1	Plants annual		(2)
+	Plants perennial or biennial		(3)
2 (1)	Leaves cordate-reniform to suborbicular, distinctly petioled. Hairs simple. Calyx stellate in fruit. Plants of the lowlands, pot ascending to more than 1800 m		1 Androsace umbellata
+	Leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate, petiole indistinct. Hairs simple and furcate, calyx not stellate in fruit. Plants of high dry areas from 3000-5400 m		24 Androsace septentrionalis
3 (1)	Plants biennial. Leaves spathulate, 15-44 mm long, cartilaginous, margin ciliolate, pale yellowish-white (at least in the dry state). Hairs occasionally proliferate		4 Androsace aizoon
+	Plants perennial. Leaves if as above, smaller (5-15 mm) and margin not pale yellowish-white. Hairs simple		(4)
4 (3)	Leaves with a petiole 2-2½ times the lamina length; lamina reniform-cordate to orbicular-cordate		(5)
+	Leaves with petiole not exceeding the lamina length. Lamina lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate or elliptic-ovate, more or less spathulate or suboricular		(6)
5 (4)	Lamina 4.5-12.5 x 7-20 mm, membranous, margin sharply toothed. Pedicel length 6-8 mm, calyx length 3-5 mm		3 Androsace thomsonii
+	Lamina (6-) 12.4-26 x 20-42 mm, margin crenate-dentate. Pedicel length 5-40 mm, calyx length 5-12 mm		2 Androsace rotundifolia
6 (4)	Flowers yellow		7 Androsace flavescens
+	Flowers white to pink, pink-mauve or lilac		(7)
7 (6)	Leaves glabrous to sparse pubescent. Margin setose-ciliate		(8)
+	Leaves pubescent to villous. Margin not strongly setose-ciliate		(12)
8 (7)	Leaves farinose. Scape 14-34 cm long, sometimes less. Seeds 2-8 per capsule		(9)
+	Leaves efarinose. Scape up to 7 cm long. Seeds 1-2 per capsule		(11)
9 (8)	Leaves densely imbricate, columnar on the caudices, cartilaginous, 2.5-14 x 0.5-4.0 mm, margin ciliate only at the base. Estoloniferous		23 Androsace harrissii
+	Leaves in loose to dense rosettes, not artilaginous, 15-57 x 3-5.5 mm, margin ciliate or setose-ciliate. Stoloniferous		(10)
10 (9)	Leaves elliptic, 8-20 mm long. Scape 2.5-11.5 cm long, 3-8-flowered. Bracts 3-9.5 mm long		19 Androsace himalaica
+	Leaves linear-lanceolate, 12-57 mm long. Scape 7.5-28 cm long, 10-22-flowered. Bracts 6-11 mm long		20 Androsace hazarica
11 (8)	Stolons slender, 1 per node and up to 20 mm long. Leaves 3-8 x 1.5-3 mm. Scape slender, 2-12(-18) mm long, (1-) 2-6-flowered		21 Androsace mucronifolia
+	Stolons ± stout, 3-6 per node and (1-) 30-80 mm long. Leaves 5-15 x 3-6.5 mm. Scape ± stout, 12-68 mm long, 4-15-flowered		22 Androsace sempervivoides
12 (7)	Corolla exannulate or with a feebly developed annulus. Seeds from 1-6 per capsule		(13)
+	Corolla annulate, often prominently so. Seeds 1-2 per capsule		(16)
13 (12)	Stolons c. 1 mm thick. Leaves isomorphic, in rosettes 7-15 (-17) mm broad. Scape slender, 20-80 mm long, (2-) 4-10-flowered. Pedicel 2½-3 times the length of the bract		9 Androsace duthieana
+	Stolons 1.5-3 mm thick. Leaves dimorphic, rosettes (if present) 5-30 mm broad. Scape stout, (2-) 4.5-22.5 cm long, 15-55 -flowered. Pedicel usually 1½-2 times the length of the bract		(14)
14 (13)	Stolons leafy. Leaves dense appressed silky villous		8 Androsace lanuginosa
+	Stolons naked. Leaves villous, rarely silky-villous		(15)
15 (14)	Stolons 2-3 mm thick. Leaves ± loosely arranged, inner ones elliptic-cuneate or elliptic-ovate, 2-11.5 x 1.1-3.4 cm. Scape 5.5-22.5 cm long, (7-) 20-55-flowered		5 Androsace foliosa
+	Stolons 1.5 mm thick. Leaves ± compactly arranged, inner ones elliptic-lanceolate, 2-6.8 x 0.4-1.2 cm. Scape 4.5-15 cm long, 15-22-flowered		6 Androsace studiosorum
16 (12)	Apex and upper half (lower surface) of leaf strigose, the hairs from 0.18-0.50 mm long, 2-3-septate		18 Androsace akbaitalensis
+	Leaf surface sparse to densely pubescent-villous, especially on the lower surface; the hairs 0.25-1.9 mm long, 3-5-septate, rarely less		(17)
17 (16)	Plants very compact, the leaf caudices 11-25 mm long, and appressed close together. Scape obsolete, 1-flowered		17 Androsace russellii
+	Plants usually of a loose and dichotomous habit, the leaf caudices exceeding 25 mm in length. Leaves in ± loose to subglobose rosettes at intervals of up to 15 mm apart. Scape usually well developed, 1-12-flowered		(18)
18 (17)	Leaf rosettes 3-6 mm broad, globose. Leaves ± incurved, 2.1-4.5 x 1.1-1.5 mm. Scape up to 8 mm long, 1-2-flowered		16 Androsace muscoidea
+	Leaf rosettes loose or if globose then 4-14 mm broad. Leaves not incurved, 3-11 x 1-2.8 mm. Scape (5-) 7-90 mm long, 3-12-flowered		(19)
19 (18)	Plants robust. Leaves densely appressed villous, cinerascent green or silky white		(20)
+	Plants of a ± slender habit. Leaves sub-glabrous to pubescent-villous, but not densely so		(21)
20 (19)	Rhizome woody, c. 4.5 mm thick. Scape up to 10 mm long. Seed with a prominent hilum scar		11 Androsace villosissima
+	Rhizome and seed not as above. Scape 40-95 mm		10 Androsace robusta
21 (19)	Leaves in subglobose rosettes, sparsely hairy on the upper surface, contrasting with the densely white-villous inflorescence		15 Androsace staintonii
+	Leaves in loose rosettes, villous or sparsely so, but not contrasting with the inflorescence		(22)
22 (21)	Plants usually villous. Indument of white to pale rusty hairs. Scape 1-3-flowered. Leaves faintly carinate, obtusish		14 Androsace baltistanica
+	Plants sparsely villous. Indument of white hairs only. Scape 3-9-flowered. Leaves carinate, acute		(23)
23 (22)	Compact plants. Tips of leaves, calyx and bracts purplish tinged. Calyx lobes obtuse. Corolla lobes retuse		12 Androsace ojhorensis
+	Loose slender plants. Tips of leaves, scape and bracts not purplish tinged. Calyx lobes subacute. Corolla lobes entire to wavy		13 Androsace lowariensis