ROSACEAE, the Rose Family
Trees, herbs, or shrubs, with alternate, frequently compound leaves; petals and sepals usually 5, stamens numerous, pistils 1 to many; receptacle expanded into a saucer-shape or cup-shape organ, bearing the sepals, petals, and stamens at its margin, the pistils at its center, and resembling a calyx-tube or flattened calyx.
| 1a. Shrubs or trees [— 2.] | |
| 1b. Herbaceous plants [— 48.] | |
| 2a. Leaves compound [— 3.] | |
| 2b. Leaves simple [— 24.] | |
| 3a. Flowers in large panicles or corymbs, each flower 5-10 mm. across; leaflets 7 or more [— 4.] | |
| 3b. Flowers solitary or in small clusters, each flower usually 20-80 mm. wide; leaflets frequently only 3 or 5 [— 7.] | |
| 4a. Flowers in a pyramidal or oblong panicle, the ovaries superior (1-2 m. high; flowers white, in summer) — 70b. | |
| 4b. Flowers in rounded or hemispheric clusters, the ovary inferior [— 5.] | |
| 5a. Leaves pubescent on the lower surface | Rowan Tree, Pyrus aucuparia. |
| 5b. Leaves glabrous beneath when mature (small trees; flowers white, in early summer or late spring) (Mountain Ash) [— 6.] | |
| 6a. Leaves acuminate at the apex | Mountain Ash, Pyrus americana. |
| 6b. Leaves obtuse or acute at the apex | Mountain Ash, Pyrus sitchensis. |
| 7a. Flowers yellow (5-10 dm. high; summer) | Cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa. |
| 7b. Flowers pink or red, rarely white, 4-10 cm. across (shrubs, 5-15 dm. high, or climbing; stems usually thorny; flowers in early summer) (Rose) [— 8.] | |
| 7c. Flowers white, 1-3 cm. across (4-20 dm. high; flowers in late spring) [— 16.] | |
| 8a. Leaflets on most of the leaves 3; styles cohering in a column which protrudes from among the stamens | Climbing Rose, Rosa setigera. |
| 8b. Leaflets 5-11; styles not cohering in a protruding column [— 9.] | |
| 9a. Sepals persistent on the fruit after flowering [— 10.] | |
| 9b. Sepals soon deciduous from the young fruit after flowering [— 14.] | |
| 10a. A pair of spines below each leaf larger than the other spines [— 11.] | |
| 10b. Spines all alike in size or nearly so, or absent completely [— 12.] | |
| 11a. Sepals entire | Wild Rose, Rosa woodsii. |
| 11b. Sepals pinnatifid | Dog Rose, Rosa canina. |
| 12a. Stems with few thorns or none at all | Wild Rose, Rosa blanda. |
| 12b. Stems prickly [— 13.] | |
| 13a. Fruit somewhat pear-shape, narrowed toward the base. | Wild Rose, Rosa acicularis. |
| 13b. Fruit globose, rounded at the base | Wild Rose, Rosa acicularis var. bourgeauiana. |
| 14a. The pair of spines at the base of each leaf straight or nearly so | Wild Rose, Rosa humilis. |
| 14b. The pair of spines at the base of each leaf distinctly recurved or hooked [— 15.] | |
| 15a. Leaves densely glandular-pubescent beneath | Sweetbrier, Rosa rubiginosa. |
| 15b. Leaves glabrous or minutely pubescent | Swamp Rose, Rosa carolina. |
| 16a. Stems trailing or creeping [— 17.] | |
| 16b. Stems erect, ascending, or arched [— 19.] | |
| 17a. Stems distinctly shrubby and thorny (Dewberry) [— 18.] | |
| 17b. Stems almost herbaceous, without thorns | Dwarf Raspberry, Rubus triflorus. |
| 18a. Leaves thin, dull above; fruit black, large and juicy | Dewberry, Rubus villosus. |
| 18b. Leaves firm or thick, shining above; fruit reddish, small, consisting of a few sour drupelets | Swamp Dewberry, Rubus hispidus. |
| 19a. Ripe fruit dropping away from the white receptacle or core; terminal leaflet of each leaf with a long stalk, while the lateral leaflets are sessile or nearly so (Raspberry) [— 20.] | |
| 19b. Ripe fruit and receptacle or core dropping together; all the leaflets on stalks which are approximately equal in length (Blackberry) [— 22.] | |
| 20a. Stem very glaucous with a whitish or bluish waxy deposit; fruit black | Black Raspberry, Rubus occidentalis. |
| 20b. Stem not glaucous; fruit red [— 21.] | |
| 21a. Calyx velvety-pubescent | Red Raspberry, Rubus idaeus. |
| 21b. Calyx bristly-hispid | Red Raspberry, Rubus idaeus var. aculeatissimus. |
| 22a. Pedicels with gland-tipped hairs, but no prickles | Blackberry, Rubus allegheniensis. |
| 22b. Pedicels with prickles | Blackberry, Rubus nigricans. |
| 22c. Pedicels with neither prickles nor gland-tipped hairs [— 23.] | |
| 23a. Leaves downy beneath | Blackberry, Rubus frondosus. |
| 23b. Leaves smooth beneath | Blackberry, Rubus canadensis. |
| 24a. Ovaries 1 or more, superior (attached to the surface of the receptacle, but not concealed within it or united to it) [— 25.] | |
| 24b. Ovary 1, inferior (permanently enclosed within the receptacle, with only the styles protruding) [— 38.] | |
| 25a. Ovaries more than 1 [— 26.] | |
| 25b. Ovary 1 [— 30.] | |
| 26a. Leaves serrate [— 27.] | |
| 26b. Leaves lobed [— 28.] | |
| 27a. Leaves glabrous or very nearly so (8-20 dm. high; flowers white or pinkish, summer) | Meadow-sweet, Spiraea salicifolia. |
| 27b. Leaves closely pubescent beneath (5-15 dm. high; flowers pink, summer) | Hardhack, Spiraea tomentosa. |
| 28a. Flowers showy, purple or white, 3-4 cm. broad [— 29.] | |
| 28b. Flowers white, about 1 cm. wide (1-3 m. high; flowers in early summer) | Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius. |
| 29a. Flowers purple | Flowering Raspberry, Rubus odoratus. |
| 29b. Flowers white | Salmonberry, Rubus parviflorus. |
| 30a. Flowers in racemes (trees or tall shrubs; flowers white, in late spring) [— 31.] | |
| 30b. Flowers in small umbels or corymbs (flowers white, in spring) [— 32.] | |
| 31a. Leaves oblong, the points of their teeth incurved | Black Cherry, Prunus serotina. |
| 31b. Leaves obovate, the points of their teeth spreading | Choke Cherry, Prunus virginiana. |
| 32a. Flowers about 1 cm. wide [— 33.] | |
| 32b. Flowers about 1.5-2.5 cm. wide [— 36.] | |
| 33a. Low shrubs, with the spatulate or oblong leaves widest above the middle [— 34.] | |
| 33b. Erect tall shrubs or small trees, with the leaves widest below the middle [— 35.] | |
| 34a. An erect shrub (5-10 dm. high) | Appalachian Cherry, Prunus cuneata. |
| 34b. A prostrate or ascending shrub (3-15 dm. high) | Sand Cherry, Prunus pumila. |
| 35a. Leaves very broadly ovate, almost as wide as long (small tree) | Perfumed Cherry, Prunus mahaleb. |
| 35b. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, about 3 times as long as broad (shrub or small tree, 2-10 m. high) | Pin Cherry, Prunus pennsylvanica. |
| 36a. Sepals glandular-serrate (tall shrub or small tree) | Wild Plum, Prunus nigra. |
| 36b. Sepals entire [— 37.] | |
| 37a. Leaves with sharp teeth, frequently bristle-tipped; a native species (tall shrub or small tree, frequently growing in thickets) | Wild Plum, Prunus americana. |
| 37b. Leaves with obtuse teeth; a species escaped from cultivation (widely branched tree) | Cherry, Prunus cerasus. |
| 38a. Trees, in cultivation or escaped from cultivation near roads or dwellings, with showy flowers 2.5-5 cm. across, edible fruits, and no thorns (spring) [— 39.] | |
| 38b. Native species, trees or shrubs, growing in woods, fields, or thickets; frequently with thorns (spring) [— 40.] | |
| 39a. Leaves finely serrulate or entire | Pear, Pyrus communis. |
| 39b. Leaves coarsely serrate or somewhat lobed | Apple, Pyrus malus. |
| 40a. Shrubs or small trees, without thorns [— 42.] | |
| 40b. Bushy trees or shrubs, with thorns or stiff thorn-like branches, and with flowers generally 1.5-2.5 cm. across [— 41.] | |
| 41a. Flowers pink, very fragrant | Wild Crab, Pyrus coronaria. |
| 41b. Flowers white (Hawthorn, the genus Crataegus). Several species of this genus occur in the state, for the identification of which the Manual must be used. | |
| 42a. Mid-vein glandular above (shrubs 1-3 m. tall; flowers white or pink) (Chokeberry) [— 43.] | |
| 42b. Mid-vein not glandular (shrubs or trees, 1-10 m. tall; flowers white) (Juneberry) [— 44.] | |
| 43a. Leaves glabrous beneath | Chokeberry, Pyrus melanocarpa. |
| 43b. Leaves tomentose beneath | Chokeberry, Pyrus arbutifolia var. atropurpurea. |
| 44a. Petals 15-25 mm. long [— 45.] | |
| 44b. Petals 5-12 mm. long [— 46.] | |
| 45a. Mature leaves glabrous | Juneberry, Amelanchier canadensis. |
| 45b. Mature leaves pubescent beneath | Juneberry, Amelanchier canadensis var. botryapium. |
| 46a. Flowers in racemes [— 47.] | |
| 46b. Flowers solitary, or in small clusters of 2-4 | Juneberry, Amelanchier oligocarpa. |
| 47a. Leaves coarsely dentate, with about 1 tooth for each lateral vein | Juneberry, Amelanchier spicata. |
| 47b. Leaves finely serrate, with about 2-3 teeth for each lateral vein | Juneberry, Amelanchier oblongifolia. |
| 48a. Flowers yellow [— 49.] | |
| 48b. Flowers white, pink, purple, or rose, never yellow [— 63.] | |
| 49a. Plant with basal trifoliate leaves, resembling strawberry (1-3 dm. high; late spring) | Barren Strawberry, Waldsteinia fragarioides. |
| 49b. Plants with leafy stems [— 50.] | |
| 50a. Flowers solitary in the axils of foliage leaves, on long peduncles (trailing or creeping plants; flowers in late spring and summer) [— 51.] | |
| 50b. Flowers in narrow terminal spike-like racemes (3-8 dm. high; summer) (Agrimony) [— 52.] | |
| 50c. Flowers in irregular or spreading clusters [— 55.] | |
| 51a. Leaflets 5 | Five-finger, Potentilla canadensis. |
| 51b. Leaflets 7-25 | Silver Weed, Potentilla anserina. |
| 52a. Principal leaflets more than 3 times (about 3-1/2) as long as wide | Agrimony, Agrimonia parviflora. |
| 52b. Principal leaflets less than 3 times (about 2-1/2) as long as wide [— 53.] | |
| 53a. Leaves nearly glabrous beneath, or with scattered spreading hairs | Agrimony, Agrimonia gryposepala. |
| 53b. Leaves softly pubescent beneath [— 54.] | |
| 54a. Leaves distinctly glandular beneath | Agrimony, Agrimonia striata. |
| 54b. Leaves not glandular beneath | Agrimony, Agrimonia mollis. |
| 55a. Principal leaves palmately compound with 5-7 leaflets (Cinquefoil) [— 56.] | |
| 55b. Principal stem-leaves with 3 leaflets, or pinnately compound with several leaflets [— 58.] | |
| 56a. Leaves silvery-white beneath, laciniately toothed (1-4 dm. high; late spring and summer) | Silvery Cinquefoil, Potentilla argentea. |
| 56b. Leaves not silvery-white beneath (3-10 dm. high; summer) [— 57.] | |
| 57a. Terminal leaflet more than 3 times as long as wide | Cinquefoil, Potentilla recta. |
| 57b. Terminal leaflet less than 3 times as long as wide | Cinquefoil, Potentilla intermedia |
| 58a. Flowers about 4 mm. wide (2-6 dm. high; spring) | Spring Avens, Geum vernum. |
| 58b. Flowers 6 mm. wide, or wider [— 59.] | |
| 59a. Principal leaves with lobed leaflets, of which the terminal is the largest; leaf-axis bearing also some small leaflets between those of usual size (4-12 dm. high; late spring and summer) (Avens) [— 60.] | |
| 59b. Principal leaves with toothed or pinnately cleft leaflets, the lateral ones about equaling the terminal one in size, and without any small scattered leaflets (3-8 dm. tall; summer) (Cinquefoil) [— 61.] | |
| 60a. Terminal leaflet cordate at base | Avens, Geum macrophyllum. |
| 60b. Terminal leaflet wedge-shape or acute at base | Avens, Geum strictum. |
| 61a. Leaflets 3 | Cinquefoil, Potentilla monspeliensis. |
| 61b. Leaflets 5-15 [— 62.] | |
| 62a. Leaflets crenate | Cinquefoil, Potentilla paradoxa. |
| 62b. Leaflets deeply incised | Cinquefoil, Potentilla pennsylvanica. |
| 63a. Leaves all basal, the flowers on leafless stalks [— 64.] | |
| 63b. Stem-leaves present [— 66.] | |
| 64a. Leaves simple (1-2 dm. high; summer) | Dalibarda, Dalibarda repens. |
| 64b. Leaves trifoliate (1-2 dm. high; spring) (Strawberry) [— 65.] | |
| 65a. Leaflets thick and firm, the petioles and pedicels pubescent with spreading or ascending hairs; fruit subglobose, the achenes embedded in pits on its surface | Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana. |
| 65b. Leaflets thin, the petioles and pedicels nearly glabrous or with appressed hairs; fruit conic, the achenes on its surface | Wood Strawberry, Fragaria americana. |
| 66a. Leaves pinnate with numerous leaflets [— 67.] | |
| 66b. Stem-leaves with 3-5 leaflets [— 72.] | |
| 67a. Leaflets laciniate or deeply lobed (flowers pink or purple, early summer) [— 68.] | |
| 67b. Leaflets merely toothed [— 69.] | |
| 68a. Stem-leaves few, small and opposite (2-4 dm. tall) | Purple Avens, Geum triflorum. |
| 68b. Stem-leaves large and alternate (5-20 dm. tall) | Queen of the Prairie, Filipendula rubra. |
| 69a. Individual flowers small, not exceeding 6 mm. across, in large clusters or spikes [— 70.] | |
| 69b. Individual flowers more than 10 mm. wide, in few-flowered clusters (Cinquefoil) [— 71.] | |
| 70a. Flowers in dense spikes (5-15 dm. high; late summer) | Burnet, Sanguisorba canadensis. |
| 70b. Flowers in panicles | Sorbaria, Sorbaria sorbifolia. |
| 71a. Flowers red or purple (3-6 dm. high; summer) | Marsh Cinquefoil, Potentilla palustris. |
| 71b. Flowers white (5-10 dm. high; early summer) | Cinquefoil, Potentilla arguta. |
| 72a. Pistils 5 (5-10 dm. high; flowers white or pink, early summer) [— 73.] | |
| 72b. Pistils 10, in a ring (flowers pink or purple) — 68b. | |
| 72c. Pistils numerous, in a head or close group [— 74.] | |
| 73a. Stipules linear or subulate, 5-8 mm. long | Bowman's Root, Gillenia trifoliata. |
| 73b. Stipules leaf-like, 10-25 mm. long, serrate | American Ipecac, Gillenia stipulata. |
| 74a. Flowers red or purple [— 75.] | |
| 74b. Flowers white [— 76.] | |
| 75a. Leaflets sharply and irregularly toothed or lobed; petals erect, narrowed at the base (3-9 dm. high; early summer) | Purple Avens, Geum rivale. |
| 75b. Leaflets finely and regularly toothed, oblong; petals spreading — 71a. | |
| 76a. Leaflets entire below, 3-toothed at the apex (1-3 dm. high; summer) | Cinquefoil, Potentilla tridentata. |
| 76b. Leaflets toothed all around the margin [— 77.] | |
| 77a. Leaves all trifoliate (2-5 dm. high; late spring) — 17b. | |
| 77b. Some of the upper leaves merely lobed or dentate (5-8 dm. high) (Avens) [— 78.] | |
| 78a. Stem bristly-hairy (early summer) | Avens, Geum virginianum. |
| 78b. Stem softly and finely pubescent (summer) | Avens, Geum canadense. |
LEGUMINOSAE, the Pulse Family
Trees, shrubs, or herbs, with alternate compound (except 3 species with simple) leaves and stipules; flowers usually irregular (except in a few species), with a large upper petal and 4 smaller ones, the 2 lower enclosing the stamens and pistil; stamens almost always 10, and generally united by their filaments; pistil 1, simple, ripening into a pod.
| 1a. Shrubs or trees [— 2.] | |
| 1b. Herbs, twining, but without tendrils [— 9.] | |
| 1c. Herbs; the leaves, or some of them, tipped with tendrils [— 12.] | |
| 1d. Herbs, not climbing or twining; tendrils none [— 21.] | |
| 2a. Leaves simple [— 3.] | |
| 2b. Leaves compound [— 4.] | |
| 3a. Leaves broadly cordate (tall shrub or small tree; flowers pink, early spring) | Redbud, Cercis canadensis. |
| 3b. Leaves lanceolate or elliptical (3-6 dm. high; flowers yellow, summer) | Dyer's Greenweed, Genista tinctoria. |
| 4a. Twigs or branches thorny [— 5.] | |
| 4b. Thorns none [— 7.] | |
| 5a. Thorns branched, scattered on the stem (tall tree; flowers greenish, early summer) | Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos. |
| 5b. Thorns unbranched, a pair of them at the base of each leaf (late spring) [— 6.] | |
| 6a. Branches glabrous or nearly so (tree; flowers white) | Black Locust, Robinia pseudo-acacia. |
| 6b. Branches glandular-pubescent (tall shrub; flowers pinkish) | Clammy Locust, Robinia viscosa. |
| 6c. Branches bristly (shrub. 1-3 m. high; flowers pink) | Bristly Locust, Robinia hispida. |
| 7a. Trees; leaves 2-3-pinnate (flowers greenish-white, spring) | Kentucky Coffee-tree, Gymnocladus dioica. |
| 7b. Low shrubs; leaves once-pinnate (3-6 dm. high; summer) [— 8.] | |
| 8a. Flowers bright-blue, each with a single petal | Lead Plant, Amorpha canescens. |
| 8b. Flowers yellowish and pink-purple, petals 5 — 26a. | |
| 9a. Leaflets 5-7; flowers in racemes (purplish, late summer) | Wild Bean, Apios tuberosa. |
| 9b. Leaflets 3 (flowers greenish, purple, or white, late summer) [— 10.] | |
| 10a. Flowers in small capitate clusters; lower 2 petals strongly incurved | Wild Bean, Strophostyles helvola. |
| 10b. Flowers in racemes (Hog Peanut) [— 11.] | |
| 11a. Stem pubescent or glabrate; leaflets seldom more than 5 cm. long | Hog Peanut, Amphicarpa monoica. |
| 11b. Stem villous with retrorse hairs; leaflets usually longer than 5 cm. | Hog Peanut, Amphicarpa pitcheri. |
| 12a. Style with a tuft of hairs at the apex; lateral petals of the corolla adherent to the lower ones as far as the middle; stipules less than 10 mm. long, and usually less than one-fourth the length of the lower leaflets (spring and summer) (Vetch) [— 13.] | |
| 12b. Style hairy along the inner side; lateral petals of the corolla free from the lower ones or adherent only at the very base; stipules more than 8 mm. long and usually one-third or more the length of the lower leaflets (late spring and summer) [— 17.] | |
| 13a. Flowers axillary, sessile or nearly so (flowers purple) [— 14.] | |
| 13b. Flowers in peduncled racemes [— 15.] | |
| 14a. Upper leaves oblong-obovate, truncate or notched, and mucronate at the apex | Spring Vetch, Vicia sativa. |
| 14b. Upper leaves lance-linear, sharply acute | Common Vetch, Vicia angustifolia. |
| 15a. Flowers 15-20 mm. long, 4-8 in a cluster (flowers purple) | Vetch, Vicia americana. |
| 15b. Flowers 8-12 mm. long [— 16.] | |
| 16a. Racemes one-sided; flowers blue | Vetch, Vicia cracca. |
| 16b. Racemes loosely flowered, not one-sided; flowers whitish, the lower petals tipped with blue | Vetch, Vicia caroliniana. |
| 17a. Flowers yellowish-white | Vetchling, Lathyrus ochroleucus. |
| 17b. Flowers purple [— 18.] | |
| 18a. Stipules nearly regularly halberd-shape, almost as large as the leaflets | Beach Pea, Lathyrus maritimus. |
| 18b. Stipules half-sagittate, apparently attached laterally near the middle [— 19.] | |
| 19a. Leaflets 4-8 pairs, ovate; racemes with 10 or more flowers | Wild Pea, Lathyrus venosus. |
| 19b. Leaflets 2-4 pairs, linear to oblong or elliptical; racemes with 2-9 flowers (Marsh Pea) [— 20.] | |
| 20a. Stems with a membranous wing on the margins | Marsh Pea, Lathyrus palustris. |
| 20b. Stems angled, but not winged | Marsh Pea, Lathyrus palustris var. myrtifolius. |
| 21a. Leaves simple (2-3 dm. high; flowers yellow, summer) | Rattlebox, Crotalaria sagittalis. |
| 21b. Leaves palmately compound; leaflets 7-11 (3-6 dm. high; flowers blue, late spring) | Lupine, Lupinus perennis. |
| 21c. Leaves pinnately compound; leaflets 5 to many [— 22.] | |
| 21d. Leaves compound; leaflets 3 [— 28.] | |
| 22a. Leaflets 5; flowers rose-purple in a spike-like head (5-8 dm. high, late summer) | Prairie Clover, Petalostemum purpureum. |
| 22b. Leaflets more than 5 [— 23.] | |
| 23a. Flowers bright-blue, in a dense spike (3-6 dm. high; summer) — 8a. | |
| 23b. Flowers bright-yellow; stamens not united (summer) [— 24.] | |
| 23c. Flowers white, cream-color, or yellowish, or marked with purple [— 26.] | |
| 24a. Leaflets linear-oblong, 2 cm. long or less; stamens 5 or 10 (3-6 dm. high) (Partridge Pea) [— 25.] | |
| 24b. Leaflets lanceolate-oblong, 2-5 cm. long; 7 stamens with normal anthers and 3 with imperfect anthers (8-15 dm. high) | Wild Senna, Cassia marilandica. |
| 25a. Anthers 10; flowers 2-4 cm. wide | Partridge Pea, Cassia chamaecrista. |
| 25b. Anthers 5; flowers 5-10 mm. wide | Partridge Pea, Cassia nictitans. |
| 26a. Silky-hairy with whitish hairs; flowers marked with purple (3-5 dm. high; summer) | Goat's Rue, Tephrosia virginiana. |
| 26b. Glabrous or nearly so (summer) (Milk Vetch) [— 27.] | |
| 27a. Flowers greenish cream-color (4-10 dm. high) | Milk Vetch, Astragalus canadensis. |
| 27b. Flowers white (3-5 dm. high) | Milk Vetch, Astragalus neglectus. |
| 28a. Flowers in heads, umbels, or short dense spikes [— 29.] | |
| 28b. Flowers in loose racemes or panicles [— 42.] | |
| 29a. Flowers bright-yellow; decumbent or ascending plants (spring and summer) [— 30.] | |
| 29b. Flowers white, cream, purple, or red; never yellow [— 34.] | |
| 30a. Whole flower only about 2 mm. long; pod coiled [— 31.] | |
| 30b. Flowers larger, each one 3-6 mm. long; pod straight (1-4 dm. high) (Hop Clover) [— 32.] | |
| 31a. Flowers numerous in each head | Black Medick, Medicago lupulina. |
| 31b. Flowers in clusters of 2 — 20 | Bur Clover, Medicago hispida. |
| 32a. Stipules linear | Hop Clover, Trifolium agrarium. |
| 32b. Stipules ovate [— 33.] | |
| 33a. Heads densely flowered; flowers 20 or more; upper petal striate when dry | Hop Clover, Trifolium procumbens. |
| 33b. Heads loosely flowered; flowers usually 10 or fewer; upper petal scarcely striate or not at all | Hop Clover, Trifolium dubium. |
| 34a. Leaves palmately compound, the 3 leaflets all from the same point (late spring and summer) (Clover) [— 35.] | |
| 34b. Leaves pinnately compound, the terminal leaflet on a distinct stalk [— 39.] | |
| 35a. Individual flowers sessile, or on very short pedicels [— 36.] | |
| 35b. Individual flowers distinctly pedicelled [— 37.] | |
| 36a. Heads oblong, on distinct peduncles; calyx longer than the corolla (flowers nearly white; 1-4 dm. tall) | Stone Clover, Trifolium arvense. |
| 36b. Heads nearly globose, almost sessile, closely subtended by the leaves; corolla longer than the calyx (2-8 dm. high; flowers red-purple) | Red Clover, Trifolium pratense. |
| 37a. Stems prostrate or creeping; heads long-peduncled, arising from the creeping branches (flower-stalks 1-2 dm. high; flowers white) | White Clover, Trifolium repens. |
| 37b. Some or all of the stems erect; heads arising from the leafy stems (flowers white or pink) [— 38.] | |
| 38a. Plants with long basal runners; flowers 10-13 mm. long (2-3 dm. high) | Buffalo Clover, Trifolium stoloniferum. |
| 38b. Basal runners none; flowers 6-8 mm. long (3-8 dm. high) | Alsike Clover, Trifolium hybridum. |
| 39a. Prostrate; leaflets broadly ovate; flowers 3-10 in a cluster — 10a. | |
| 39b. Erect; leaflets broadest near the middle; flowers numerous (5-12 dm. high; flowers yellowish-white, late summer) (Bush Clover) [— 40.] | |
| 40a. Leaflets less than twice as long as broad | Bush Clover, Lespedeza hirta. |
| 40b. Leaflets more than twice as long as broad [— 41.] | |
| 41a. Leaflets linear, 5 mm. wide or less; heads with obvious peduncles | Bush Clover, Lespedeza angustifolia. |
| 41b. Leaflets narrowly elliptical, the principal ones more than 5 mm. wide; heads sessile or nearly so | Bush Clover, Lespedeza capitata. |
| 42a. Leaflets finely toothed [— 43.] | |
| 42b. Leaflets entire [— 44.] | |
| 43a. Flowers violet or blue (3-6 dm. high; summer) | Alfalfa, Medicago sativa. |
| 43b. Flowers yellow (1-2 m. high; summer) | Yellow Sweet Clover, Melilotus officinalis. |
| 43c. Flowers white (1-3 m. high; summer) | White Sweet Clover, Melilotus alba. |
| 44a. Flowers yellow (5-10 dm. high; summer) | Wild Indigo, Baptisia tinctoria. |
| 44b. Flowers white, the leaflets all from the same point (5-10 dm. high; summer) | Wild Indigo, Baptisia leucantha. |
| 44c. Flowers blue, purple, or pink (rarely white, and then the terminal leaflet stalked) [— 45.] | |
| 45a. Racemes arising from the base of the plant, leafless (4-8 dm. high; summer) | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium nudiflorum. |
| 45b. Racemes terminal or a few of them axillary; leaflets generally more than 3 cm. long; pod (usually to be seen at the base of the raceme) transversely segmented into 2 or more joints (summer) (Tick Trefoil; the genus Desmodium. Pods are usually necessary for satisfactory identification) [— 46.] | |
| 45c. Racemes short, loose, chiefly axillary; leaflets generally less than 3 cm. long; the short ovate or ovoid pod not transversely jointed (5-10 dm. high; flowers in summer) (Bush Clover; the genus Lespedeza. Reference to the Manual is recommended) [— 58.] | |
| 46a. Leaves clustered near the summit of the stem (4-12 dm. high) | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium grandiflorum. |
| 46b. Leaves scattered on the stem [— 47.] | |
| 47a. Plants prostrate; racemes panicled; leaflets nearly circular | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium rotundifolium. |
| 47b. Plants decumbent or ascending; racemes short, simple, few-flowered; stipules ovate (stems 4-8 dm. long) | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium pauciflorum. |
| 47c. Plants erect or ascending; racemes panicled [— 48.] | |
| 48a. Leaflets of an oblong type, broadest at or near the middle, and about 4 times as long as broad (5-10 dm. tall) [— 49.] | |
| 48b. Leaflets of an ovate or lanceolate type, broadest below the middle, and not more than 3 times as long as wide [— 50.] | |
| 49a. Stem pubescent; leaves sessile or nearly so | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium sessilifolium. |
| 49b. Stem glabrous or nearly so; leaves obviously petioled | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium paniculatum. |
| 50a. Stipules lanceolate to ovate, 1 cm. long or more (6-15 dm. high) [— 51.] | |
| 50b. Stipules narrowly lanceolate or subulate, less than 1 cm. long [— 54.] | |
| 51a. Stems glabrous or minutely pubescent; leaves acuminate [— 52.] | |
| 51b. Stems hispid or densely pubescent; leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, obtuse or barely acute [— 53.] | |
| 52a. Leaves glabrous on both sides | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium bracteosum. |
| 52b. Leaves rough above, hairy beneath | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium bracteosum var. longifolium. |
| 53a. Leaflets broadly ovate | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium canescens. |
| 53b. Leaflets ovate-lanceolate | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium illinoense. |
| 54a. Flowers 10-12 mm. long (1-2 m. high) | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium canadense. |
| 54b. Flowers 5-8 mm. long (5-8 dm. tall) [— 55.] | |
| 54c. Flowers 3-4 mm. long (4-8 dm. tall) [— 56.] | |
| 55a. Leaflets broadly ovate | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium viridiflorum. |
| 55b. Leaflets oblong-ovate | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium dillenii. |
| 56a. Leaflets 3-5 cm. long, oblong-ovate, scabrous above | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium rigidum. |
| 56b. Leaflets 1-2.5 cm. long, broadly ovate or oval, not scabrous above [— 57.] | |
| 57a. Stem and leaves glabrous or very nearly so | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium marilandicum. |
| 57b. Stem and leaves conspicuously pubescent | Tick Trefoil, Desmodium obtusum. |
| 58a. Flower-clusters sessile, or on peduncles shorter than the subtending leaves [— 59.] | |
| 58b. Flower-clusters, or many of them, on peduncles longer than the leaves [— 61.] | |
| 59a. Leaves linear-oblong | Bush Clover, Lespedeza virginica. |
| 59b. Leaves ovate or oval [— 60.] | |
| 60a. Leaves and stem velvety or downy | Bush Clover, Lespedeza stuvei. |
| 60b. Leaves and stem glabrous, or with close appressed pubescence | Bush Clover, Lespedeza frutescens. |
| 61a. Leaves ovate or broadly elliptical; corolla conspicuously exceeding the calyx [— 62.] | |
| 61b. Leaves linear-oblong; calyx about as long as the corolla | Bush Clover, Lespedeza manniana. |
| 62a. Stem erect or ascending [— 63.] | |
| 62b. Stem trailing; peduncles much exceeding the leaves | Bush Clover, Lespedeza procumbens. |
| 63a. Villous-pubescent; inflorescence dense; some peduncles shorter than the leaves | Bush Clover, Lespedeza nuttallii. |
| 63b. Slightly pubescent or glabrous; inflorescence loose, on peduncles much longer than the leaves | Bush Clover, Lespedeza violacea. |
LINACEAE, the Flax Family
Herbs with simple leaves, and regular flowers, having 5 sepals, 5 yellow or blue petals, 5 stamens, and 5 styles.
| 1a. Flowers blue (3-6 dm. high; summer) | Flax, Linum usitatissimum. |
| 1b. Flowers yellow (3-8 dm. high; summer) (Wild Flax) [— 2.] | |
| 2a. Middle stem-leaves below the branches opposite | Wild Flax, Linum striatum. |
| 2b. Middle stem-leaves below the branches alternate [— 3.] | |
| 3a. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to linear, 1-4 mm. wide [— 4.] | |
| 3b. Leaves oblanceolate to oblong, 4-6 mm. wide | Wild Flax, Linum virginianum. |
| 4a. Leaves entire | Wild Flax, Linum medium. |
| 4b. Upper leaves glandular-ciliate | Wild Flax, Linum sulcatum. |