; leaf blades 0.5-7 dm long. |
............ ............ 13 Leaves spirally arranged. |
............ ............ ..14 Leaves lacking ligules; ovary and fruit with warty excrescences |
............ ............ ..14 Leaves with 2 stipule-like ligules; ovary and fruit smooth |
............ ............ 13 Leaves 2-ranked. |
............ ............ ....15 Leaves jointed and swollen at the summit of the petiole |
............ ............ ....15 Leaves neither jointed not swollen at the summit of the petiole |
............ ......10 Flowers radially symmetrical (weakly to strongly bilaterally symmetrical in PONTEDERIACEAE); stamens 6 (rarely 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, 15, or 18); tepals usually 6 (rarely 3 or 4), when 6, either undifferentiated (6 or 4 tepals) or differentiated into 3 petals and 3 sepals. |
............ ............ ......16 Inflorescence subtended by spathes (well-developed green or scarious bracts). |
............ ............ ........17 Perianth not differentiated, consisting of 6 similarly colored and shaped tepals; flowers strongly to slightly bilaterally symmetrical; inflorescence lacking well-developed spathaceous bracts |
............ ............ ........17 Perianth differentiated into green sepals and more brightly colored petals; flowers radially symmetrical (or weakly bilaterally symmetrical, as in some Commelina). |
............ ............ ..........18 Ovary superior; fruit a capsule; stamens 6; [plants mainly of uplands ( Murdannia and sometimes Commelina of wetlands)] |
............ ............ ..........18 Ovary inferior; fruit a berry; stamens 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, or 18; [plants of wetlands] |
............ ............ ......16 Inflorescence not subtended by spathes, though individual small green bracts sometimes subtending individual flowers. |
............ ............ ............ 19 Gynoecium of 2 or more pistils (6 in Butomus); fruit achenes or follicles; inflorescence a raceme or panicle with branching in whorls of 3 OR a bracteate umbel; [wetland plants]. |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Flowers consisting of white petals and green sepals, with 1-many stamens and 3-many carpels (but not consistently with 9 stamens and 6 carpels); inflorescence a raceme or panicle in whorls of 3, branched; leaf blades flat or terete |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Flowers consisting of pink petals and green-pink sepals, usually with 9 stamens and 6 carpels; inflorescence an umbel; leaf blades triquetrous in cross-section |
............ ............ ............ 19 Gynoecium of 1 pistil; fruit simple, a capsule or berry; inflorescence various, terminal or axillary, but if a raceme or panicle, not with branching in whorls of 3; [upland (or very rarely wetland) plants]. |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves basal or basally disposed. |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaves 2 (rarely 3 in Convallaria in RUSCACEAE). |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Inflorescence a raceme; fruit a berry; tepals united, the perianth urceolate |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Inflorescence an umbel or a solitary flower; fruit a capsule; tepals separate or basally fused. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Flowers in an umbel, white; fresh plants with oniony odor |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Flowers solitary, white or yellow; fresh plants without strong odor |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Leaves 4 or more. |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Inflorescence a terminal umbel; fruit a blue or black berry; tepals white or yellow; flowers bisexual |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Inflorescence a terminal raceme or panicle; fruit a capsule; tepals white, green, yellowish, or pink; flowers either bisexual ( Helonias in HELONIADACEAE), or unisexual and primarily on different plants (dioecious) ( Chamaelirium in CHIONOGRAPHIDACEAE), or a mix of bisexual and unisexual staminate flowers ( Veratrum in MELANTHIACEAE) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Inflorescences bracteate, with bracts subtending individual pedicels and (if they are present) branches of the inflorescence; tepals white, greenish-white, or cream |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Inflorescence ebracteate, lacking bracts subtending pedicels; flowers bisexual ( Helonias) or predominantly unisexual and on different plants (dioecious) ( Chamaelirium); tepals pink ( Helonias) or white to cream ( Chamaelirium). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Flowers white to cream; plants dioecious (individual plants either male or female, with all male flowers or all female flowers) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Flowers pink; plants hermaphroditic (individual flowers bisexual) |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves cauline. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Leaves both cordate/subcordate (rarely merely rounded at the base) and obviously petiolate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Inflorescence an axillary many-flowered umbel; fruit a berry; axillary tendrils often present (absent in some species) |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Inflorescence an axillary solitary flower, a few-flowered cyme, or a panicle; fruit a capsule (winged in Dioscorea, unwinged in Croomia); axillary tendrils never present (plant not climbing, or climbing by twining). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Tepals 6; stamens 6; flowers unisexual (and generally on separate plants, therefore dioecious); inflorescence of a solitary flowers or a panicle; ovary inferior; [widespread in our area] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Tepals 4 (-5); stamens 4 (-5); flowers bisexual; ovary superior; [AL and adjacent GA, FL, and perhaps LA] |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Leaves not both cordate/subcordate and petiolate (some with cordate clasping or perfoliate leaf bases). {add [ Smilax] SMILACACEAE below} |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Leaves alternate and in whorls at some nodes; flowers orange; tepals > 5 cm long; inflorescence a terminal umbel or single flower |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Leaves strictly alternate; flowers yellow, white, pink, greenish, or maroon; tepals < 5 cm long; inflorescence either a terminal cluster, raceme, panicle or umbel, or an axillary raceme, cluster or solitary flower. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Inflorescence a terminal umbel; flowers slightly zygomorphic, reddish, the tepals 3.5-4.5 cm long |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Inflorescence either a terminal cluster, raceme, or panicle, or an axillary raceme, cluster or solitary flower; flowers actinomorphic, variously colored (most white or yellow), the tepals < 3.5 cm long (except Uvularia grandiflora). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Leaves arrayed spirally around an erect, unbranched stem; fruit a septicidal capsule; flowers a mixture of bisexual and unisexual (staminate) on a plant; perianth white, greenish white, or maroon. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves basally disposed; leaves not at all to slightly plicate, 1-14 cm wide; tepals glabrous, 4-9 mm long, 1-3 mm wide (3-5 mm wide in M. hybridum), with either conspicuous ( M. hybridum) or diffuse ( M. parviflorum and M. woodii) glands; filaments fused to the basal claw of the tepal |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Leaves cauline; leaves strongly plicate, 6-15 cm wide; tepals pubescent, 8-13 mm long, 3-5 mm wide, with a conspicuous pair of glands near the base of the tepal blade (these sometimes more or less fused); filaments free from the tepals |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 Leaves arrayed distichously (2 ranked) along an arching, unbranched or dichotomously (Y-forking) branched stem; fruit a berry or loculicidal capsule; flowers all bisexual; perianth white, pink, or yellow. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Stems of fertile and sterile individuals simple (never branched); inflorescence a terminal raceme or panicle ( Maianthemum) or axillary racemes or clusters of 1-9 flowers ( Polygonatum); fruit a berry. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Inflorescence terminal, a raceme or panicle; tepals separate; leaves with 3 main parallel veins, acute to acuminate at the apex; foliage green, not glaucous |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Inflorescence of 1-several axillary flowers; tepals fused; leaves with > 7 main parallel veins, obtuse to acute at the apex; foliage blue-green, glaucous |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Stems of fertile individuals branched (always at least bifurcate), but sterile individuals in some genera characteristically unbranched; inflorescence either of 1 (-2) flower(s) borne in a leaf axil ( Uvularia, Streptopus), or of (1) 2 (-3) flowers borne terminally opposite the last leaf ( Prosartes); fruit a berry or capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Leaves perfoliate; fruit a capsule |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Leaves sessile (though sometimes slightly to strongly clasping); fruit a berry or capsule. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Stem brown, wiry, puberulent; last 2 leaves (near stem tip) on each branch approximate to one another (sometimes subopposite) and with noticeably oblique bases; flowers and fruits terminal on the branches |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Stem green, not wiry, glabrous; last 2 leaves (near stem tip) on each branch no closer together than other leaves, with symmetrical bases; flowers (and fruits) either terminal on the branches or solitary and axillary to most leaves. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Flowers and fruits in single terminal clusters (sometimes appearing axillary, but still only one cluster per branch of the stem); tepals pale to rich yellow |
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Flowers and fruits 1 (-2) in the axils of many leaves; tepals white to pink |