Flora of North America species comparison

branching, ribbed.

leafy or naked, erect, spreading, or decumbent, simple or branching.

to 35 cm;

petiole 2-10 cm;

blade deeply 5-9-lobed;

margins irregularly dentate or crenate, rarely laciniate.

basal and/or cauline, alternate to opposite or whorled, simple, without stipules, petiolate or sessile;

blade unlobed or with 1-3 odd-pinnate, subpalmate, or palmate orders of lobes.

peduncle 2-10 cm.

axillary or terminal, unifloral or else multifloral and cymiform, racemose, umbelliform, corybiform, or paniculate, pedunculate or subsessile;

bracts usually present.

pedicels 5-35 mm;

sepals to 1 cm;

petals bright yellow, obovate to oblong, to 2 cm wide;

style ca. 1 mm.

radially symmetric, pedicellate or sessile;

receptacle sometimes expanded and forming cup or ring beneath calyx (only in Eschscholzia, Meconella, and Platystemon);

perianth and androecium sometimes perigynous;

sepals caducous, 2 or 3, distinct or connate, usually obovate;

petals distinct, usually obovate, mostly 2 times number of sepals, sometimes more or absent;

stamens many or 4-15 (only in Meconella and Canbya);

anthers 2-locular;

pistil 1, 2-18[-22]-carpellate;

ovary 1-2-locular or incompletely to completely multilocular by placental intrusion;

placentas 2 or more, parietal;

style 1 or absent;

stigmas or stigma lobes 2-many.

capsular, dehiscence valvate, poricidal, or transverse, or carpels dissociating and breaking transversely into 1-seeded segments (only in Platystemon).

linear to narrowly oblong, 2-5 cm, glabrous.

black, reticulate-pitted.

usually many, small, sometimes arillate or carunculate.