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| 1 Lianas. |
| ..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 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} |
| ..........6 Trees. |
| ............ 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 attacment peltate; leaf lobes not sublobed; fruit an nutlet, single-seeded |
| ............ 7 Leaves < 3 dm long and wide; tree branching; [Eudicots]. |
| ............ ......10 Leaves bilobed (deeply notched at the apex, each lobe, separated by the midvein, asymmetrical; [peninsular FL and s. TX] |
| ............ ......10 Leaves 3-5 (-7) lobed; [collectively widspread]. |
| ............ ........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) |
| ..........6 Shrubs. |
| ............ ..........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 |
| 1 Leaves serrate. |
| ..2 Leaf venation palmate, the leaf often lobed or at least pentagonal in shape (as well as serrate); plants climbing by leaf-opposed tendrils |
| ..2 Leaf venation pinnate, the leaf neither lobed nor pentagonal; plants climbing by other mechanisms (see below). |
| ....3 Plants climbing by axillary tendrils; [FL] |
| ....3 Plants climbing by adventitious roots, by twining, or by growing through bark layers of Taxodium ascendens or Chamaecyparis thyoides; [collectively widespread in our region]. |
| ......4 Plants climbing by adventitious roots; leaf base cordate or subcordate, and also slightly to strongly oblique |
| ......4 Plants climbing by twining, or by growing through bark layers of Taxodium ascendens or Chamaecyparis thyoides; leaf base cuneate, rounded, or cordate. |
| ........5 Leaves strongly cordate at the base, 7-15 cm wide |
| ........5 Leaves cuneate, rounded, or subcordate at the base, 0.3-8 cm wide. |
| ..........6 Leaf blades mostly 2-6 cm long, 0.3-2 cm wide; plants climbing by growing through bark layers of Taxodium ascendens or Chamaecyparis thyoides |
| ..........6 Leaf blades mostly 6-13 cm long, 3-8 cm wide; plants climbing by twining |
| 1 Leaves entire. |
............ 7 Stems with well-developed prickles; tendrils paired, stipular (diverging from the leaf petiole above its base); [Monocots] |
| ............ 7 Stems lacking prickles; tendrils either absent or (if present) not stipular and paired; [Eudicots or Basal Angiosperms]. |
| ............ ..8 Plant climbing by dense, reddish adventitious roots |
| ............ ..8 Plant climbing by twining or by tendrils. |
| ............ ....9 Plant climbing by tendrils |
| ............ ....9 Plant climbing by twining. |
| ............ ......10 Leaves elliptic or ovate, obviously longer than broad, most leaves > 1.4× as long as wide; leaf blade base narrowly cuneate, broadly cuneate, rounded, or subcordate. |
| ............ ........11 Leaves 3-8 cm long, rounded to broadly cuneate at the base and rounded or obtuse at the apex; lateral leaf veins straight, parallel, not forking; inflorescence a terminal thyrse or panicle |
| ............ ........11 Leaves 6-15 cm long, cuneate at the base and acuminate at the apex; lateral leaf veins forking at or beyond the middle; inflorescence a solitary, axillary flower |
| ............ ......10 Leaves orbicular to very widely ovate, most leaves < 1.4× as long as wide; leaf blade base deeply cordate, subcordate, rounded, or broadly cuneate |
| ............ ..........12 Leaf venation pinnate, but “pseudopalmate”, with 3 primary veins from the marginal point of attachment of the petiole, the 2 lateral veins then promptly rebranching (< 1 cm from the leaf base) into 2-3 prominent veins (the remainder of the venation pinnate along the midvein); basalmost pair of primary veins exposed (lacking leaf tissue) on their basal side for > 2 mm; leaf blade base deeply cordate; leaf with no tendency to lobing, the leaf outline convex from the base to the apex (except in the immediate vicinity of the petiole and sometimes immediately near a slightly acuminate apex |
| ............ ..........12 Leaf venation palmate, with (3-) 5-9 primary veins from the marginal or peltate point of attachment of the petiole, these primary veins then rebranching well above the leaf base; basalmost pair of primary veins completely included within leaf tissue; leaf blade base cordate, subcordate, rounded, or broadly cuneate; leaf with a tendency to lobing, the leaf outline with 1 or more concave areas between the base and the apex (except Cissampelos of s. FL) |
| 1 Leaves compound. |
| ..2 Plants herbaceous; leaves palmately 3-foliolate or pedately compound |
| ..2 Plants woody; leaves either palmately divided or pinnately compound into > 20 segments |
| 1 Leaves simple. |
| ....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 Perianth differentiated into green sepals and white petals; gynoecium of 2 or more pistils, each pistil consisting of 1 carpel and with 1 stigma; fruit an aggregate of achenes or follicles; inflorescence a raceme or panicle with branching in whorls of 3; [wetland plants] |
| ............ ............ ............ 19 Perianth not differentiated into strikingly different whorls (at most, with only subtle variation in the size or shape of the outer and inner whorls of the perianth); gynoecium of 1 pistil, with 2-6 stigmas; 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]. |
| ............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves basal or basally disposed. |
| ............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves 2 (rarely 3 in Convallaria in RUSCACEAE). |
| ............ ............ ............ ......22 Inflorescence a raceme; fruit a berry; tepals united, the perianth urceolate |
| ............ ............ ............ ......22 Inflorescence an umbel or a solitary flower; fruit a capsule; tepals separate or basally fused. |
| ............ ............ ............ ........23 Flowers in an umbel, white; fresh plants with oniony odor |
| ............ ............ ............ ........23 Flowers solitary, white or yellow; fresh plants without strong odor |
| ............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaves 4 or more. |
| ............ ............ ............ ..........24 Inflorescence a terminal umbel; fruit a blue or black berry; tepals white or yellow; flowers bisexual |
| ............ ............ ............ ..........24 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) |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Inflorescences bracteate, with bracts subtending individual pedicels and (if they are present) branches of the inflorescence; tepals white, greenish-white, or cream |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ 25 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). |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Flowers white to cream; plants dioecious (individual plants either male or female, with all male flowers or all female flowers) |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Flowers pink; plants hermaphroditic (individual flowers bisexual) |
| ............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves cauline. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves both cordate/subcordate (rarely merely rounded at the base) and obviously petiolate. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Inflorescence an axillary many-flowered umbel; fruit a berry; axillary tendrils often present (absent in some species) |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 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). |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 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] |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Tepals 4 (-5); stamens 4 (-5); flowers bisexual; ovary superior; [AL and adjacent GA, FL, and perhaps LA] |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaves not both cordate/subcordate and petiolate (some with cordate clasping or perfoliate leaf bases). {add [Smilax] SMILACACEAE below} |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 Leaves alternate and in whorls at some nodes; flowers orange; tepals > 5 cm long; inflorescence a terminal umbel or single flower |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........30 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. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 Inflorescence a terminal umbel; flowers slightly zygomorphic, reddish, the tepals 3.5-4.5 cm long |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 31 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). |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 Leaves arrayed spirally around an erect, unbranched stem; fruit a septicidal capsule; flowers a mixture of bisexual and unisexual (staminate) on a plant; perianth greenish white |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 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 |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ....33 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 |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..32 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. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Stems of fertile individuals simple (never branched); inflorescence a terminal raceme or panicle (Maianthemum) or axillary racemes or clusters of 1-9 flowers (Polygonatum); fruit a berry. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Inflorescence terminal, a raceme or panicle; tepals separate; leaves with 3 main parallel veins, acute to acuminate at the apex; foliage green, not glaucous |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........35 Inflorescence of 1-several axillary flowers; tepals fused; leaves with > 7 main parallel veins, obtuse to acute at the apex; foliage blue-green, glaucous |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ......34 Stems of fertile individuals branched (always at least bifurcate); 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; fruit a berry or capsule. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Leaves perfoliate; fruit a capsule |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..........36 Leaves sessile (though sometimes slightly to strongly clasping); fruit a berry or capsule. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Stem brown, wiry, puberulent; distalmost 2 leaves on each branch approximate to one another (sometimes subopposite) and with noticeably oblique bases; flowers and fruits terminal on the branches |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 37 Stem green, not wiry, glabrous; distalmost 2 leaves 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. |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 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 |
| ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ..38 Flowers and fruits 1 (-2) in the axils of many leaves; tepals white to pink |