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 1-2-ternately compound, 1-2-pinnately compound, or deeply divided;

leaflets ovate or triangular, lobed or parted, margins sharply serrate to denticulate.

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

scapose, 1-4-flowered cymes, to 3 cm (9 cm in fruit);

bracts absent.

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 and staminate (all bisexual in C. trifoliata), radially symmetric;

sepals not persistent in fruit, 5-7, green to white, plane, linear-lanceolate, oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic, occasionally clawed, 4.2-11 mm;

petals 5-7, distinct, green, plane or concave distally, either clavate with adaxial nectary at apex or linear with adaxial nectary near base, clawed, 2-7 mm;

stamens 10-60;

filaments filiform;

staminodes absent between stamens and pistils;

pistils 4-15, simple;

ovules 4-10 per pistil;

style present.

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

follicles, aggregate, stipitate, forming umbel-like clusters, oblong to ellipsoid, sides not veined;

beak present or absent, terminal, straight or apically hooked, 0-4 mm.

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

endosperm abundant;

embryo usually small.

dark brown to tan, ellipsoid, shiny, often appearing wrinkled.

=9.