| | 1. Flowers showy; petals, sepals, pedicels blue, pink, or white |
| CEANOTHUS |
| | 1' Flowers inconspicuous; petals, if any, green or white; sepals and pedicels green or gray |
| |
| |
| | 3. Hypanthium not splitting with capsule; local, South Coast, Peninsular Ranges |
| ADOLPHIA (no key) |
| | 3' Hypanthium splitting with capsule; uncommon, Desert |
| COLUBRINA (no key) |
| |
| | 4. Fruit of 2–4 separate stones; widespread |
| RHAMNUS |
| | 4' Fruit of 1 stone; Sonoran Desert, e Peninsular Ranges |
| |
| | 5. Petals 0; hypanthium below and not surrounding ovary |
| CONDALIA (no key) |
| | 5' Petals 5; hypanthium surrounding base of ovary |
| ZIZIPHUS
|