16 FAMILY KEY 



GROUP 8 Shrubs with alternate simple deciduous leaves 

 and without spines or prickles on the branches 



A. Leaves pinnately or palmately 3-g-parted or -divided; leaf segments subulate or 

 linear, sharp-pointed, 8-20 mm. long. POLEMONIACEAE (p. 183) 



AA. Leaves not as above in all points. 



B. Staminate and sometimes also the pistillate flowers in aments. 

 C. Ovary superior; pistillate flowers also in aments; flowers monoecious or dioe- 

 cious. 



D. Calyx none; bracts thin in fruit; seed not winged. 



E. Bracts scaly; fruit a i-seeded nutlet, wax-coated or drupelike; seed not 

 hairy; winter buds with many scales. MYRICACEAE (p. 73) 



EE. Bracts herbaceous; fruit a many-seeded capsule, neither wax-coated 

 nor drupelike; seed hairy; winter buds with only i scale. 



SALICACEAE (p. 70) 

 DD. Calyx present; bracts thick hi fruit; seed a winged nutlet. 



BETULACEAE (p. 73) 

 CC. Ovary inferior; pistillate flowers few or solitary, not in aments; flowers 



monoecious. 



F. Nut in a spineless and either foliaceous or tubular involucre; anther cells 

 separate; leaves velvety to the touch. Corylus in BETULACEAE (p. 73) 



FF. Nut either in a spiny or in a cuplike involucre; anthers 2-celled; leaves 

 not velvety to the touch. FAGACEAE (p. 75) 



BB. Flowers in heads. COMPOSITACEAE (p. 218) 



BBB. Flowers neither in aments nor in heads, though sometimes in dense spikes. 

 G. Leaves palmately veined or 3-veined from the base. 

 H. Leaves more or less lobed. 



I. Pistils more than i; fruit either dry or else an aggregate composed of 

 the ripened ovaries. ROSACEAE (p. 125) 



n. Pistil only i ; fruit a berry composed of the single ripened ovary. 



GROSSULARIACEAE (p. 124) 

 HH. Leaves not at all lobed. 



J. Leaves somewhat falcate, very unequal at base, sharply serrate, acute or 



acuminate. ULMACEAE (p. 76) 



JJ. Leaves not falcate, equal at base, often with margin and apex not as 



above. RHAMNACEAE (p. 149) 



GG. Leaves i -veined, or pinnately veined with only i chief vein from the base. 



K. Petals none; leaves entire. 



L. Stipules present; plant not mealy; sepals petal-like or scarious or scale- 

 like. POLYGONACEAE (p 79) 

 LL. Stipules none; young parts of the plant often mealy; sepals herbaceous. 



CHENOPODIACEAE (p. 83) 

 KK. Petals present; leaves entire or not. 

 M. Ovary superior. 

 N. Petals distinct to base. 



O. Stamens many, 25 or more; pistils often more than i. 

 P. Fruit i or more dry pods or akenes. ROSACEAE (p. 125) 



PP. Fruit 1-5 fleshy drupes. AMYGDALACEAE (p. 134) 



