Keys to Dicotyledon Families
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Scott A. Mori


KEY 5. TREE MAGNOLIOPSIDA
KEY TO SUBKEYS

This key includes treelets (single-stemmed woody plants <5 cm DBH and >2 m tall) as well as trees (single-stemmed >5 cm DBH. However, if your plant is <5 cm DBH and does not key out under tree dicotyledons, try the key to shrub dicotyledons.


1. Leaves compound. 2
1. Leaves simple (deeply lobed leaves, e.g. some species of Pourouma, are included here). 3
2. Leaves mostly palmate or trifoliolate (simple leaves may also be present on same plant, e.g. Allophyllus in the Sapindaceae).
Subkey 1. Palmately Compound Leaves
2. Leaves pinnate or bipinnate.
Subkey 2. Pinnately or Bipinnately Compound Leaves
3. Leaves opposite or whorled. Subkey 3. Simple Opposite or Whorled Leaves
3. Leaves alternate. 4
4. Plants with exudate.
Subkey 4. Simple Alaternate Leaves, Exudate Present
4. Plants without exudate.
Subkey 5. Simple Alternate Leaves, Exudate Absent

KEY 5. TREE MAGNOLIOPSIDA
SUBKEY 1. PALMATELY COMPOUND LEAVES


1. Leaves opposite. 2
1. Leaves alternate. 4
2. Trunk with long, running buttresses. Flowers actinomorphic; corolla not fused into distinct tube; stamens numerous. Fruits with spiny endocarp.
Caryocaraceae
2. Trunk without long, running buttresses. Flowers zygomorphic; corolla fused into distinct tube; stamens 4. Fruits without spiny endocarp.
3
3. Flowers with yellow corollas. Fruits dry, dehiscent. Seeds numerous, winged. Bignoniaceae (Tabebuia)
3. Flowers with lavender or purple corollas. Fruits fleshy, indehiscent. Seeds solitary, not winged. Verbenaceae (Vitex)
4. Plants with exudate.
5
4. Plants without exudate.
6
5. Leaves with >3 leaflets. Plants dioecious. Flowers zygomorphic; ovary unilocular; placentation parietal. Fruits fleshy throughout, indehiscent. Caricaceae
5. Leaves with 3 leaflets. Plants monoecious. Flowers actinomorphic; ovary 3-locular; placentation axile. Fruits dry, dehiscent capsules. Euphorbiaceae (Hevea)
6. Leaves with >6 leaflets. Flowers <10 mm diam.
7
6. Leaves usually with less than or equal to 6 leaflets. Flowers >10 mm.
8
7. Plants without conspicuous flying buttresses. Stipules not encircling stem. Inflorescences umbels.; ovary inferior. Fruits not enclosed by fleshy perianth. Araliaceae (Schefflera)
7. Plants with conspicuous flying buttresses. Stipules encircling stem. Inflorescences in finger-like spikes; ovary superior. Fruits enclosed by fleshy perianth. Cecropiaceae (Cecropia sciadophylla)
8. Leaves with 3 leaflets. Flowers <20 mm long; stamens 5-10, not fused at bases.
9
8. Leaves with 3-6(-8) leaflets.
10
9. Leaflet blades with cavities (domatia) in axils of secondary veins. Corolla 10-20 mm long; ovary with carpels only slightly fused. Fruits dry and dehiscent. Rutaceae (Ticorea)
9. Leaflet blades without cavities in axils of secondary veins. Corolla 2-3 mm long; ovary with carpels fused. Fruits fleshy and indehiscent. Sapindaceae (Allophyllus)
10. Trees. Leaflets not densely pubescent. Inflorescences not cauliflorous (ramiflorous in Eriotheca). Petals not differentiated; staminodes absent. Fruits not markedly ridged. Seeds not surrounded by a slimy pulp.
Bombacaceae
10. Treelets. Leaflets densely pubescent, especially on abaxial surface. Inflorescences cauliflorous. Petals differented into long, narrow blade distally and cucullate claw proximally; staminodes 5. Fruits markedly ridged. Seeds surrounded by slimy pulp.
Sterculiaceae (Herrania)

KEY 5. TREE MAGNOLIOPSIDA
SUBKEY 2. PINNATELY OR BIPINNATELY COMPOUND LEAVES


1. Leaves opposite or subopposite. 2
1. Leaves alternate. 5
2. Leaves pinnately compound.
3
2. Leaves bipinnately compound.
4
3. Leaflet margins serrate, the tertiary veins inconspicuous. Flowers actinomorphic, yellow. Quiinaceae (Touroulia)
3. Leaflet margins entire, the tertiary veins conspicuous. Flowers zygomorphic, lavender. Fabaceae (Taralea oppositifolia)
4. Leaflets <10 mm wide. Flowers grouped into dense, globular heads, nocturnal; corolla actinomorphic, white or yellow. Fruits much longer than wide.
Mimosaceae (Parkia decussata & P. nitida)
4. Leaflets >10 mm wide. Flowers not grouped into dense, globlar heads, diurnal; corolla zygomorphic, lavender. Fruits nearly as wide as long.
Bignoniaceae (Jacaranda)
5. Leaves bipinnately compound. 6
5. Leaves pinnately compound. 7
6. Leafstalks usually with glands. Stamens long exserted, the filaments and petals fused at base into obvious tube (stemonozone). Fruits various, usually longer than wide, sometimes coiled.
Mimosaceae
6. Leafstalks without glands. Stamens not long exserted, the filaments and petals not fused into stemonozone. Fruits flattened, usually nearly as long as wide.
Caesalpiniaceae (Dimorphandra)
7. Flowers zygomorphic. 8
7. Flowers actinomorphic. 10
8. Stipules absent. Perianth uniseriate; stamens adnate to perianth.
Proteaceae
8. Stipules present. Perianth biseriate (uniseriate in a few Caesalpiniaceae, e.g., Dialium and Dicorynia); stamens not adnate to perianth.
9
9. Flowers slightly zygomorphic, without pronounced standard and keel, the standard internal to lateral petals, or petals reduced to one or three, or petals absent; stamens with free filaments, numerous (then often heterantherous), 10, or reduced to one. Caesalpiniaceae (also Bocoa & Swartzia of Fabaceae)
9. Flowers markedly zygomorphic, with pronounced standard and keel, the standard external to lateral petals; stamens usually with 9 filaments fused into distinct column surrounding ovary and one filament free. Fabaceae
10. Plants with white or yellowish free-flowing exudate, this especially apparent in cut twigs and broken leaves.
Anacardiaceae (Thyrsodium)
10. Plants without white or yellowish free-flowing exudate (a whitish exudate may be present in some Burseraceae but it is not free-flowing).
11
11. Small, slender treelets. Inflorescences usually cauline. Fruits follicles. Seeds usually black, subtended by yellow aril. Connaraceae
11. Usually medium-sized to large trees, infrequently treelets. Inflorescences usually not cauline. Fruits usually not follicles. Seeds variously colored, the arilloid, when present, usually red. 12
12. Cut trunk and crushed leaves usually with turpentine odor. Leaves usually, but not always, with pulvinules, the leaflets always opposite.
Burseraceae
12. Cut trunk and crushed leaves may be aromatic but without turpentine odor. Leaves usually without pulvinules (Sapindaceae and some Meliaceae may have pulvinules), the leaflets alternate to subopposite.
13
13. Ovaries with >1 carpel, the carpels weakly fused, the individual carpels separate and evident. 14
13. Ovaries with a single carpel or with carpels strongly fused, the individual carpels not separate and evident. 15
14. Cut trunk with bitter taste, without spines. Leaves without citrus smell when crushed, without pellucid punctations. Ovary on short gynophore. Fruits indehiscent.
Simaroubaceae
14. Cut trunk without bitter taste, with spines. Leaves sometimes with citrus smell when crushed, often with pellucid punctations. Ovary not on short gynophore. Fruits dehiscent.
Rutaceae (Zanthoxylum)
15. Leaves with glands between leaflets. Stamens numerous, long exerted. Mimosaceae (Inga).
15. Leaves without glands between leaflets. Stamens usually less than or equal to 10, the filaments not long exerted. 16
16. Leaf rachis often extended beyond distal leaflets, this without indeterminate growth. Petals often hairy and with a hairy appendage; nectary disc extrastaminal; stamens (5)8.
Sapindaceae
16. Leaf rachis not extended beyond distal leaflets or, if extended, then with indeterminate growth (Guarea). Petals not markedly hairy and without an appendage; nectary disk often intrastaminal; stamens usually (7) 10.
17
17. Leaves sometimes (species of Guarea), but not always (remaining genera), with indeterminate growth. Cut trunk often with spicy aroma. Stamens usually fused into tube (the tube very short in species of Trichilia); ovary with >1 ovule per locule. Fruits dehiscent. Meliaceae
17. Leaves never with indeterminate growth. Cut trunk without spicy aroma. Stamens not fused into tube; ovary with one ovule per locule. Fruits indehiscent. Anacardiaceae

KEY 5. TREE MAGNOLIOPSIDA
SUBKEY 3. SIMPLE OPPOSITE OR WHORLED LEAVES


1. Plants with exudate. 2
1. Plants without exudate. 4
2. Margins of leaf blades serrate. Flowers unisexual, male flowers in catkins, female flowers in capitula.
Moraceae (Bagassa guianensis)
2. Margins of leaf blades entire. Flowers bisexual, not in catkins nor in capitula.
3
3. Exudate white. Petals fused into a tube, the lobes contorted. Apocynaceae
3. Exudate yellow or orange (infrequently white in some species of Clusia). Petals free, the lobes not contorted. Clusiaceae
4. Flowers with petals or tepals (if only one perianth whorl present) fused into distinct tube, never on or surrounded by a fleshy receptacle.
5
4. Flowers with free petals (choripetalous) or tepals or flowers small and on or surrounded by fleshy receptacle (Monimiaceae), a distinct tube never present.
8
5. Leaves with stipules or connate petiole bases. 6
5. Leaves without apparent stipules or connate petiole bases. 7
6. Stipules joined to form rim extending from one petiole base to next, the stem appearing ensheathed by petiole bases and joined stipules. Flowers subtended by an epicalyx and a series of bracts. Ovary superior. Fruits dehiscent.
Loganiaceae (Antonia).
6. Stipules not as above. Flowers not subtended by epicalyx nor a series of bracts as above. Ovary inferior. Fruits dehiscent or indehiscent.
Rubiaceae
7. Leaves often opposite, subopposite, and even alternate on same plant. Flowers actinomorphic; perianth uniseriate Nyctaginaceae
7. Leaves strictly opposite. Flowers zygomorphic; perianth biseriate. Verbenaceae
8. Flowers zygomorphic (Malpighiaceae are sometimes nearly actinomorphic).
9
8. Flowers actinomorphic.
10
9. Calyx with one sepal spurred, without glands on abaxial surface; corolla reduced to 1-3 petals, the petals not clawed. Fruits dry, dehiscent and seeds winged or fruits indehiscent and calyx developed into unequal length wings. Vochysiaceae
9. Calyx not spurred, usually with glands on abaxial surface; corolla 5-merous, the petals clawed. Fruits fleshy, indehiscent, neither fruits nor seeds winged. Malpighiaceae
10. Cut bark aromatic. Flowers <5 mm diam.; perianth uniseriate.
11
10. Cut bark not aromatic. Flowers >5 mm diam.; perianth biseriate.
12
11. Crushed leaves and cut bark with spicy aroma. Leaf blades with secondary veins decurrent along midrib. Anthers with valvate dehiscence; gynoecium not apocarpous. Fruits drupaceous, often subtended by expanded, red cupule. Lauraceae (Licaria debilis)
11. Crushed leaves and cut bark with lemony aroma. Leaf blades without secondary veins decurrent along midrib. Anthers with (Siparuna) or without valvate dehiscence (Mollinedia); gynoecium apocarpous. Fruits with separate monocarps, the monocarps enclosed within fleshy, enlarged hypanthium (Siparuna) or clustered on flattened hypanthium (Mollinedia). Monimiaceae
12. Ovary inferior.
13
12. Ovary superior.
14
13. Leaf blades with pinnate secondary veins and often with pellucid punctations. Stamens usually >20, the anthers without appendages or oil glands, with lateral dehiscence. Myrtaceae
13. Leaf blades usually with arcuate secondary veins and without pellucid punctations (except for Mouriri which has normal pinnate venation). Stamens usually 10, the anthers often with appendages or oil glands, with poricidal dehiscence. Melastomataceae
14. Stipules conspicuous, usually needle-like or leaf-like. Leaf blades with tertiary and higher order venation striate, closely spaced, and often inconspicuous. Fruits hard and woody.
Quiinaceae
14. Stipules inconspicuous (caducous or small). Leaf blades with tertiary and higher order venation reticulate. Fruits not hard and woody.
15
15. Flowers unisexual. Clusiaceae (Tovomita pro parte)
15. Flowers bisexual. 16
16. Petals brownish red, dark yellow, or orange; stamens 3; ovary surrounded by disc perforated by 3 staminiferous pockets.
Hippocrateaceae (Cheiloclinium cognatum)
16. Petals white; stamens >3; ovary not surrounded by nectariferous disc.
17
17. Petals with fringed margins; stamens ca. 20, the anthers without expanded connective; ovary bilocular; placentation axile. Rhizophoraceae
17. Petals without fringed margins; stamens 5, the anthers with expanded connective; ovary unilocular; placentation parietal. Violaceae

KEY 5. TREE MAGNOLIOPSIDA
SUBKEY 4. SIMPLE ALTERNATE LEAVES, EXUDATE PRESENT

The exudate is sometimes difficult to detect and may be present and obvious only in cut fruit or in the petioles.


1. Exudate red or quickly oxidizing to red or reddish-brown upon exposure to air. 2
1. Exudate not red, usually white (infrequently brown or slightly reddish in Moraceae). 6
2. Plants with flying buttresses. Leaf blades palmately incised; stipules leaving conspicuous scars encircling stem.
Cecropiaceae (Pourouma pro parte)
2. Plants without flying buttresses. Leaf blades not palmately incised; stipules not leaving conspicuous scars encircling stem.
3
3. Leaf blades cordate or oblanceolate. Perianth free; ovary 3-locular, the style divided. Euphorbiaceae (Croton draconioides, Pausandra fordii)
3. Leaf blades elliptic. Perianth (either tepals or petals) fused; ovary 1-2-locular, the style not divided. 4
4. Flowers unisexual; perianth uniseriate, usually 3-merous. Fruits dehiscent. Seeds surrounded by red, laciniate aril.
Myristicaceae
4. Flowers bisexual; perianth biseriate, 5-merous. Fruits indehiscent or dehiscent. Seeds without red, laciniate aril.
5
5. Exudate exuding from junction of inner bark and sapwood, the slash making a hissing sound when first cut. Flowers perigynous; style gynobasic from one side of ovary. Fruits indehiscent. Seeds not winged. Chrysobalanaceae (Licania heteromorpha)
5. Exudate mostly from petioles, not exuding from junction of inner bark and sapwood, the slash not making a hissing sound when first cut. Flowers hypogynous; style terminal. Fruits dehiscent. Seeds winged. Apocynaceae (Aspidosperma pro parte)
6. Flowers bisexual; perianth biseriate.
7
6. Flowers usually unisexual, but some bisexual flowers may also be present; perianth uniseriate or biseriate.
11
7. Trunk clearly fenestrate. Stellate hairs present on young stems, petioles, and inflorescence rachises. Exudate in fruit only. Seeds with ruminate endosperm. Olacaceae (Minquartia)
7. Trunk usually not fenestrate but may be sulcate (Aspidosperma pro parte) or infrequently fenestrate (Geissospermum spp.). Stellate hairs not present. Exudate usually from cut bark, but sometimes only in fruit or petioles. Seeds without ruminate endosperm. 8
8. Corollas white, yellow, or infrequently green, the lobes contorted; stamens opposite sepals; ovary of two separate carpels. Fruits flattened or horn-shaped, dehiscent (Aspidosperma and Himatanthus) or indehiscent (Geissospermum). Seeds without shiny, black or brown testa and without conspicuous hilum, surrounded by wing (Aspidosperma and Himatanthus) or wing absent (Geissospermum).
Apocynaceae
8. Corollas green or infrequently red, the lobes not contorted; stamens opposite petals; ovary of united carpels. Fruits globose, indehiscent. Seeds with shiny black or brown testa and conspicuous hilum, not surrounded by wing.
Sapotaceae
9.Leaves with conspicuous stipules, the scars entirely or mostly surrounding stem. Flowers in modified branch ends called syconia or in catkins or heads; ovary 1-locular; placentation apical, the ovule solitary. Moraceae
9. Leaves with or without stipules, the scars, when present, not entirely or mostly surrounding stem. Flowers not in syconia or usually not in catkins (Mabea of the Euphorbiaceae has catkin-like inflorescences) or heads; ovary 1- or 3-locular; placentation axile, basal (when 1-locular), or parietal, the ovules 1 to many. 10
10.Leaf blades deeply dissected. Placentation parietal. Cultivated but sometimes escaped from cultivation.
Caricaceae (Carica)
10. Leaf blades not deeply dissected. Placentation axile or basal. Native.
11
11. Exudate clear or with slight yellowish tinge. Perianth usually 3-merous, forming tube; ovary 1-locular; placentation basal. Seeds surrounded by laciniate aril; endosperm ruminate. Myristicaceae (Osteophloeum)
11. Exudate usually white. Perianth not 3-merous, not forming tube; ovary 3-locular; placentation axile. Seeds not surrounded by laciniate aril; endosperm present but not ruminate. Euphorbiaceae

KEY 5. TREE MAGNOLIOPSIDA
SUBKEY 5. SIMPLE ALTERNATE LEAVES, EXUDATE ABSENT


1. Flowers zygomorphic, sometimes only gynoecium zygomorphic (style arises from one side of ovary, e.g., Chrysobalanaceae and Rhabdodendraceae) or pistil inserted on one side of hypanthium, or only androecium zygomorphic (anthers offset to one side or 1 or 2 stamens longer than others). 2
1. Flowers actinomorphic. 7
2. Petioles with pulvini at base and apex. Flowers pea-like; stamens with 9 filaments fused together and 1 free. Fruits typical legumes, splitting along 2 sutures.
Fabaceae (Poecilanthe hostmannii)
2. Petioles without pulvini. Flowers not pea-like; stamens not as above. Fruits not legumes, indehiscent or splitting along more than 2 sutures.
3
3. Slash of bark soft and fibrous. Flowers markedly zygomorphic, the androecium with unilateral flap from one side, this arching over summit of ovary; ovary inferior. Fruits woody, circumscissile capsules. Lecythidaceae
3. Slash of bark hard and friable or soft but not fibrous. Flowers not markedly zygomorphic, the androecium not as above; ovary superior. Fruits indehiscent. 4
4. Flowers with a single fertile stamen or 1 or 2 stamens much longer than others. Fruits subtended by swollen pedicel (hypocarp) or fleshy, edible drupes with fibrous stones.
Anacardiaceae (Anacardium & Mangifera)
4. Flowers with more than 1 or 2 stamens, all ± same length. Fruits not as above.
5
5. Stamens with filaments fused into tube (monadelphous), the anthers offset to one side; style terminal. Bombacaceae (Matisia)
5. Stamens with filaments not fused into tube; style gynobasic from one side of ovary. 6
6. Leaves oblanceolate, with inconspicuous tertiary venation, with punctations on abaxial surface. Flowers not perigynous.
Rhabdodendraceae
6. Leaves usually elliptic, with well-developed tertiary venation (sometimes covered by hairs), without punctations on abaxial surface. Flowers perigynous.
Chrysobalanaceae
7. Ovary inferior. 8
7. Ovary superior. 11
8. Slash of bark fibrous. Flowers >5 cm diam.; stamens >500, the filaments fused into conspicuous, elevated ring at base, free above; ovary with >10 ovules/locule, these on expanded apical-axile placenta. Fruits not winged (sometimes with 6 ridges), not with expanded calyx surrounding seed, with >1 seed.
Lecythidaceae (Gustavia)
8. Slash of bark not fibrous. Flowers <2 cm diam.; stamens 3-50, the filaments not fused into conspicuous, elevated ring; ovary with <10 ovules/locule, usually apical but not on expanded placenta. Fruits winged, or with expanded calyx, or with single seed.
9
9. Leaf blades elliptic to cordate, with three equal veins arising from base. Flowers unisexual; stamens 3. Fruits surrounded by a bladder-like cupule. Hernandiaceae (Hernandia)
9. Leaf blades elliptic, with pinnate venation throughout. Flowers bisexual; stamens 10-40. Fruits not surrounded by bladder-like cupule. 10
10. Growth not sympodial. Leaf margins crenate. Petals fused for 1/2 length into tube; stamens adnate to corolla; ovary (3-)5-locular. Fruits fleshy, never winged, surrounded by tightly appressed calyx.
Symplocaceae
10. Growth sympodial. Leaf margins entire. Petals free; stamens not adnate to corolla; ovary unilocular. Fruits dry, winged or, if not winged, not surrounded by tightly appressed calyx.
Combretaceae
11. Perianth with either tepals or petals (gamopetalous) fused into tube, the tube may be either long (e.g., Boraginaceae) or short (e.g., Myrsinaceae and some species of Ebenaceae). 12
11. Perianth without either tepals or petals (choripetalous) fused into tube, i.e., a perianth tube absent. 22
12. Leaf blades with stellate hairs or peltate scales.
13
12. Leaf blades without stellate hairs or peltate scales.
15
13. Perianth uniseriate; ovary with carpels partly free. Fruits pin-wheel shaped, the carpels free, opening along one suture. Sterculiaceae (Sterculia)
13. Perianth biseriate; ovary with carpels completely fused. Fruits not pin-wheel shaped, indehiscent or opening along more than one suture. 14
14. Leaf blades with stellate hairs. Flowers >5 mm diam.; petals without long, attenuated apices; stamens with filaments fused into tube at base; anthers bright yellow.
Styracaceae
14. Leaf blades with peltate scales. Flowers <5 mm diam.; petals with long, attenuate apices; stamens without filaments fused into tube at base; anthers not bright yellow.
Icacinaceae (Dendrobangia)
15. Growth sympodial. Stamens with versatile anthers; style divided twice. Boraginaceae (Cordia)
15. Growth not sympodial. Stamens with basifixed anthers; style simple or only divided once. 16
16. Leaf blades often, but not always, serrate. Perianth uniseriate; placentation parietal. Fruits usually dehiscent.
Flacourtiaceae (Casearia)
16. Leaf blades entire. Perianth biseriate; placentation axile, apical, or free central. Fruits indehiscent.
17
17. Slash of bark with strong turpentine odor. Petioles with pulvini. Seeds surrounded by white arilloids. Burseraceae (Protium occultum)
17. Slash of bark without turpentine odor. Petioles with or without pulvini. Seeds not surrounded by white arilloids. 18
18. Inflorescences arising from petioles. Petals with bifid lobes.
Dichapetalaceae (Tapura)
18. Inflorescences not arising from petioles. Petals with entire lobes.
19
19. Flowers unisexual. Calyx, especially in fruit, irregularly shaped; style divided. Ebenaceae
19. Flowers bisexual. Calyx not irregularly shaped; style not divided. 20
20. Leaves, flowers, and fruits with glandular striations or punctations.
Myrsinaceae
20. Leaves, flowers, and fruits without glandular striations or punctations.
21
21. Understory treelets or understory trees. Leaf blades oblanceolate; petioles swollen at apices. Flowers large, the petals 43-75 mm long. Rutaceae (Erythrochiton)
21. Understory or canopy trees. Leaf blades elliptic to oblong; petioles not swollen at apices. Flowers smaller, the petals <7 mm long. Olacaceae
22. Perianth absent or uniseriate.
23
22. Perianth present, biseriate.
34
23. Flowers small, usually <3 mm diam. or 3 mm long. 24
23. Flowers larger, usually >3 mm diam. or 3 mm long. 30
24. Flowers bisexual.
25
24. Flowers unisexual.
27
25. Inflorescences branched. Stamens 8. Ulmaceae (Ampelocera)
25. Inflorescences unbranched. Stamens 1-6. 26
26. Stems not swollen at nodes. Stamens bifid; ovary with parietal placentation, >1 ovule per locule. Fruits capsules.
Lacistemataceae
26. Stems swollen at nodes. Stamens not bifid; ovary with basal placentation, with 1 ovule per locule. Fruits indehiscent.
Piperaceae
27. Ovary 3-locular. Fruits capsules. Euphorbiaceae
27. Ovary unilocular. Fruits achenes or drupes. 28
28. Plants with flying buttresses. Leaf blades palmately incised; stipules leaving scars encircling stem.
Cecropiaceae
28. Plants without flying buttresses. Leaf blades not palmately incised; stipules not leaving scars encircling stem.
29
29. Leaf blades cordate, not markedly asymmetrical at base. Placentation basal. Fruits achenes, surrounded by fleshy perianth. Urticaceae (Urera)
29. Leaf blades narrowly ovate, markedly asymmetrical at base. Placentation apical. Fruits drupes, not surrounded by fleshy perianth. Ulmaceae (Trema)
30. Trunks usually with very thin buttresses, sometimes with flying buttresses. Petioles often slightly pulvinate-geniculate. Stamens often with apiculate connectives, the anthers often poricidal. Fruit surface often, but not always, covered with spines or hairs. Seeds often with red aril.
Elaeocarpaceae (Sloanea)
30. Trunks without thin buttresses. Petioles not pulvinate-geniculate. Stamens without well-developed apiculate connectives, the anthers not poricidal. Fruit surface not covered with spines. Seeds usually, but not always (Flacourtiaceae), without red aril.
31
31. Perianth parts linear, the apices cucullate; stamens adnate to perianth. Seeds winged. Proteaceae (Roupala)
31. Perianth parts not linear, the apices not cucullate; stamens usually free from perianth, adnate in some Flacourtiaceae. Seeds not winged. 32
32. Leaf blades with 3-5 secondary veins arching upward from base, with no other secondary veins further up midrib, without glands. Flowers with distinct intrastaminal disc. Fruits with single seed.
Rhamnaceae (Ziziphus)
32. Leaf blades with pinnate venation (infrequently with secondary veins from base), with or without glands. Flowers without distinct intrastaminal disc. Fruits with more than one seed.
33
33. Ovary unilocular; placentation parietal. Flacourtiaceae
33. Ovary 3-locular; placentation axile. Euphorbiaceae
34. Stamens united, at least at base.
35
34. Stamens not united.
40
35. Slash of bark with medicinal aroma (smell of wintergreen). Leaf blades finely punctate (need to hold against light and use lens to see), aromatic. Placentation parietal. Canellaceae
35. Slash of bark without medicinal aroma. Leaf blades not finely punctate, not aromatic. Placentation axile. 36
36. Stellate hairs present, usually conspicuous on veins of abaxial leaf surface, but sometimes only conspicuous on inflorescences and flowers. Stamens with filaments united into well-defined tube.
Bombacaceae
36. Stellate hairs usually not present (sometimes present in Sterculiaceae). Stamens with filaments united, but not into well-defined tube.
37
37. Inflorescences mostly cauline, usually along main trunk and branches, less frequently axillary. Petals highly modified, either with "ant-like" appendages or with basal, saccate claw and apical blade; staminodes alternating with stamens. Sterculiaceae
37. Inflorescences generally not cauline, either terminal or in leaf axils, infrequently along stems. Petals not modified; staminodes absent. 38
38. Stems often with conspicuous bracts (cataphylls). Inflorescences in axillary clusters. Petals usually with appendage toward base on adaxial surface. Fruits single-seeded.
Erythroxylaceae
38. Stems without cataphylls. Inflorescences not in axillary clusters. Petals without appendages. Fruits with >1 seed.
39
39. Leaf blade without minute punctations. Style simple; anthers with thick, prolonged connective. Fruits with very hard, sculptured, valvate endocarp. Humiriaceae
39. Leaf blade with minute punctations on both surfaces. Style divided; anthers without well-developed connective. Fruits without hard, sculptured, valvate endocarp. Hugoniaceae
40. Ovary with free carpels (apocarpous) or at least with upper part of carpels separate (Goupia). Fruits with separate carpels or carpels fused but with sutures conspicuous.
41
40. Ovary with fused carpels or unicarpellate. Fruits with fused carpels or developed from unicarpellate ovaries, the sutures not conspicuous.
44
41. Leaf blades with few arcuate secondary veins and tertiary veins oriented at right angles to midrib. Inflorescences stalked umbels. Celastraceae (Goupia)
41. Leaf blades without above venation. Inflorescences various but not in stalked umbels (do not mistake stalked monocarps of Annonaceae as an umbellate inflorescence). 42
42. Leaf blades distinctly pellucid-punctate.
Rutaceae (Almeida)
42. Leaf blades not pellucid-punctate.
43
43. Slash of bark with conspicuous vertical streaks, fibrous, the bark can be peeled off in long strips, often with slight spicy smell. Calyx 3-parted; corolla in two whorls of 3 parts each, the petals white, green, or dull yellow; stamens >10; styles numerous, one per carpel, from apex of carpel. Fruits without red, enlarged hypanthium. Seeds with ruminate endosperm. Annonaceae
43. Slash of bark without conspicuous vertical streaks, not fibrous, the bark can not be peeled off in long strips, without spicy smell. Calyx 3-5 parted; corolla in single whorl of 5 parts, the petals bright yellow; stamens less than or equal to 10; style one, gynobasic, from middle of carpels. Fruits with red, enlarged hypanthium. Seeds without ruminate endosperm. Ochnaceae
44. Slash of bark with conspicuous vertical streaks, fibrous, the bark can be peeled off in long strips. Calyx of 3 sepals; corolla in 2 whorls of 3 petals each; pistils numerous. Fruits globose. Seeds with ruminate endosperm.
Annonaceae (Fusaea)
44. Slash of bark without conspicuous vertical streaks, not fibrous, the bark can not be peeled off in long strips. Calyx and corolla not as above; pistil 1. Fruits not globose. Seeds without ruminate endosperm.
45
45. Crushed leaves and cut bark often emit spicy aroma. Leaf blades often with secondary veins decurrent along midrib. Anthers with valvate dehiscence. Fruits with a single seed, often subtended by red, enlarged pedicel. Lauraceae
45. Crushed leaves and cut bark not emitting spicy aroma. Leaf blades without secondary veins decurrent along midrib. Anthers without valvate dehiscence. Fruits usually with >1 seed, if 1 seed, then without red, enlarged pedicel. 46
46. Ovary unilocular; placentation parietal, with >2 ovules/locule.
47
46. Ovary multilocular or, if unilocular, without parietal placentation; placentation axile or pendulous from apex of each locule, if unilocular with less than or equal to 2 ovules/locule.
50
47. Leaf blades cordate. Fruits covered with prickles. Seeds surrounded by arilloid. Bixaceae
47. Leaf blades usually elliptic. Fruits usually not covered by prickles. Seeds may be arillate, but then aril not completely surrounding seeds. 48
48. Slash of bark with fetid smell. Leaves with stellate hairs. Petals 4; ovary on gynophore.
Capparaceae
48. Slash of bark without fetid smell. Leaves without stellate hairs. Petals usually 5; ovary not on gynophore.
49
49. Flowers unisexual or bisexual; stamens >10; anthers without prolonged connective. Fruits dehiscent or indehiscent. Flacourtiaceae
49. Flowers bisexual; stamens <10; anthers with prolonged connective. Fruits indehiscent. Violaceae
50. Flowers perigynous.
Rosaceae (Prunus)
50. Flowers not perigynous.
51
51. Ovary unilocular, with 2 apical, pendulous ovules/locule. Icacinaceae
51. Ovary with >1 locule, the placentation axile, apical-axile, or basal-axile. 52
52. Flowers unisexual. Fruits dehiscent or indehiscent.
53
52. Flowers bisexual. Fruits indehiscent or, if dehiscent, not splitting into three segments.
54
53. Fruits globose, concolorous at maturity, splitting into three segments. Euphorbiaceae
53. Fruits oblong, one side white and the other side black at maturity, not splitting into segments. Icacinaceae (Discophora)
54. Inflorescences pendulous cymes. Anthers with poricidal dehiscence. Fruits bilocular, many-seeded berries.
Solanaceae (Cyphomandra)
54. Inflorescences not pendulous cymes. Anthers without poricidal dehiscence. Fruits not bilocular, many-seeded berries.
55
55. Calyx circular, much expanded in fruit. Olacaceae (Chaunochiton)
55. Calyx not circular, not expanded in fruit. 56
56. Plants with pubescence of stellate hairs. Flowers greater than or equal to 10 mm diam.; instrastaminal disc absent; stamens >10.
Tiliaceae
56. Plants glabrous. Flowers <10 mm diam.; intrastaminal disc present; stamens usually 5.
Celastraceae

Key to Keys | Key 1. Achlorophyllous Magnoliopsida | Key 2. Herbaceous Terrestrial or Aquatic Magnoliopsida | Key 3. Climbing Magnoliopsida | Key 4. Epiphytic Magnoliopsida | Key 5. Tree Magnoliopsida | Key 6. Shrub Magnoliopsida

Fungal and Plant Diversity of Central French Guiana Home Page