1	Fruiting valves free to the base; annual herbs.		(2)
+	Fruiting valves ± united at least at the base; annuals, biennials or perennials.		(4)
2 (1)	Female flowers dimorphic, some with a perianth and fruit with a horizontal seed, some without a perianth and fruit with a vertical seed.		(3)
+	Female flowers monomorphic, without a fruit with a vertical seed.(Fig.11, A-C1).		12 A. dimorphostegia
3 (2)	Leaves with a dense vesicular scaly indumentum on lower side and almost glabrous above, bicolorous.		8 A. aucheri
+	Leaves glabrous or almost so on both sides, concolorous. (Fig.12, G).		7 A. hortensis
4 (1)	Fruiting valves 4-winged; dioecious shrubs. (Fig.9, A-G).		4 A. canescens
+	Fruiting valves not 4-winged; mono-ecious herbs or shrubs.		(5)
5 (4)	Fruiting valves tuberculate.		(6)
+	Fruiting valves not tuberculate		(7)
6 (5)	Upper leaf surface glabrous; petiole on middle cauline leaves 15-20 mm. (Fig.12, A-F).		10 A. schugnanica
+	Upper leaf surface with an indumentum; petiole on middle cauline leaves less than 10 mm. (Fig.10, A-D1)		6 A. tatarica
7 (5)	Shrubs with a sub-orbicular to reniform, ± flat fruit; valves fused only at the base; leaves entire or obsoletely repand-lobed.		(8)
+	Shrubs, perennial or annual herbs with variable fruits; valves clearly fused; leaves entire or clearly serrate.		(10)
8 (7)	Stem short, 10-80 cm; glomerules few to many-flowered; fruiting spikes ± lax; fruit valves 5-10 x 5-2 mm.		(9)
+	Stem long, 2-3 m; glomerules many-flowered forming dense lateral and terminal spikes; fruiting spike ± leafless; dense fruit valves c. 4-5 mm, thick-textured.		11 A. halimus
9 (8)	Fruit valves 5-6 x 4-6 mm; leaves oblong-obovate, attenuate into a 0.5-1.5 mm petiole. (Fig.8, G-I).		2 A. stocksii
+	Fruit valves 7-10 x 10-12 mm; leaves rhomboid to suborbicular, broadly cuneate to subcordate with a 2-10 mm petiole on lower leaves. (Fig.8, G-I)		3 A. griffithii
10 (7)	Annual herbs; leaves not thick, entire to serrate.		(11)
+	Perennial shrub; leaves thick-textured, entire to sinuate dentate. (Fig.8, A-F1)		1 A. leucoclada
11 (10)	Inflorescence with at least some distinct vesicular hairs.		5 A. pamirica
+	Inflorescence without distinct vesicular hairs, glabrescent. (Fig.11, D-F1)		9 A. lasiantha