Key to Cleomella

View taxon page for Cleomella

(For a list of species in Cleomella, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Shrub; fruit a capsule, inflated; petals 4–5 mm wide ..... C. arborea

2. Fruit 

fusiform 

Elongate, widest at the middle, tapered to both ends.

..... var. angustata

2' Fruit obovoid or spheric

3. Fruit obovoid ..... var. arborea

3' Fruit spheric ..... var. globosa

1' Annual, short-lived 

perennial 

Completing life cycle (germination through death) in more than two years or growing seasons, generally non-woody (at least above ground) to woody; includes perennial herbs as well as subshrubs to trees; the abbreviation 'per' only refers to perennial herb, not to the word 'perennial' alone.

 herb; fruit a capsule, not or ± inflated, or 2 nutlets; petals < 4 mm wide

4. Flowers in 

axillary 

Pertaining to or within an axil, especially a leaf axil.

 heads; style in fruit stout, spine-like; fruit 2 nutlets ..... C. oxystyloides

4' Flowers in ± terminal racemes or 1 in 

leaf 

Organ arising from a stem, generally composed of a stalk (petiole) and a flat, expanded, green, photosynthetic area (blade); distinguished from a leaflet by the presence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; sometimes with lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (toothed, lobed, or dissected but not divided into leaflets) or compound (divided into leaflets).

 axils; style in fruit stout or not but not spine-like; fruit 2 nutlets or a capsule

5. Fruit 2 nutlets, each 1(3)-seeded; septum 1 mm wide

6. Plant short-lived perennial herb; leaflets 3 below, 1 (leaf simple) above, linear-elliptic, 3–8 × longer than wide; sepals 

ovate 

Egg-shaped (i.e., widest below the middle) in two dimensions (i.e., in one plane), as a leaf.

, < 1.75 × longer than wide ..... C. palmeri

6' Plant annual; leaflets 3, ovate to obovate, 2–3 × longer than wide; sepals 

lanceolate 

Narrowly elongate, widest in the basal half, often tapered to an acute tip.

, > 1.75 × longer than wide

7. Leaflet 2 × longer than wide; anthers 1.6–2.1 mm; SnJV ..... C. californica

7' Leaflet 2–3 × longer than wide; anthers 0.9–1.2 mm; s DMoj, n DSon ..... C. refracta

5' Fruit a capsule, 2–many-seeded; septum 1–25 mm wide

8. Fruit 2–6 mm, often wider than long; septum 

elliptic 

In the shape of a flattened circle or ellipse; wider than linear

to round

9. Receptacle in fruit 0.3–3 mm; petals < 3 mm

10. Flowers 1 in leaf axils; receptacle 

reflexed 

Abruptly bent or curved downward or backward.

in fruit ..... C. brevipes

10' Flowers in racemes, sometimes also 1 in leaf axils; receptacle 

spreading 

Oriented more or less perpendicularly to the axis of attachment; often, more or less horizontal.

to 

ascending 

Curving or angling upward from base, or about 30-60 degrees less than vertical or away from axis of attachment.

in fruit ..... C. parviflora

9' Receptacle in fruit 6–15 mm; petals 3.5–9 mm

11. Plant hairy; older stems 

prostrate 

Lying flat on the ground.

..... C. obtusifolia

11' Plant glabrous; older stems ascending to 

erect 

Upright; vertically oriented.

12. Branches 0 or generally from lower 

nodes 

Position on a stem from which one or more structures (especially leaves, buds, branches, or flowers) arise.

; leaflets elliptic to ovate ..... C. hillmanii var. hillmanii

12' Branches generally from upper nodes; leaflets linear-elliptic ..... C. plocasperma

8' Fruit generally 12–55 mm, longer than wide; septum 

linear 

Elongate, with nearly parallel sides; narrower than elliptic or oblong.

to 

oblong 

Longer than wide, with nearly parallel sides; wider than linear.

13. Inflorescence open, few-flowered; receptacle in fruit 2–5 mm; anthers 3–6 mm ..... C. sparsifolia

13' Inflorescence dense, many-flowered; receptacle in fruit 5–18 mm; anthers 1.8–2.6 mm

14. Plant densely glandular-hairy; fruit oblong, ± flat; sepals awl-shaped, generally 4–6 mm ..... C. platycarpa

14' Plant glabrous or ± so; fruit ± linear, not ± flat; sepals ovate to lanceolate, generally 1.6–3 mm

15. Leaflets generally 3; petals purple (white) ..... C. serrulata

15' Leaflets generally 5; petals golden or pale yellow

16. Fruit 40–60 mm; receptacle in fruit 15–25 mm; petals golden yellow, 10–13 mm; stamens 20–30 mm; plant 5–10(20) dm ..... C. jonesii

16' Fruit 15–40 mm; receptacle in fruit 5–17 mm; petals pale yellow, 5–8 mm; stamens 10–15 mm; plant (1.5)2.5–3 dm ..... C. lutea

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