NYMPHAEACEAE, the Water Lily Family
Aquatic plants, with usually large and floating leaves which are round or elliptical and palmately veined.
| 1a. Floating and emersed leaves centrally peltate [— 2.] | |
| 1b. Leaves rounded but not peltate, with a deep sinus [— 3.] | |
| 2a. Leaves round, 3 dm. in diameter or more; flowers very large, pale yellow | Lotus, Nelumbo lutea. |
| 2b. Leaves oval, 5-15 cm. long; flowers small, purple | Water Shield, Brasenia schreberi. |
| 3a. Flowers yellow (Pond Lily) [— 4.] | |
| 3b. Flowers white or tinged with pink (Water Lily) [— 5.] | |
| 4a. Leaves more than 1 dm. long | Pond Lily, Nymphaea advena. |
| 4b. Leaves less than 1 dm. long | Pond Lily, Nymphaea microphylla. |
| 5a. Flowers very fragrant; leaves purplish beneath | Water Lily, Castalia odorata. |
| 5b. Flowers not fragrant; leaves green beneath | Water Lily, Castalia tuberosa. |
RANUNCULACEAE, the Crowfoot Family
Herbs with alternate (rarely opposite) leaves, acrid watery juice, separate sepals and petals, numerous stamens, and several or many (rarely only 1) simple pistils. Petals present or absent, in the latter case the sepals are usually petal-like in appearance.
| 1a. Climbing plants with opposite leaves (flowers in late summer) (Virgin's Bower) [— 2.] | |
| 1b. Aquatic plants with dissected submerged leaves (flowers in late spring and summer) (Water Crowfoot) [— 3.] | |
| 1c. Terrestrial or mud plants, not agreeing with 1a or 1b [— 6.] | |
| 2a. Flowers white, 2-3 cm. wide | Virgin's Bower, Clematis virginiana. |
| 2b. Flowers pink-purple, 5-8 cm. wide | Virgin's Bower, Clematis verticillaris. |
| 3a. Flowers white [— 4.] | |
| 3b. Flowers yellow [— 5.] | |
| 4a. Leaves rigid, not collapsing when removed from the water | Water Crowfoot, Ranunculus circinatus. |
| 4b. Leaves soft, collapsing when removed from the water | Water Crowfoot, Ranunculus aquatilis var. capillaceus. |
| 5a. Submerged leaves divided into hair-like segments | Water Crowfoot, Ranunculus delphinifolius. |
| 5b. Submerged leaves palmately divided into linear lobes | Water Crowfoot, Ranunculus purshii. |
| 6a. Flowers blue, irregular, with one spur (4-8 dm. high, summer) | Larkspur, Delphinium ajacis. |
| 6b. The five petals each prolonged into a spur; flowers showy (4-8 dm. tall) (Columbine) [— 7.] | |
| 6c. Flowers regular, without spurs [— 8.] | |
| 7a. Spurs nearly straight; flowers scarlet and yellow (spring) | Wild Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis. |
| 7b. Spurs strongly incurved; flowers blue or white (spring, early summer) | Columbine, Aquilegia vulgaris. |
| 8a. Flowers yellow [— 9.] | |
| 8b. Flowers of various colors, but never yellow [— 28.] | |
| 9a. Petals none; sepals petal-like; leaves crenate or dentate (2-4 dm. high, flowers in early spring) | Cowslip, Caltha palustris. |
| 9b. Petals small; sepals petal-like; leaves deeply palmately lobed (4-6 dm. tall; flowers in late spring) | Globe-flower, Trollius laxus. |
| 9c. Petals yellow; sepals green or yellowish [— 10.] | |
| 10a. Leaves linear to narrowly oblong, entire or with minute teeth (flowers 10-15 mm. wide, in summer) [— 11.] | |
| 10b. Leaves broader, some or all of them lobed or divided, or cordate-ovate and not lobed [— 12.] | |
| 11a. Stems ascending (4-8 dm. high), rooting at the lower joints; fruits pointed with a long slender beak | Spearwort, Ranunculus laxicaulis. |
| 11b. Stems prostrate and trailing, rooting at the joints; fruits tipped with a minute short beak | Spearwort, Ranunculus flammula var. reptans. |
| 12a. Basal leaves, or most of them, merely serrate or crenate, and not obviously lobed [— 13.] | |
| 12b. All the leaves lobed or divided [— 16.] | |
| 13a. Stem-leaves resembling the basal ones, and not lobed (1-2 dm. high; summer) | Sea-side Crowfoot, Ranunculus cymbalaria. |
| 13b. Stem-leaves deeply divided into oblong or linear segments [— 14.] | |
| 14a. Flowers 1.5 cm. wide or more (1-3 dm. high; spring) | Buttercup, Ranunculus rhomboideus. |
| 14b. Flowers 1 cm. wide or less (2-5 dm. high; spring) [— 15.] | |
| 15a. Foliage glabrous or minutely pubescent; basal leaves cordate | Small-flowered Crowfoot, Ranunculus abortivus. |
| 15b. Foliage villous; basal leaves barely cordate or not at all | Small-flowered Crowfoot, Ranunculus micranthus. |
| 16a. Stem erect or essentially so [— 17.] | |
| 16b. Stem prostrate, creeping, or ascending. Early in spring stems may be found which appear almost erect. Common spring-flowering buttercups are all classified here [— 22.] | |
| 17a. Flowers 2 cm. broad or larger (Buttercup) [— 18.] | |
| 17b. Flowers 1 cm. broad or smaller [— 19.] | |
| 18a. Terminal lobe of leaf stalked (2-5 dm. high, early summer) | Buttercup, Ranunculus bulbosus. |
| 18b. Terminal lobe of leaf sessile (5-10 dm. high; all summer) | Buttercup, Ranunculus acris. |
| 19a. Plant glabrous, succulent; stem hollow (1-5 dm. high; spring and summer) | Cursed Crowfoot, Ranunculus sceleratus. |
| 19b. Plant pubescent (Buttercup) [— 20.] | |
| 20a. Fruits tipped with a prominent recurved beak; plant of shady woods (2-6 dm. high; flowers in late spring) | Buttercup, Ranunculus recurvatus. |
| 20b. Fruits tipped with a straight or slightly curved beak; plants of marshes or wet soil (3-6 dm. high; flowers in summer) [— 21.] | |
| 21a. Fruits in a short-cylindric head on a conical receptacle | Buttercup, Ranunculus pennsylvanicus. |
| 21b. Fruits in a globose or short-ovoid head, on an obovoid receptacle | Buttercup, Ranunculus macounii. |
| 22a. Leaves dissected into numerous linear or narrowly wedge-shape divisions; plants growing in water or very wet places (late spring and summer) | Water Crowfoot, Ranunculus delphinifolius. |
| 22b. Leaves palmately lobed, the terminal division not definitely stalked [— 23.] | |
| 22c. Leaves compound, some or all of the divisions on definite stalks (Buttercup) [— 24.] | |
| 23a. Stem-leaves numerous (1-2 dm. tall; late spring and summer) | Crowfoot, Ranunculus purshii. |
| 23b. Stem-leaves one or none, the principal leaves all basal (about 1 dm. high; flowers in summer) | Buttercup, Ranunculus lapponicus. |
| 24a. Style short, obviously curved [— 25.] | |
| 24b. Style long and slender, straight or nearly so (common spring-flowering buttercups, 2-5 dm. high) [— 26.] | |
| 25a. Stems creeping; flowers 2 cm. wide or more (spring) | Buttercup, Ranunculus repens. |
| 25b. Stems ascending; flowers 1.5 cm. wide or less (3-6 dm. high; summer) | Buttercup, Ranunculus macounii. |
| 26a. The two lateral divisions of the leaf sessile or nearly so | Buttercup, Ranunculus fascicularis. |
| 26b. The two lateral divisions of the leaf on long stalks [— 27.] | |
| 27a. Roots fibrous; plants of wet soil | Buttercup, Ranunculus septentrionalis. |
| 27b. Roots thickened; plants of dry woods or thickets | Buttercup, Ranunculus hispidus. |
| 28a. Leaves dissected into numerous narrowly linear acute divisions (4-7 dm. high; flowers large, bluish, in summer) | Love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena. |
| 28b. Leaves lobed or divided, but the divisions not separated by definite stalks [— 29.] | |
| 28c. Leaves truly compound, all their divisions separated by distinct stalks [— 39.] | |
| 29a. Leaves all basal, their lobes (usually 3) entire (1-2 dm. high; flowers pink-purple, in earliest spring) (Hepatica) [— 30.] | |
| 29b. Lobes of the leaf serrate or incised [— 31.] | |
| 30a. Lobes of the leaf obtuse or rounded | Hepatica, Hepatica triloba. |
| 30b. Lobes of the leaf acute | Hepatica, Hepatica acutiloba. |
| 31a. Petals none; sepals 3, usually falling away as soon as the flower opens (2-4 dm. high; flowers greenish-white, in spring) | Golden Seal, Hydrastis canadensis. |
| 31b. Petals none; sepals petal-like, 4 or more (Anemone) [— 32.] | |
| 31c. Petals present, but much smaller than the 5 petal-like sepals [— 38.] | |
| 32a. Stem-leaves sessile or nearly so [— 33.] | |
| 32b. Stem-leaves on definite petioles [— 35.] | |
| 33a. Ovary tipped with a long slender hairy style; flowers bluish-purple (1-4 dm. high; early spring) | Pasque Flower, Anemone patens var. wolfgangiana. |
| 33b. Ovary with a short style, densely woolly; flowers red, greenish, or white (1-4 dm. high; late spring and summer) [— 34.] | |
| 33c. Ovary tipped with a short style, glabrous or nearly so; flowers white (4-7 dm. high; late spring and early summer) | Anemone, Anemone canadensis. |
| 34a. Stem 1-flowered, sepals white | Anemone, Anemone parviflora. |
| 34b. Stem 3-flowered; sepals usually red | Anemone, Anemone multifida. |
| 35a. Achenes densely woolly; flowers appearing in summer [— 36.] | |
| 35b. Achenes merely pubescent; stems 1-flowered; woodland species blooming in early spring (1-2 dm. high; flowers white) | Wood Anemone, Anemone quinquefolia. |
| 36a. Segments of the leaf broadly wedge-shape or ovate; flowers white (4-8 dm. high) [— 37.] | |
| 36b. Segments of the leaf linear-oblong; flower red, greenish, or white; plants growing on the shores of the Great Lakes | Anemone, Anemone multifida. |
| 37a. Segments of the basal leaves wedge-lanceolate; head of fruit cylindric | Anemone, Anemone cylindrica. |
| 37b. Segments of the basal leaves ovate-lanceolate; head of fruit ovoid or oblong | Anemone, Anemone virginiana. |
| 38a. Stem-leaves present [— 9b.] | |
| 38b. Leaves all basal (1-2 dm. high; leaves 3-divided; flowers white, in early summer) | Gold-thread, Coptis trifolia. |
| 39a. Flowers numerous, in branching panicles (Meadow Rue) [— 40.] | |
| 39b. Flowers numerous, in racemes [— 43.] | |
| 39c. Flowers solitary or few, in loose clusters; woodland plants blooming in early spring (1-3 dm. high; flowers white to purple) [— 45.] | |
| 40a. Blooming in spring; stem-leaves with obvious petioles (3-7 dm. high; flowers white or greenish) | Meadow Rue, Thalictrum dioicum. |
| 40b. Blooming in late spring or summer, stem-leaves sessile or nearly so (8-15 dm. high; flowers white) [— 41.] | |
| 41a. Filaments club-shape, approximately as wide as the anther | Meadow Rue, Thalictrum polygamum. |
| 41b. Filaments slender or thread-like [— 42.] | |
| 42a. Leaves minutely pubescent beneath, but not glandular | Meadow Rue, Thalictrum dasycarpum. |
| 42b. Leaves minutely glandular beneath | Meadow Rue, Thalictrum revolutum. |
| 43a. Racemes slender, 10-90 cm. long (8-15 dm. high; flowers white, in summer) | Bugbane, Cimicifuga racemosa. |
| 43b. Racemes short and stout, 3-8 cm. long (4-8 dm. high; flowers white, in late spring) (Baneberry) [— 44.] | |
| 44a. Berries white; pedicels strongly thickened at maturity | Baneberry, Actaea alba. |
| 44b. Berries red; pedicels slender | Baneberry, Actaea rubra. |
| 45a. Flowers white; stem-leaves alternate | Isopyrum, Isopyrum biternatum. |
| 45b. Flowers white to pink or purplish; stem-leaves whorled | Rue Anemone, Anemonella thalictroides. |
MAGNOLIACEAE, the Magnolia Family
Trees or shrubs, with alternate leaves, and large, frequently showy flowers.
| One species in Michigan, with broad 4-lobed leaves and greenish-yellow flowers in late spring | Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera. |