PRIMULACEAE, the Primrose Family

Herbs, with alternate or opposite simple leaves and regular flowers; petals more or less united; stamens attached one in front of each petal; ovary 1-celled with 1 style.

1a. Leaves all basal; flowers on leafless stalks — 2.
1b. Stem-leaves present — 5.
2a. Flowers nodding, the petals reflexed (3-6 dm. high; flowers showy, white or pink, in spring)
2b. Flowers erect or spreading; petals not reflexed — 3.
3a. Corolla not longer than the calyx; flowers small and inconspicuous (1 dm. high; flowers white or pink, spring)
3b. Corolla conspicuous, much longer than the calyx (flowers pink or purple, summer) (Primrose) — 4.
4a. Leaves white-mealy beneath (1-4 dm. high)
4b. Leaves green beneath (2 dm. high or less)
5a. All the stem-leaves in one whorl just below the flower-cluster — 6.
5b. Stem-leaves several or many, scattered over the stem — 7.
6a. Stem-leaves about 1 cm. long — 3a.
6b. Stem-leaves 5-10 cm. long
7a. Flowers red, blue, or white (summer) — 8.
7b. Flowers yellow (summer) — 9.
8a. Leaves opposite; flowers axillary (stems spreading, 1-4 dm. long; flowers blue or red)
8b. Leaves alternate; flowers racemose (1-4 dm. high; flowers minute, white)
9a. Stem creeping
9b. Stem erect (Loosestrife) — 10.
10a. Flowers in dense spike-like racemes (3-8 dm. high)
10b. Flowers axillary or racemose (3-9 dm. high) — 11.
11a. Corolla dotted or streaked with purple or brown; leaves punctate with dark spots — 12.
11b. Corolla plain yellow; leaves not dark-dotted — 14.
12a. Flowers in racemes — 13.
12b. Flowers all axillary
13a. Flowers all in racemes; leaves opposite or some of them alternate
13b. The lowest flowers axillary; leaves opposite or whorled
14a. Leaves ovate, on slender ciliate petioles
14b. Leaves lanceolate, sessile or short-petioled, pinnately veined
14c. Leaves linear, with one mid-vein


OLEACEAE, the Olive Family

Trees or shrubs, with opposite leaves and regular flowers; sepals 4, or calyx none; petals 4, united, or none; stamens usually 2; ovary 2-celled, superior.

1a. Leaves simple (shrub 2-5 m. high; flowers blue or white, in showy clusters in spring)
1b. Leaves compound (trees; flowers greenish, inconspicuous, in spring) (Ash) — 2.
2a. Lateral leaflets sessile
2b. Lateral leaflets stalked — 3.
3a. Twigs sharply 4-angled
3b. Twigs not distinctly angled — 4.
4a. Leaves pubescent beneath
4b. Leaves glabrous beneath — 5.
5a. Leaves pale-green beneath, obscurely serrulate
5b. Leaves bright-green beneath, sharply serrulate


GENTIANACEAE, the Gentian Family

Herbs, with opposite or basal, entire, usually simple leaves and regular flowers; sepals, petals, and stamens equal in number, 4-12; ovary superior, 1-celled.

1a. Leaves reduced to small scales (1-4 dm. high; flowers small, greenish-yellow, in summer)
1b. Leaves rounded, floating (flowers white, summer)
1c. Leaves compound (2-4 dm. high; flowers white or bluish, early summer)
1d. Leaves simple, whorled (1-2 m. high; flowers yellowish-white, summer)
1e. Leaves simple, opposite — 2.
2a. Corolla rotate, with spreading lobes, 2-4 cm. broad, pink (5-8 dm. high; summer)
2b. Corolla bell-shape, each petal with a spur at the base, purplish or white, and not over 1 cm. long (1-4 dm. high; summer)
2c. Corolla bell-shape, tubular, funnel-form, or salver-form, not spurred — 3.
3a. Corolla-lobes fringed (flowers bright-blue) (Fringed Gentian) — 4.
3b. Corolla-lobes entire — 5.
4a. Leaves lanceolate (2-8 dm. high; autumn)
4b. Leaves linear (1-4 dm. high; late summer)
5a. Corolla 2 cm. long or a little less — 6.
5b. Corolla 2.5-5 cm. long (late summer and autumn) (Gentian) — 7.
6a. Upper leaves linear or narrowly lanceolate (2-4 dm. high; flowers pink-purple, late summer)
6b. Upper leaves ovate, with several principal veins (1-5 dm. high; flowers blue, late summer and autumn)
7a. Calyx-lobes rough or ciliate at the margin (flowers blue, or rarely white) — 8.
7b. Calyx-lobes smooth (2-8 dm. high) — 10.
8a. Corolla-lobes spreading; leaves narrowly lanceolate, indistinctly veined (2-5 dm. high)
8b. Corolla-lobes erect or incurved; leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate, with 3-7 principal veins (3-6 dm. high) — 9.
9a. Calyx-lobes equaling or exceeding the calyx-tube
9b. Calyx-lobes shorter than the calyx-tube
10a. Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, somewhat cordate at base (flowers greenish-white or yellowish-white)
10b. Leaves narrowly lanceolate or nearly linear, not cordate (flowers blue)


APOCYNACEAE, the Dogbane Family

Herbs, with opposite simple entire leaves and regular flowers; sepals, petals, and stamens each 5; petals united; stamens attached to the corolla; ovaries 2, with a single style or stigma.

1a. Plant creeping or trailing; flowers blue, axillary, 2-3 cm. broad (spring)
1b. Plant erect or essentially so; flowers 1 cm. broad or less (4-12 dm. high) — 2.
2a. Corolla pinkish, about 8 mm. long by 6-8 mm. broad (early summer)
2b. Corolla white or greenish, about 6 mm. long by 4 mm. broad (summer) — 3.
3a. Leaves petioled, acute at the base
3b. Leaves sessile, rounded or truncate at the base


ASCLEPIADACEAE, the Milkweed Family

Herbs, with simple entire leaves and regular flowers; juice usually milky; except in the first species, which is a twining vine. The flowers have an unusual structure: calyx of 5 sepals; petals 5, united with each other, and spreading or reflexed so that they conceal the calyx; stamens 5, united with each other and with the stigma to form a complex organ in the center of the flower; ovaries 2; on the back of each stamen is a colored projecting hood, which is frequently the most conspicuous part of the flower, and may be mistaken for the corolla.

1a. Twining vine, with dark purple flowers (summer)
1b. Stems not twining — 2.
2a. Leaves whorled (3-6 dm. high; summer) (Milkweed) — 3.
2b. Leaves opposite or alternate — 4.
3a. Leaves in whorls of 4, lanceolate (flowers pink)
3b. Leaves in whorls of 4-7, linear (flowers greenish-white)
4a. Umbel sessile (4-8 dm. high; flowers green, summer)
4b. Umbel peduncled — 5.
5a. Leaves linear or narrowly linear-lanceolate (4-8 dm. high; flowers greenish-white, summer)
5b. Leaves lanceolate or broader (flowers in summer) — 6.
6a. Leaves pubescent beneath — 7.
6b. Leaves glabrous or nearly so — 10.
7a. Flowers brilliant orange (3-6 dm. high)
7b. Flowers red or purple — 8.
8a. Reflexed lobes of corolla merely purple-tinged (1-2 m. high)
8b. Reflexed lobes of corolla bright-red or purple — 9.
9a. The erect hoods of each flower about 5 mm. long (7-12 dm. high)
9b. The erect hoods of each flower about 3 mm. long (6-10 dm. high)
10a. Leaves broadly rounded and almost sessile at base (flowers purplish) — 11.
10b. Leaves narrowed at the base, distinctly petioled (8-15 dm. high) — 12.
11a. Umbel solitary, terminal and erect on a long peduncle (4-8 dm. high)
11b. Umbels terminal or lateral, bent toward one side (7-12 dm. high)
12a. Corolla (not hoods) red (1-2 m. high)
12b. Corolla (not hoods) greenish (8-15 dm. high)


CONVOLVULACEAE, the Morning Glory Family

Twining or trailing herbs (except one species), with regular flowers; sepals 5; corolla 5-angled or 5-lobed; stamens 5, attached to the corolla; ovary superior, 2-3-celled.

1a. Plants with green foliage and conspicuous flowers (summer) — 2.
1b. Leafless brown or yellow plants, with very small flowers (Dodder) — 7.
2a. Style divided at the top into linear or oblong stigmas (flowers white or pink) (Bindweed) — 3.
2b. Style not divided at the top; stigmas sessile, capitate (Morning Glory) — 6.
3a. Stem erect; leaves rounded or somewhat cordate at base, not hastate or sagittate (1-3 dm. high)
3b. Stem trailing or twining; leaves sagittate or hastate — 4.
4a. Calyx almost concealed by two large heart-shape bracts — 5.
4b. Bracts at base of calyx none
5a. Leaves triangular-hastate, with sharp basal lobes
5b. Leaves oblong-ovate, the basal lobes obtuse
6a. Stem smooth or nearly so; ovary 2-celled (flowers white)
6b. Stem with reflexed hairs; ovary 3-celled (flowers of various colors)
7a. Introduced weed, growing as a parasite on clover
7b. Native species, on various shrubs and herbs — 8.
8a. Flowers sessile — 9.
8b. Flowers distinctly pedicelled — 12.
9a. Sepals united below into a gamosepalous calyx — 10.
9b. Sepals separate from each other — 11.
10a. Calyx-lobes obtuse
10b. Calyx-lobes acute
11a. Flowers in dense rope-like twists on various species of herbs
11b. Flowers in dense clusters on various species of shrubs
12a. Tips of the petals inflexed
12b. Tips of the petals erect or spreading — 13.
13a. Capsule depressed at the summit
13b. Capsule pointed at the summit


POLEMONIACEAE, the Polemonium Family

Herbs with alternate or opposite leaves and conspicuous regular flowers; sepals 5, united; petals 5, united and bearing the 5 stamens in the corolla-tube; ovary superior, 3-celled.

1a. Leaves pinnately compound and alternate (2-4 dm. high; flowers blue, in spring)
1b. Leaves fascicled, narrowly linear (about 1 dm. high; flowers pink-purple, in spring)
1c. Leaves simple, strictly opposite — 2.
2a. Corolla-lobes deeply 2-cleft to the middle (1-2 dm. high; flowers pink, in spring)
2b. Corolla-lobes entire and rounded, or somewhat notched at the apex — 3.
3a. Flowers in summer (8-15 dm. high; flowers purple)
3b. Flowers in spring (3-6 dm. high) — 4.
4a. Corolla blue-purple; stems ascending
4b. Corolla pink or red-purple; stems erect


HYDROPHYLLACEAE, the Water-leaf Family

Herbs with alternate lobed or divided leaves and regular flowers; sepals 5; petals 5, united; stamens 5, attached to the corolla-tube and projecting beyond it; ovary 1-celled.

1a. Leaves palmately veined and lobed (4-8 dm. high; flowers purple, early summer)
1b. Leaves pinnately veined and lobed (2-6 dm. high; flowers blue or purple, varying to white) — 2.
2a. Corolla-lobes much shorter than the corolla-tube (summer)
2b. Corolla-lobes much longer than the corolla-tube (late spring and summer) (Water-leaf) — 3.
3a. Calyx with a small reflexed appendage between each pair of sepals
3b. Calyx without appendages


BORAGINACEAE, the Borage Family

Herbs with alternate entire leaves; sepals 5; petals 5, united, corolla generally regular; stamens 5, attached to the corolla-tube; ovary deeply 4-lobed with a single style.

1a. Corolla reddish-purple, about 8 mm. wide (4-10 dm. high; spring)
1b. Corolla blue with a yellow center, 4-8 mm. wide (1-5 dm. high; spring and early summer) (Forget-me-not) — 13.
1c. Corolla deep orange, salver-form (2-6 dm. high; spring) (Puccoon) — 15.
1d. Corolla white or blue, or lightly tinged with yellow or red — 2.
2a. Corolla rotate, with a very short tube, bright-blue, about 20 mm. broad (3-8 dm. high; summer)
2b. Corolla tubular, funnel-form, or salver-form — 3.
3a. Corolla 10 mm. long or more; its tube distinctly longer than the calyx — 4.
3b. Corolla less than 10 mm. long; its tube equaling or shorter than the calyx — 8.
4a. Flowers yellowish-white, or somewhat tinged with pink or greenish — 5.
4b. Flowers blue or purple — 6.
5a. Corolla-lobes erect; leaves sessile (3-8 dm. high; early summer)
5b. Corolla-lobes spreading; leaves decurrent (6-10 dm. high; summer)
6a. Stem and leaves glabrous (3-6 dm. high; spring)
6b. Stem and leaves pubescent (4-8 dm. high) — 7.
7a. Corolla regular; leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate (summer)
7b. Corolla irregular; leaves linear-oblong (summer)
8a. Ovary and fruit covered with hooked prickles — 9.
8b. Ovary and fruit not prickly — 12.
9a. Principal leaves 2.5 cm. wide or more — 10.
9b. Principal leaves 2 cm. wide or less (3-8 dm. high; flowers blue or white, summer) (Stickseed) — 11.
10a. Leaves chiefly basal, the racemes on long leafless peduncles (4-8 dm. high; flowers pale blue, early summer)
10b. Stems leafy (8-12 dm. high; flowers white, summer)
11a. A bract at the base of each flower
11b. Racemes without bracts at the base of each flower
12a. Racemes bractless, or bracted only at the base (1-4 dm. high) — 14.
12b. Raceme with a bract at the base of each flower (flowers white or yellowish) — 17.
13a. Corolla 4 mm. wide
13b. Corolla 6-8 mm. wide
14a. Calyx-lobes all of equal length (summer)
14b. Calyx-lobes distinctly unequal in length (spring)
15a. Corolla-lobes denticulate
15b. Corolla-lobes entire — 16.
16a. Flowers sessile; stem softly pubescent
16b. Flowers on pedicels 2-5 mm. long; stem hispid or bristly
17a. Corolla white; fruit brown and wrinkled (weed 2-4 dm. high; spring and summer)
17b. Corolla yellowish-white; fruit white and smooth (5-10 dm. high) — 18.
18a. Corolla distinctly surpassing the calyx in length (spring and summer)
18b. Corolla equaling or shorter than the calyx (spring)


LABIATAE, the Mint Family

Herbs with opposite leaves, square stems, and usually aromatic odor; flowers irregular, with united petals, or almost regular; stamens 2 or 4, attached to the tube of the corolla; ovary deeply 4-lobed, with a single style.

1a. Stamens 2 — 2.
1b. Stamens 4 — 15.
2a. Corolla regular or nearly so; flowers white, in dense axillary clusters; plants usually of wet grounds (2-8 dm. high; summer and autumn) — 3.
2b. Corolla distinctly irregular and more or less 2-lipped — 7.
3a. Calyx-teeth short, triangular, acute or obtuse (Bugle Weed) — 4.
3b. Calyx-teeth narrow, acuminate or cuspidate (Water Hoarhound) — 5.
4a. Stems and stolons bearing tubers
4b. Stems and stolons not bearing tubers
5a. Leaves serrate; calyx-teeth sharp-pointed — 6.
5b. Leaves coarsely incised; calyx-teeth awn-tipped
6a. Corolla twice as long as the calyx; leaves narrowed at the base
6b. Corolla barely longer than the calyx; leaves sessile or nearly so
7a. Corolla blue, 3-4 mm. long; flowers in loose axillary clusters (1-4 dm. high; summer) (Pennyroyal) — 8.
7b. Corolla 8-40 mm. long — 9.
8a. Leaves serrate
8b. Leaves linear, entire
9a. Lower lobe of the corolla fringed, very much longer than the upper (5-15 dm. high; corolla pale-yellow; late summer)
9b. Lower lobe of the corolla nearly or quite as long as the upper and not fringed — 10.
10a. Calyx narrowly tubular; its teeth about equal in size (5-10 dm. high; flowers in dense terminal heads, in summer) — 11.
10b. Calyx campanulate, 2 of its teeth different in size from the other 3 (4-8 dm. high; flowers pink-purple, in terminal clusters in summer) — 14.
11a. Corolla scarlet
11b. Corolla bright crimson or rose-red
11c. Corolla white, pink, pale-purple, or yellowish — 12.
12a. Flower-clusters all terminal — 13.
12b. Flower-clusters both terminal and axillary
13a. Leaves and stem with soft spreading pubescence
13b. Leaves and stem grayish with fine appressed pubescence
14a. Upper calyx-teeth about 3 times as long as the lower
14b. Upper calyx-teeth but little longer than the lower
15a. Calyx with a distinct protuberance on the back of the upper side (Skullcap) — 16.
15b. Calyx without a distinct protuberance — 20.
16a. Corolla 5-8 mm. long; flowers in axillary racemes (3-8 dm. high; flowers blue, in summer)
16b. Corolla 6-10 mm. long; flowers axillary, solitary (1-3 dm. high; flowers violet, early summer)
16c. Corolla 12-30 mm. long; flowers axillary or in terminal racemes (4-8 dm. high; flowers blue, summer) — 17.
17a. Stem-leaves cordate
17b. Stem-leaves not distinctly cordate — 18.
18a. Stem-leaves sessile or nearly so; plant of swamps and river-banks
18b. Stem-leaves with petioles 1 cm. or more long; plants of dry or moist woods — 19.
19a. Stem glandular-pubescent toward the summit; corolla 16 mm. long or less
19b. Stem not glandular; corolla 20 mm. long
20a. Calyx-teeth 5, all equal or nearly so at the time of flowering — 28.
20b. Calyx-teeth 5, one of them different in size and shape from the other four (2-6 dm. high; flowers light blue, summer)
20c. Calyx-teeth 5, two of them different in size and shape from the other three — 21.
20d. Calyx-teeth 10, subulate (woolly plant 4-10 dm. high, with whitish flowers in axillary clusters in summer)
21a. Corolla deeply split on the upper side and the stamens protruding; upper lip of the calyx much shorter than the lower (5-10 dm. high; flowers pink-purple, in terminal spikes, summer) (Wood Sage) — 22.  
21b. Corolla not deeply split on the upper side — 23.
22a. Calyx canescent
22b. Calyx villous
23a. Flowers in dense terminal head-like spikes, none axillary (1-5 dm. high; flowers pink-purple or blue, in summer)
23b. Some or all of the flowers in axillary clusters — 24.
24a. Leaves linear, entire (1-4 dm. high; flowers purple, summer) — 25.
24b. Leaves oblong to ovate (summer) — 26.
25a. Pedicels shorter than the calyx
25b. Pedicels much longer than the calyx
26a. Leaves 1 cm. long or less, entire (stems growing in mats, 1-3 dm. long; flowers purple, in summer)
26b. Leaves dentate (flowers purple, summer) — 27.
27a. Flowers subtended by bracts as long as the calyx (2-5 dm. high)
27b. Flowers with minute bracts or none (1-3 dm. high)
28a. Corolla 2-lipped or nearly regular, the upper lip flattened, not conspicuously arched over the stamens — 29.
28b. Corolla conspicuously 2-lipped, the stamens ascending under the concave upper lip — 42.
29a. Flowers in dense terminal spikes; corolla 2-lipped (8-15 dm. high; summer) — 30.
29b. Flowers peduncled, 1-4 in the axils of linear leaves — 25b.
29c. Flowers in many-flowered whorls, which are axillary or terminal, or aggregated into terminal spikes or racemes — 31.
30a. Corolla yellowish
30b. Corolla purplish
31a. Corolla distinctly irregular, the lower lip longer than the upper — 32.
31b. Corolla almost regular, the lobes nearly uniform in size — 35.
32a. Stem-leaves sessile or very nearly so (flowers blue) — 33.
32b. Stem-leaves long-petioled — 34.
33a. Leaves linear-oblong, acute at both ends (3-8 dm. high; summer)
33b. Leaves oblong to ovate, rounded at the ends (2-4 dm. high; late spring)
34a. Leaves ovate to oblong, acute; flowers pink, white, or pale purple (6-15 dm. high; summer)
34b. Leaves nearly circular or kidney-shape; flowers blue (creeping; flowers in spring and summer)
35a. Flowers in terminal spikes, or the lower axillary (3-8 dm. high; flowers pink-purple or white, summer) (Mint) — 36.
35b. Flowers all in axillary whorls (flowers pink-purple or white, summer) (Mint) — 38.
35c. Flowers in terminal capitate corymbed clusters (4-8 dm. high; flowers white or dotted with purple, summer) (Mountain Mint) — 41.
36a. Leaves sessile or with very short petiole
36b. Leaves with manifest petioles — 37.
37a. Principal leaves less than half as broad as long
37b. Principal leaves more than half as broad as long
38a. Stem glabrous; leaves ovate to obovate (4-8 dm. high)
38b. Stem pubescent, at least on the angles (1-6 dm. high) — 39.
39a. Principal leaves distinctly petioled and somewhat rounded at base
39b. Leaves tapering to the base — 40.
40a. Leaves and stem pubescent
40b. Leaves glabrous; stem pubescent on the angles only
41a. Leaves linear; calyx-teeth awl-shape
41b. Leaves narrowly lanceolate; calyx-teeth triangular-ovate
42a. Stems decumbent to diffuse; leaves cordate to nearly circular (stems 2-5 dm. long or high; flowers in spring and summer) (Dead Nettle) — 43.
42b. Stem erect; leaves palmately cleft; calyx-teeth spiny (6-15 dm. tall; flowers pink, in summer)
42c. Stems erect or ascending; leaves ovate-lanceolate to linear (summer) — 45.
43a. Upper leaves closely sessile (flowers red-purple)
43b. Leaves all petioled — 44.
44a. Flowers red or purple
44b. Flowers white
45a. Flowers 2-2.5 cm. long, in loose terminal spikes (5-10 dm. tall; flowers rose-color)
45b. Flowers 1-2 cm. long, in axillary and terminal spiked whorls — 46.
46a. Calyx-teeth spiny pointed (flowers pink or pale-purple) (Hemp Nettle) — 47.
46b. Calyx-teeth acute to awl-shape, but not spiny (3-10 dm. high; flowers pale-purple) (Hedge Nettle) — 48.
47a. Leaves ovate (3-8 dm. high)
47b. Leaves linear to lanceolate (1-4 dm. high)
48a. Leaves glabrous — 49.
48b. Leaves distinctly pubescent — 50.
49a. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, serrate
49b. Leaves linear-oblong, entire or nearly so
50a. Stem pubescent on the angles alone; leaves petioled
50b. Stem pubescent on both sides and angles; leaves nearly sessile — 51.
51a. Leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate, more than 1 cm. wide
51b. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 1 cm. wide or less