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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] |
| ......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 {XXXX} |
| ............ 7 {YYYY} |
|
| ............ ..8 {AAAA} |
| ..2 Plant a subshrub, creeping shrub, or liana. |
| ............ ....9 Leaves spinose-serrate; [aliens, rarely naturalized] |
| ............ ....9 Leaves serrate (not spinose), serrulate, or crenate; [aliens 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] |
| 1 Leaves deciduous. |
| ............ ............ 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 drupe or achene, indehiscent, fleshy at maturity (or dry in Kolkwitzia). |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Fruit an achene (1-seeded), dry at maturity |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Fruit a drupe (1-4 seeded), fleshy at maturity. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Inflorescence a terminal corymb |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Inflorescence axillary, fascicled or a cyme. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Foliage with stellate hairs; fruit a pink-purple 4-seeded drupe |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Foliage glabrous or with simple hairs; fruit a dark red, black, or blue 1-4-seeded drupe. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Fruit a 1-seeded drupe; [NC southwards and westwards] |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Fruit a 2-4-seeded drupe; [widespread in our region] |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Fruit a capsule, dehiscent, dry at maturity. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 Inflorescence a catkin, the flowers small (< 5 mm in diameter) and tightly arranged on the inflorescence axis (>5 per cm of the axis) |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....39 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). |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Capsule prominently 5-angled (star-shaped in ×-section) |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......40 Capsule not angled. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Inflorescence axillary, fascicled. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Capsule pink to red; fruits solitary or in axillary cymes |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........42 Capsule brown; fruits in axillary fascicles |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........41 Inflorescence terminal, a raceme, panicle, corymb, or compound cyme. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Inflorescence a flat-topped corymb or rounded compound cyme, as wide as or wider than long |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 43 Inflorescence elongated, a raceme or panicle, longer than wide. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Capsule elongate (>3× as long as wide), 8-25 mm long |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..44 Capsule about as long as wide, 3-6 mm long. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 {XXXX} |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....45 {YYYY} |