Flora of North America species comparison

unarmed.

blade undivided or more commonly divided or compound, base cordate, sometimes truncate or cuneate, margins entire, toothed, or incised;

venation pinnate or palmate.

blade 1-3-ternately compound;

leaflets ovate-lanceolate to broadly obovate or orbiculate, 2-5-lobed, lobe margins toothed or shallow to deeply incised.

terminal or axillary, racemes, cymes, umbels, panicles, or spikes, or flowers solitary, flowers pedicellate or sessile.

terminal, many-flowered panicles of racemelike branches [spikes in Asian spp.], 7-60 cm;

bracts 1 or 3, alternate, subtending pedicel (pedicels bracteolate in C. americana), not forming involucre.

bisexual, sometimes unisexual, inconspicuous or showy, radially or bilaterally symmetric;

sepaloid bracteoles absent;

perianth hypogynous;

sepals usually imbricate, 3-6(-20), distinct, often petaloid and colored, occasionally spurred;

petals 0-26, distinct (connate in Consolida), plane, cup-shaped, funnel-shaped, or spurred, conspicuous or greatly reduced;

nectary usually present, rarely absent;

stamens 5-many, distinct;

anthers dehiscing longitudinally;

staminodes absent (except in Aquilegia and Clematis);

pistils 1-many;

styles present or absent, often persistent in fruit as beak.

bisexual [unisexual], radially symmetric;

sepals not persistent in fruit, (2-)4-5(-6), greenish white or cream to greenish yellow, sometimes pinkish or tinged with red, plane or ± concave, ovate to obovate, 3-6 mm;

petals 0-8, distinct, white or yellowish, plane, apex 2-cleft [entire], sometimes clawed, 3-6 mm; nectariferous area sometimes present;

stamens 20-110;

filaments filiform [flattened];

staminodes absent between stamens and pistils;

pistils 1-8, simple;

ovules 4-15 per pistil;

style present.

achenes, follicles, or rarely utricles, capsules, or berries, often aggregated into globose to cylindric heads.

follicles, usually aggregate, sessile or stipitate, ovoid to obovoid, weakly to strongly compressed, sides not prominently veined;

beak terminal, straight or hooked at tip, 0.5-2.5 mm.

1-many per ovary, never stalked, not arillate;

endosperm abundant;

embryo usually small.

pale brown to reddish or purplish brown, angled or laterally compressed, hemispheric, lenticular, or cylindric, smooth, slightly ridged, verrucose, or densely scaly.

= 8.