Click the number at the start of a key lead to highlight both that lead and its corresponding lead. Click again to show only the two highlighted leads. Click a third time to return to the full key with the selected leads still highlighted.
1 Seeds arranged vertically or both horizontally and vertically in the fruit; leaf blades glabrous or occasionally sparsely farinose. |
..2 Perianth segments 5; plants perennial; [ Blitum, sect. Blitum] |
..2 Perianth segments 3; plants annual. |
....3 Leaves lanceolate or oblong, glaucous on the lower surface; [ Oxybasis, sect. Pseudoblitum] |
....3 Leaves triangular or rhombic, green or white-farinose on the lower surface. |
......4 Leaves farinose on the lower surface; [ Oxybasis, sect. Oxybasis] |
......4 Leaves glabrous and green on the lower surface. |
........5 Glomerules 3-10 mm in diameter, borne sessile on unbranched terminal and occasionally axillary spikes; perianth segments fleshy and red at maturity; [ Blitum, sect. Blitum] |
........5 Glomerules 2-5 mm in diameter, borne sessile on lateral branched spikes; perianth segments membranaceous, green at maturity; [ Oxybasis, sect. Pseudoblitum] |
1 Seeds arranged horizontally in the fruit; leaf blades usually farinose. |
..........6 Flowers individually disposed in panicles; leaf blades glabrous; [ Chenopodiastrum, sect. Grossefoveata] |
..........6 Flowers in loose or dense glomerules; leaf blades usually farinose; [subgenus Chenopodium, section Chenopodium]. |
............ 7 Primary leaves linear, linear-lanceolate, at least 2-3× as long as wide, usually untoothed and unlobed (but often with 2 basal lobes in C. foggii); [subsection Leptophylla]. |
............ ..8 Leaves 1-veined, linear. |
............ ....9 Seeds 0.9-1.1 mm in diameter; taller plants often < 4 dm tall |
............ ....9 Seeds 1.4-1.6 mm in diameter; taller plants > 4 dm tall |
............ ..8 Leaves 3-veined from base, linear to lanceolate or narrowly oblong-ovate or triangular-rhombic. |
............ ......10 Leaves 2-3× as long as wide |
............ ......10 Leaves > 3× as long as wide. |
............ ........11 Perianth spreading from fruit at maturity; plants strictly erect |
............ ........11 Perianth enclosing the fruit at maturity; plants erect to spreading. |
............ ..........12 Plants usually spreading; perianth segments obtuse; leaf blades usually unlobed |
............ ..........12 Plants erect; perianth segments acute; leaf blades often with basal lobes |
............ 7 Primary leaves ovate, rhombic, triangular, or lanceolate, usually with basal lobes and often also with additional teeth on the margins. |
............ ............ 13 Seeds honeycomb-pitted; [subsection Favosa]. |
............ ............ ..14 Seeds 1.2-2.0 mm in diameter. |
............ ............ ....15 Style bases with yellow area; seeds 1.2.1.5 mm in diameter |
............ ............ ....15 Style bases without yellow area; seeds 1.3-2.0 mm in diameter. |
............ ............ ......16 Inflorescences large and drooping; seeds 1.7-2.0 mm in diameter |
............ ............ ......16 Inflorescences small and erect; seeds 1.3-1.9 mm in diameter |
............ ............ ..14 Seeds 1.0-1.3 mm in diameter. |
............ ............ ........17 Leaves rhombic-triangular, usually without basal lobes; inflorescences becoming bractless |
............ ............ ........17 Leaves 3-lobed; inflorescences with or without bracts. |
............ ............ ..........18 Inflorescences bractless |
............ ............ ..........18 Inflorescences with leafy bracts |
............ ............ ............ 19 Style bases without yellow area |
............ ............ ............ 19 Style bases with yellow area |
............ ............ 13 Seeds smooth or areolate. |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves triangular. |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaf blades with basal lobes but no additional teeth, usually farinose; [subsect. Fremontiana] |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Plants simple below, branching above; seeds 1-1.3 mm in diameter |
............ ............ ............ ......22 Plants profusely branching from base; seeds 0.9-1.1(-1.2) mm in diam. |
............ ............ ............ ....21 Leaf blades toothed and sometimes with basal lobes, usually glabrous. |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Seeds 1.0-1.5 mm in diameter, the seed margin sharp; leaf blades without basal lobes; [ Chenopodiastrum, sect. Chenopodiastrum] |
............ ............ ............ ........23 Seeds 0.8-1.2 mm in diameter, the seed margin rounded; leaf blades often with basal lobes; [ Oxybasis, sect. Urbica] |
............ ............ ............ ..20 Leaves ovate to broadly ovate, rhombic, or lanceolate, variously lobed or toothed. |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Leaf blades without teeth, except for the often present basal lobes or teeth. |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves not aromatic; flowers in each glomerule in markedly different stages of development; [subsection Standleyana] |
............ ............ ............ ............ 25 Leaves strongly malodorous; flowers in each glomerule in similar stages of development; [subsection Chenopodium] |
............ ............ ............ ..........24 Leaf blades with lateral teeth and often basal lobes; [subsection Chenopodium]. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves widely ovate, 1× as long as wide; lateral leaf lobes as large as the terminal lobe |
............ ............ ............ ............ ..26 Leaves ovate, rhombic, or lanceolate, >1× as long as wide; lateral leaf lobes smaller than the terminal lobe (or absent). |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaf margins more or less parallel below the obtuse apex; leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic; inflorescence generally moniliform, not profusely branched; seeds oval in outline; pericarp strongly adherent |
............ ............ ............ ............ ....27 Leaf margins tapering to an acute apex; leaves ovate, rhombic, or lanceolate; inflorescence branched (spicate or cymose); seeds circular in outline; seed pericarp non-adherent. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plants greenish-gray, copiously farinose; perianth parts yellow-farinose, ribbed but not keeled |
............ ............ ............ ............ ......28 Plants green, slightly farinose; perianth parts green to slightly farinose, with a keeled midrib. |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant sparsely branched, with an erect habit; inflorescences in paniculate spikes; lower leaves lobed or toothed; upper leaves triangular and toothed |
............ ............ ............ ............ ........29 Plant densely branched from base; inflorescences in paniculate arching branches; lower leaves with a few lobes or teeth; upper leaves lanceolate and entire |