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 Plant with an upright or arching stem with alternate cauline leaves. |
..2 Shrub; "leaves" (actually cladophylls) coriaceous, evergreen, glossy; [exotic, rarely naturalized]; [tribe Rusceae] |
..2 Herb; leaves herbaceous, deciduous, dull or slightly glossy; [native]; [tribe Polygonatae]. |
....3 Inflorescence terminal, a raceme or panicle; tepals separate leaves with 3 main parallel veins, acute to acuminate at the apex; leaves acute to acuminate at the apex; foliage green, not glaucous |
....3 Inflorescence of 1-several axillary flowers; tepals fused; leaves with > 7 main parallel veins, obtuse to acute at the apex; foliage blue-green, glaucous |
1 Plant tufted, the leaves essentially basal (although the sheathing bases form a 'false' stem in Convallaria). |
......4 Leaves 2-3, narrowly elliptic, often variegated with light and dark green; tepals fused, white, greenish, or purplish. |
........5 Leaves deciduous, narrowly elliptic, the blades < 30 cm long; flowers in a raceme; the tepals not fleshy; [tribe Convallarieae] |
........5 Leaves evergreen, linear-lanceolate, the blades > 40 cm long; flower either solitary, axillary, the tepals fleshy, or flowers in a raceme, the tepals not fleshy. |
..........6 Leaves broadly lanceolate, ca. 6× as long as broad; flower solitary, axillary, the tepals fleshy; [tribe Convallarieae] |
..........6 Leaves narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, ca. 12× as long as broad; flowers in a raceme, the tepals not fleshy; [tribe Dracaeneae] |
......4 Leaves many, linear, not variegated with light and dark green; tepals separate (or fused basally), white or violet. |
............ 7 Fruit dehiscent, dry and capsular; inflorescence a panicle or raceme, to 15 dm tall; [natives, of longleaf pine woodlands of SC, GA, and FL]; [tribe Nolineae] |
............ 7 Fruit indehiscent, quickly exposing berry-like seeds with a fleshy seed coat; inflorescence spikelike, to 4 dm tall; [exotics, naturalized from horticultural plantings]; [tribe Ophiopogoneae]. |
............ ..8 Flowers erect, the pedicel strict; ovary superior |
............ ..8 Flowers nodding, the pedicel recurved; ovary inferior or half-inferior |