| 1. Stems hairy or stalked-glandular |
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| 2. Involucre of pistillate heads < 6 mm; pistillate flowers < 18, corollas < 2.8 mm; fruit pappus < 6.5 mm; involucre of staminate heads < 5.2 mm; stems finely glandular-puberulent; leaves 0.73 mm wide, entire; Desert, San Bernardino Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains |
| B. brachyphylla |
| 2' Involucre of pistillate heads > 6 mm; pistillate flowers > 20, corolla > 3.5 mm; fruit pappus > 7 mm; involucre of staminate heads > 5 mm; stems with fine curled hairs or stalked glands; leaves 112 mm wide, entire to toothed; Central Coast, Outer South Coast Ranges, South Coast, Western Transverse Ranges, n Channel Islands |
| B. plummerae |
| 3. Stems with stalked glands; leaves 13 mm wide, ± linear, principal vein generally 1(3), entire to toothed |
| subsp. glabrata |
| 3' Stems with fine curled hairs; leaves 412 mm wide, oblanceolate, principal veins 3, margin toothed |
| subsp. plummerae |
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| 4. Perennial or subshrub; leaf entire or finely toothed; fruits ± glandular and hairy at tip; pistillate flowers 80150 per head |
| B. douglasii |
| 4' Shrub (stems definitely woody); leaf entire or coarsely toothed; fruits generally glabrous; pistillate flowers generally < 50 per head |
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| 5. Fruit ribs 5; pistillate flowers > 50 per head; leaves lanceolate, largest generally > 5 cm, persistent at flowering |
| B. salicifolia |
| 5' Fruit ribs 810; pistillate flowers < 43 per head; leaf shape various, < 5 cm or not lanceolate, persistent or deciduous at flowering |
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| 6. Plants without many erect branches; bracts not << stem leaves; leaves coarsely toothed, generally persistent at flowering, principal veins 3 |
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| 7. Bracts generally linear, entire; leaves light green; involucre of pistillate heads 68 mm; fruit pappus 812 mm |
| B. emoryi |
| 7' Bracts obovate, sometimes toothed; leaves dark green; involucre of pistillate heads 3.55 mm; fruit pappus 5.59 mm |
| B. pilularis |
| 6' Plants with many erect branches; bracts generally << stem leaves; leaves generally entire, generally 0 at flowering, principal vein 1 |
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| 8. Larger leaves widely oblanceolate or wider; lateral heads sessile; receptacles conic to convex, generally with chaff; pistillate involucres < 4.5 mm; staminate involucres < 4 mm; staminate corollas < 3.3 mm, pappus < 3 mm; fruit < 1.5 mm, pappus generally < 3 mm |
| B. sergiloides |
| 8' Larger leaves linear to narrowly oblanceolate; lateral heads generally pedicelled; receptacles concave to convex, chaff 0; pistillate involucres > 5.3 mm; staminate involucres > 4 mm; staminate corollas > 4 mm, pappus > 3 mm; fruit > 2 mm, pappus > 4 mm |
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| 9. Pistillate involucres cylindric to bell-shaped, base glabrous; phyllaries lanceolate to ovate, tip acute to rounded, glabrous; widespread Peninsular Ranges, Desert |
| B. sarothroides |
| 9' Pistillate involucres funnel-shaped, base glandular-puberulent; phyllaries narrowly tapered, generally puberulent; s South Coast |
| B. vanessae
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