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Interactive Key for Families of Chinese Angiosperms Search

Interactive Key for Families of Chinese Angiosperms (by Xiangying Wen)

Character List

1: Habit [Unordered List]

1. tree (140 taxa)

2. shrub (174 taxa)

3. herb (159 taxa)

4. liana (44 taxa)

5. vine (20 taxa)

2: Important diagnostics [Unordered List]

1. aquatic plants (23 taxa)

2. chlorophyll absent (4 taxa)

3. scale-like leaves (13 taxa)

4. with milky juice (17 taxa)

5. spiny stems or leaves (20 taxa)

6. tendrils present (11 taxa)

7. cladodes (1 taxon)

8. phyllodes (2 taxa)

9. cystoliths present (2 taxa)

10. resiniferous (6 taxa)

11. aromatic oil (6 taxa)

12. with gynostemium (4 taxa)

13. with rostellum (1 taxon)

14. succulent (7 taxa)

15. with pappus (1 taxon)

16. spathaceous (1 taxon)

17. with cataphyll (1 taxon)

3: Hairs [Unordered List]

1. glandular (6 taxa)

2. stellate (13 taxa)

3. tufted, non-glandular

4. 2-armed or T-shaped, non-glandular

5. branched (2 taxa)

6. peltate or scale-like (3 taxa)

7. vesicular

8. stinging (1 taxon)

5: Leaf: position [Unordered List]

1. opposite (124 taxa)

2. alternate (180 taxa)

3. distichous (17 taxa)

4. ensiform (3 taxa)

5. verticillate/whorled (52 taxa)

6. basal (38 taxa)

7. cauline (13 taxa)

8. spiral (20 taxa)

9. tufted (7 taxa)

10. tristichous (1 taxon)

11. rosette (7 taxa)

6: Leaf: nature [Unordered List]

1. simple (151 taxa)

2. compound (21 taxa)

3. pinnately compound (35 taxa)

4. ternately compound (3 leaflets) (12 taxa)

5. palmately compound (15 taxa)

6. digitately compound (1 taxon)

7. rudimentary (2 taxa)

8. leaf base glandular (1 taxon)

7: Leaf: venation [Unordered List]

1. pinnate (36 taxa)

2. parallel (7 taxa)

3. longitudinal, incl. 3-veined leaves (7 taxa)

4. palmate (18 taxa)

8: Leaf: blade: margin [Unordered List]

1. entire (108 taxa)

2. lobed, cleft, parted or divided (54 taxa)

3. dentate (54 taxa)

4. doubly serrate (2 taxa)

9: Leaf: surface characters [Unordered List]

1. papillose

10: Leaf: other characters [Unordered List]

1. with pellucid or glandular dots or lines (15 taxa)

2. with ligule (2 taxa)

3. with leaf sheath (12 taxa)

4. fleshy (2 taxa)

11: Leaf: stipules [Unordered List]

1. absent (119 taxa)

2. present (55 taxa)

3. stem-clasping (1 taxon)

5. with stipular sheath (3 taxa)

12: Flowers: inflorescence [Unordered List]

1. solitary (105 taxa)

2. raceme (122 taxa)

3. spike (70 taxa)

4. corymb (21 taxa)

5. umbel (33 taxa)

6. fascicle (44 taxa)

7. head (46 taxa)

8. cyme (85 taxa)

9. panicle (98 taxa)

10. spadix (4 taxa)

11. catkin (7 taxa)

12. ligulate (1 taxon)

13. tubular (1 taxon)

14. thyrse (6 taxa)

15. cauline (1 taxon)

13: Flowers: sexuality [Unordered List]

1. bisexual (217 taxa)

2. unisexual (125 taxa)

3. polygamous (32 taxa)

4. neutral (1 taxon)

14: Flowers: symmetry [Unordered List]

1. actinomorphic (150 taxa)

2. zygomorphic (65 taxa)

3.

16: Flowers: disc [Unordered List]

1. absent (6 taxa)

2. present (50 taxa)

17: Flowers: perianth number [Unordered List]

1. 0 (28 taxa)

2. 1 (5 taxa)

3. 2 (8 taxa)

4. 3 (15 taxa)

5. 4 (26 taxa)

6. 5 (18 taxa)

7. 6 (32 taxa)

8. 7 (10 taxa)

9. 8 (10 taxa)

10. 9+ (7 taxa)

18: Flowers: perianth nature [Unordered List]

1. perianth of similar segments (12 taxa)

2. perianth of calyx and corolla (4 taxa)

3. scaly (1 taxon)

4. setaceous (1 taxon)

19: Flowers: sepal number/calyx lobes [Unordered List]

1. 0 (16 taxa)

2. 1 (2 taxa)

3. 2 (23 taxa)

4. 3 (54 taxa)

5. 4 (97 taxa)

6. 5 (134 taxa)

7. 6 (38 taxa)

8. 7+ (23 taxa)

20: Flowers: sepal position [Unordered List]

1. all free from one another (34 taxa)

2. connate or basally connate (34 taxa)

21: Flowers: sepal/calyx nature [Unordered List]

1. imbricate (37 taxa)

2. valvate (16 taxa)

3. tubular (16 taxa)

4. campanulate (12 taxa)

5. spurred (3 taxa)

6. cupular (4 taxa)

7. glandular (3 taxa)

8. truncate (1 taxon)

22: Flowers: petal number/corolla lobes [Unordered List]

1. 0 (59 taxa)

2. 1 (3 taxa)

3. 2 (12 taxa)

4. 3 (41 taxa)

5. 4 (87 taxa)

6. 5 (129 taxa)

7. 6 (38 taxa)

8. 7 (23 taxa)

9. 8+ (17 taxa)

23: Flowers: petal position [Unordered List]

1. all free from one another (32 taxa)

2. connate or basally connate (56 taxa)

24: Flowers: petal nature [Unordered List]

1. contorted (8 taxa)

2. valvate (15 taxa)

3. imbricate (38 taxa)

4. spurred (6 taxa)

5. unguiculate (1 taxon)

6. nectar-bearing (1 taxon)

7. with appendage (1 taxon)

25: Flowers: corona [Unordered List]

1. present (9 taxa)

2. absent

26: Stamen: number [Unordered List]

1. 1 (26 taxa)

2. 2 (39 taxa)

3. 3 (58 taxa)

4. 4 (103 taxa)

5. 5 (117 taxa)

6. 6 (97 taxa)

7. 7 (63 taxa)

8. 8 (77 taxa)

9. 9 (65 taxa)

10. 10+ (90 taxa)

27: Stamen: arrangement [Unordered List]

1. antepetalous (29 taxa)

2. alternate or antesepalous (18 taxa)

3. monadelphous (1 taxon)

4. didynamous (6 taxa)

5. tetradynamous (1 taxon)

6. same number as petals or sepals (41 taxa)

7. twice or more number as petals or sepals (15 taxa)

28: Stamen: anthers [Unordered List]

1. dorsifixed (13 taxa)

2. basifixed (17 taxa)

3. introrse (14 taxa)

4. extrorse (9 taxa)

5. opening by longitudinal slits (64 taxa)

6. opening by apical pores (17 taxa)

7. opening by valves (5 taxa)

8. 1-celled at anthesis (7 taxa)

9. 2-celled (48 taxa)

10. 3-celled (3 taxa)

11. 4+ -celled (6 taxa)

12. gynobasic (1 taxon)

29: Stamen: filaments [Unordered List]

1. free from the corolla (2 taxa)

2. inserted on the corolla (30 taxa)

3. free (66 taxa)

4. connate into 1 tube or bundle (50 taxa)

5. connate into separate bundles (10 taxa)

30: Stamen: other characters [Unordered List]

1. anthers with a conspicuous or inconspicuous appendage (6 taxa)

2. pollen coherent into pollinia (2 taxa)

3. staminodia present (40 taxa)

4. filament base with scale(s) or gland(s) (2 taxa)

5. filament hairy (1 taxon)

31: Pistil: gynophore [Unordered List]

1. present

2. absent

32: Pistil: style [Unordered List]

1. absent (17 taxa)

2. styles more than 1 (47 taxa)

3. style 1, or styles more or less connate (74 taxa)

4. style gynobasic (1 taxon)

33: Pistil: carpel [Unordered List]

1. 1 (26 taxa)

2. 2 (44 taxa)

3. 3 (39 taxa)

4. 4 (38 taxa)

5. 5 (36 taxa)

6. 6+ (34 taxa)

34: Pistil: ovary [Unordered List]

1. 1-loculed (138 taxa)

2. 2-loculed (103 taxa)

3. 3-loculed (113 taxa)

4. 4-loculed (81 taxa)

5. 5-loculed (64 taxa)

6. 6-loculed (31 taxa)

7. 7+ loculed (23 taxa)

35: Pistil: ovule [Unordered List]

1. 1 per locule (129 taxa)

2. 2 per locule (127 taxa)

3. 3 per locule (87 taxa)

4. 4+ per locule (93 taxa)

5. 0 (1 taxon)

36: Pistil: pistil [Unordered List]

1. carpels free from each other (33 taxa)

2. ovules parietal placentation (50 taxa)

3. ovules axillary placentation (41 taxa)

4. ovules attached to the central axis (29 taxa)

5. ovules attached to the apex of the ovary (19 taxa)

6. ovules attached to the base of the ovary (22 taxa)

7. connate or basally connate (8 taxa)

37: Fruit: types and characters [Unordered List]

1. a capsule (incl. pod, follicle, etc.) (149 taxa)

2. a nut (incl. achene, caryopsis, schizocarp, pyrene, etc.) (63 taxa)

3. fleshy (berry, drupe, pome) (141 taxa)

4. winged/samara (25 taxa)

5. spiny (5 taxa)

6. utricle (4 taxa)

7. aggregate fruit (1 taxon)

8. ribbed (3 taxa)

38: Fruit: seed [Unordered List]

1. 1 seed (43 taxa)

2. 2 seeds (20 taxa)

3. 3 seeds (16 taxa)

4. 4+ seeds (24 taxa)

5. winged (23 taxa)

6. filiform velvety (1 taxon)

7. angular (1 taxon)

8. with coma (1 taxon)

39: Seed: aril [Unordered List]

1. present (16 taxa)

2. absent (2 taxa)

40: Seed: embryo [Unordered List]

1. straight (32 taxa)

2. curved (16 taxa)

41: Seed: cotyledons [Unordered List]

1. folded or crumpled (3 taxa)

2. flat (3 taxa)

42: Seed: endosperm [Unordered List]

1. seeds without endosperm (42 taxa)

2. seeds with endosperm (76 taxa)

3.

43: Taxon group [Unordered List]

1. monocots (48 taxa)

2. dicots (213 taxa)

44: Flower: bract [Unordered List]

1. absent (9 taxa)

2. present (62 taxa)

45: Flower: bractlet [Unordered List]

1. absent (7 taxa)

2. present (35 taxa)

46: Ovary: position [Unordered List]

1. superior (148 taxa)

2. half-inferior (29 taxa)

3. inferior (75 taxa)

47: Dictionary of The Families & Genera of Chinese Seed Plants (http://db.kib.ac.cn/kesudic/main.asp?selectID=) [Basic URL]
48: Root [Unordered List]

1. adventitious

2. aerial (2 taxa)

3. buttressed (1 taxon)

4. prop root (1 taxon)

5. taproot (2 taxa)

6. tuberoid (3 taxa)

7. tubercule (2 taxa)

49: Stem [Unordered List]

1. bulbous (5 taxa)

2. nodose (6 taxa)

3. rhizome (32 taxa)

4. stolonous (4 taxa)

5. tuberous (7 taxa)

6. quadrangular (3 taxa)

7. corm (5 taxa)

8. triangular (1 taxon)

9. winged (1 taxon)

10. climbing/twining (7 taxa)

11. prostrate (2 taxa)

50: Corolla [Unordered List]

1. tubular (14 taxa)

2. rotate (6 taxa)

3. campanulate (12 taxa)

4. funnelform (8 taxa)

5. labiate (11 taxa)

6. terete (3 taxa)

7. salverform (6 taxa)

8. urceolate (5 taxa)

51: Flower: pedicel [Unordered List]

1. absent (7 taxa)

2. present (4 taxa)

52: Ovary [Unordered List]

1. sessile (7 taxa)

2. stipitate (6 taxa)

53: Stigma [Unordered List]

1. indehiscent (3 taxa)

2. 2-cleft (20 taxa)

3. 3-cleft (15 taxa)

4. 4+ -cleft (9 taxa)

5. discoid (3 taxa)

54: Vascular Plant Type Catalog at NYBG (http://www.nybg.org/bsci/hcol/vasc/) [Basic URL]
55: Plant [Unordered List]

1. monoecious (33 taxa)

2. dioecious (53 taxa)

3. polygamodioecious (6 taxa)

4. gynomonoecious

5. gynodioecious (1 taxon)

56: Google Image Search (http://images.google.com/images?q=) [Basic URL]

Groups

1: General
2: Leaves
3: Flowers
4: Stamen
5: Pistil
6: Fruit/Seed
7: Links

References:

Flora of China Website
Gray, A. 1868. How Plants Grow-A Simple Introduction to Structural Botany. New York: Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor, & CO. (Image Source).
Green, F.H & Congdon,J.W. 1856. Class Book of Botany. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 346 & 348 Broadway. London: 16 Little Britain (Image Source).
Hansen, B. & K. Rahn. 1969. Determination of angiosperm families by means of a punched card system. Dansk Botanisk Arkiv 26.

How Foon-Chew. 1982. A Dictionary of the Families and Genera of Chinese Seed Plants (2nd Ed).

Institute of Botany of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS). 1979. Claves Familiarum GenerumqueCormophytorum Sinicorum. Science Press, Beijing.

Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 5, May 2004.

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