Jepson eFlora



Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) . Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ [accessed on ]



Key to groups

Family key to Group 9



Group 9: Trees, shrubs, or woody vines; only pistillate flowers present; staminate or bisexual flowers unavailable for examination

1. Plant parasitic on stem of woody host plant ..... VISCACEAE {G6,7,8,11,12,14}

1' Plant free-living, rooted in ground

2. Trunk unbranched, generally stout, often covered with persistent woody  bases; leaves 4–7 m, pinnately compound ..... ARECACEAE (Phoenix) {G7,10}

2' Trunk(s) generally branched, slender to stout, generally not covered with persistent  bases; leaves generally much smaller,  or compound

3. Leaves stiff and sword-like, 0.6–2 m, base much expanded, white, fleshyinflorescence a large  ..... RUSCACEAE (Nolina) {G6,7,8,16}

3' Leaves not sword-like, mostly smaller, base not much expanded, white, and fleshyinflorescences various

4. Leaves  or 

5. Leaves compound

6. Leaves leaflets 3 ..... SAPINDACEAE (Acer glabrum) {G20}

6' Leaves leaflets often > 3

7. Woody vinesepals generally 4, conspicuous, petal-like; pistils many; styles elongated and  in fruit ..... RANUNCULACEAE (Clematis) {G7}

7' Tree or large shrubsepals generally 5 or number difficult to determine, very small; pistil 1; styles never 

8. Stigmas short, on slender styleovary not winged in flower; fruit a 1-winged , not splitting ..... OLEACEAE (Fraxinus) {G7,12,16}

8' Stigmas , ± ovary with 2 short wings in flower; fruit generally splitting into winged mericarps ..... SAPINDACEAE (Acer negundo) {G7}

5' Leaves 

9. Margins of leaves toothed ..... PICRODENDRACEAE (3) {G7,12}

9' Margins of leaves 

10. Weak-stemmed shrub

11. Perianth parts in 3s, freeovary superior, unlobed, smooth; NCo ..... ERICACEAE (Empetrum) (2) {G7,12,16}

11' Perianth parts in 4s, fusedovary inferior, ± bilobed, smooth to covered with short bristles; widespread ..... RUBIACEAE (Galium) {G6,7,8,12}

10' Stouter shrub or tree

12. Stems and leaves covered with silvery scales ..... ELAEAGNACEAE (Shepherdia) {G7,12}

12' Stems and leaves glabrous or variously hairy

13. Petals fused proximally

14. Leaves glossy ..... RUBIACEAE ([Coprosma]) {G7}

14' Leaves densely hairy ..... SCROPHULARIACEAE (Buddleja) {G7,19}

13' Petals free or 0

15. Flowers in pendent  ..... GARRYACEAE {G7,11}

15' Flowers not in 

16. Stems green, jointed; leaves thin, dry, scarious, scale-like, often early-deciduous — structures appearing to be flowers actually ovulate cones of a gymnosperm ..... EPHEDRACEAE {G4,7}

16' Stems gray or brown or only young stems green, not jointed; leaves thin or thick, green, not dry and scarious, not scale-like, persistent or deciduous

17. Leaves thick, leathery, evergreen; flowers solitary; sepals well developed ..... SIMMONDSIACEAE {G7,12}

17' Leaves thin, deciduous; flowers in  clusters or short-peduncled racemessepals very small

18. Flowers subsessile, solitary or few in axilsstyles 3–4; ovary 3–4-lobed; fruitcapsule ..... PICRODENDRACEAE (3) {G7,12}

18' Flowers pedicelled, in  clusters; style 1; ovary unlobed; fruitdrupe ..... OLEACEAE (Forestiera) {G7,12}

4' Leaves  (leaf often tendril or an inflorescence in Vitaceae)

19. Tendrils present; plant a vineinflorescence an  or fruitberry

20. Inflorescence an  ..... SMILACACEAE {G6,7,8,16}

20' Inflorescence ..... VITACEAE (Vitis) {G7,12,23}

19' Tendrils 0; plant a shrub or tree, rarely a vineinflorescencefruit various

21. Flowers in  or catkin-like spikes

22. Leaves compound

23. Leaves 1–2-pinnate, leaflets fruit a long, flat ±  legume ..... FABACEAE (Gleditsia) {G7}

23' Leaves 1-pinnate, leaflets fruit a small 2-winged nut ..... JUGLANDACEAE ([Pterocarya])

22' Leaves 

24. Shrubs of ± saline desert habitatsleaves ± thick and fleshy or very narrow and densely hairy; spikes  or very short and  ..... CHENOPODIACEAE (3) {G6,7,8,11,15}

24' Shrubs or trees, generally of moister habitatsleaves thin and wide; spikes or   or pendent

25. Stipules 0

26. Leaves blades ± gray, , not resin-dotted; flowers enclosed by a pair of bractletsfruit an  or , enclosed between and falling together with papery or hardened bractlets ..... CHENOPODIACEAE (3) {G6,7,8,11,15}

26' Leaves petioled; blades green,  or , resin-dotted; flowers subtended by 2–4 bractletsfruit, wax-coated drupefree of subtending bractlets, or an  enclosed by and falling together with a pair of spongy bractlets ..... MYRICACEAE {G7,11}

25' Stipules present, evident at least on new growth, sometimes deciduous but leaving evident 

27. Styles or stigmas repeatedly branched into >> 4 fine, thread-like divisions; ovary 3-lobed, maturing as a capsulestems brittle; shrub ..... EUPHORBIACEAE (Acalypha) {G7,11}

27' Stylesstyle branches, or stigmas 2–4, generally not further divided; ovary generally unlobed, the fruits various, including stems mostly not brittle; shrub or tree

28. Catkins very dense at time of flower; only stigmas  beyond tips of tightly  bractlets; at maturity either  ± cone-like with ovaries ripening as winged achenes or bractlets expanding into 1 or more tubular involucres, each surrounding a nut ..... BETULACEAE {G11}

28' Catkins looser at time of flower; bractlets, if present, not tightly , the ovaries or calyces generally visible on close inspection; at maturity either  becoming a ± open cluster of  or a fleshy multiple fruit

29. Ovary tightly enwrapped by 4  sepals bractlets 0; sepals fleshy at maturity, together with ovaries maturing as a multiple fruit ..... MORACEAE (Morus)

29' Ovary not enclosed by sepalscalyx 0 or represented by an  or slightly lobed rim; flowers subtended by bractlets, these sometimes deciduousovary ripening as a capsule containing several–many hair-tufted seeds ..... SALICACEAE {G7,11}

21' Flowers not in  or spikes — ovules never produced in cone-like catkins

30. Leaves and stems generally with many straight, weak, slender prickles ..... ROSACEAE (Rubus ursinus) {G7}

30' Leaves and stems without many straight, weak prickles (rarely with stout prickles), sometimes stems thorny or leaves spiny-margined

31. Leaves palmately lobed

32. Inflorescence an  terminal shrubsbark not flaking in large plates; leaves glabrous ..... EUPHORBIACEAE (Ricinus) {G7,12}

32' Inflorescence , generally drooping, of 1–7 spheric heads along an axistreesbark flaking from trunks in large plates; leaves  to  at base, densely  when young ..... PLATANACEAE {G7,10,12}

31' Leaves not palmately lobed

33. Stems and leaves stellate-hairy

34. Ovary clearly superior, 2–4-lobed; fruitcapsule 0; (sub)shrub with  leaves or desert shrub with  leaves ..... EUPHORBIACEAE {G7,15}

34' Ovary inferior but sepals very small and often concealed by bractlets of fruit either an ovoid nut, subtended by a cup-like involucre, or a triangular nut, surrounded in groups of 1–3 by a bur-like involucre; shrub or tree with leaves , toothed, or pinnately lobed but not  ..... FAGACEAE {G7,11}

33' Stems and leaves glabrous or hairy but not 

35. Leaves compound

36. Petals 0; ovary inferior — fruitnut with a ±  husk ..... JUGLANDACEAE {G7,11}

36' Petals present; ovary or ovaries superior

37. Leaflets with a few gland-tipped teeth near base; ovaries 5–6, joined only at stylefruit a cluster of winged achenes ..... SIMAROUBACEAE (Ailanthus) {G7,10,20}

37' Leaflets  or teeth not gland-tipped; ovary 1; fruit of 1 drupecapsule, or winged 

38. Leaves strongly aromatic, dotted with minute, translucent glandsfruit a winged  ..... RUTACEAE (Ptelea) {G20}

38' Leaves aromatic or not, not dotted with translucent glandsfruitdrupe or capsule

39. Leaflets 3–20, lance-linear to , 10–130 mm; fruitdrupe ..... ANACARDIACEAE (2) {G7,20,23}

39' Leaflets 7–33, linear-oblong or narrowly , 2–10 mm; fruit drupe-like when young, capsule-like in age ..... BURSERACEAE {G7,20}

35' Leaves 

40. Corolla 0; perianth parts 0 or in 1 series

41. Inflorescencedensespheric styles long, fruits and knobby-tipped, fleshy sepals ripening as a large multiple fruit ..... MORACEAE (Maclura) {G7}

41' Inflorescence not a spheric styles not long, fruits and sepals not forming multiple fruit

42. Flowers subtended or surrounded at base by an  of tiny scale-like bractletsfruit an ovoid nut, subtended by a cup-like involucre; ovary inferior ..... FAGACEAE (Quercus)

42' Flowers without an fruit an capsule, or drupeovary inferior or superior

43. Calyx 0; flowers or fruits each enclosed by a pair of tightly  bracts ..... CHENOPODIACEAE (3) {G6,7,8,11,15}

43' Calyx present; flowers or fruits not enclosed by a pair of tightly  bracts

44. Leaves strongly aromatic ..... LAURACEAE ([Laurus]) {G7}

44' Leaves not aromatic

45. Leaves fleshy, ± calyx fused to ovary, winged in fruit ..... SARCOBATACEAE {G7,11}

45' Leaves not fleshy to round, flat; calyx free from ovary, not winged in fruit

46. Sepals freefruitcapsule ..... PICRODENDRACEAE (3) {G7,12}

46' Sepals fusedfruitdrupe ..... RHAMNACEAE (Rhamnus) (2) {G7}

40' Corolla present; perianth parts in 2 series

47. Shrub with thorny green stemsleaves early deciduous, scale-like to narrowly  ..... SIMAROUBACEAE (Castela) {G7,10,23}

47' Treeshrub, or woody vine, generally not thorny; leaves generally present, sometimes deciduous in winter or dry season

48. Flower parts in 3s ..... ERICACEAE (Empetrum) (2) {G7,12,16}

48' Flower parts generally in 4s or 5s

49. Flowers in involucred heads, these generally in open to dense clusters; ovary 1 per flower, inferiorcalyx modified as a white to ± brown pappus ..... ASTERACEAE {G6,7,8,12,14,17}

49' Flowers not in headsovaries 1–5, superiorcalyx green, not modified

50. Hypanthium present

51. Ovary 1; petals <= 1 mm, ± yellow; inflorescence an   ..... RHAMNACEAE (Rhamnus) (2) {G7}

51' Ovaries generally 5; petals 3–6 mm, white; inflorescence ..... ROSACEAE (Oemleria) {G7}

50' Hypanthium 0

52. Flower parts in 4s

53. Petals ± freestaminodes 0; style 1 ..... AQUIFOLIACEAE {G7,23}

53' Petals strongly fusedstaminodes generally 8; styles 4 ..... EBENACEAE {G7,19}

52' Flower parts generally in 5s

54. Petals 1–5 mm; fruitdrupe ..... ANACARDIACEAE (2) {G7,20,23}

54' Petals 10–15 mm; fruitcapsule — seeds sticky ..... PITTOSPORACEAE {G23}