Flora Zambesiaca

Keys

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Key to Amaranthaceae


1 a Bracteoles with a projecting dorsal keel along at least the upper part of the midrib
Key to  Gomphrena FZ account for Gomphrena
b — Bracteoles with no dorsal keel along midrib
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2 a Plants monoecious, the male flowers situated towards the apex of the inflorescences or scattered among the females
Key to  Amaranthus FZ account for Amaranthus
b — Plants with hermaphrodite flowers or dioecious
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3 a Modified sterile flowers consisting of hairs, spines, bristles or scales present, frequently on one side of a sterile flower, sometimes concealed within the bracteoles in the flowering stage
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b — Modified sterile flowers absent, all flowers fertile
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4 a Sterile flowers of greatly elongated plumose hairs; tall climber attaining c. 6 m. or more
FZ account for Sericostachys
b — Sterile flowers not of long plumose hairs; plant not a tall climber
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5 a Stamens without intermediate pseudostaminodes
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b — Stamens with intermediate pseudostaminodes
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6 a Modified sterile flowers consisting of numerous uncinately hooked spines
Key to  Pupalia FZ account for Pupalia
b — Modified sterile flowers without hooked spines
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7 a Inflorescence capitate; leaves narrowly or widely elliptic to lanceolate or ovate, densely canescent
FZ account for Leucosphaera
b — Inflorescence spicate; leaves linear-acicular to narrowly oblong, glabrous
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8 a Leaves linear-acicular, alternate or occasionally opposite; sterile flowers of strap-shaped processes furnished with long unicellular hairs, forming a silky-haired ball in fruit
Key to  Sericorema FZ account for Sericorema
b — Leaves broadly linear to narrowly oblong, opposite; sterile flowers of single rigid spines
FZ account for Centema
9 a Leaves narrowly linear; ovary asymmetrically horned at the apex
FZ account for Kyphocarpa
b — Leaves not narrowly linear; ovary without an apical horn
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10 a Sterile flowers of long plumose-pilose processes
FZ account for Nelsia
b — Sterile flowers of spines or bracteoliform processes, never plumose-pilose
Key to  Cyathula FZ account for Cyathula
11 a Stamens 1–2; flowers minute, c. 1.25 mm.; leaves, branches and flower clusters varying alternate to opposite
FZ account for Nothosaerva
b — Stamens 4–5; flowers minute to larger; leaves and branches constantly alternate or opposite, or else flowers 4.5–6 mm
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12 a Leaves alternate
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b — Leaves opposite
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13 a Stamens fused for at least half their length in a tube, either with large bifid, intermediate pseudostaminodes, or with a sterile tooth on each side of the antheriferous tooth, or each filament widely expanded
Key to  Hermbstaedtia FZ account for Hermbstaedtia
b — Stamens not fused to half their length, pseudostaminodes absent or small, filaments never widely expanded or with a sterile tooth on each side of the anther
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14 a Inflorescences white-woolly, tepals dorsally densely lanate
Key to  Aerva FZ account for Aerva
b — Inflorescences not white-woolly, tepals glabrous or pilose about the base only
go to  15
15 a Inflorescence capitate, crimson or flushed with bright pink; ovules solitary
Key to  Mechowia FZ account for Mechowia
b — Inflorescence spicate or spiciform-thrysoid, never crimson though occasionally pinkish; ovules mostly numerous
Key to  Celosia FZ account for Celosia
16 a Inflorescence sessile and axillary
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b — Inflorescence not sessile and axillary
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17 a Tepals densely woolly-lanuginose, 1-nerved, fused to about halfway
FZ account for Guilleminea
b — Tepals glabrous and 1-nerved or barbellate-pilose and 3-nerved, free
Key to  Alternanthera FZ account for Alternanthera
18 a Inflorescence capitate
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b — Inflorescence spiciform or cymose-fastigiate
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19 a Inflorescence subtended by mostly 4–5 unequal leaves, whitish
Key to  Gomphrena FZ account for Gomphrena
b — Inflorescences not involucrate, pink to red
Key to  Mechowia FZ account for Mechowia
20 a No Pseudostaminodes present between the filaments
Key to  Psilotrichum FZ account for Psilotrichum
b — Pseudostaminodes present between the filaments
go to  21
21 a Robust aquatic or marsh perennial; upper tepal slightly longer than the remainder, with a sharper and often slightly recurved apex
FZ account for Centrostachys
b — Plant not truly aquatic or paludal; upper tepal not thus differentiated
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22 a Fruiting perianth strongly deflexed, closely appressed to the inflorescence axis; bracteoles spinous-aristate, the arista longer than the basal wings
FZ account for Achyranthes
b — Fruiting perianth not or less deflexed, not closely appressed to the inflorescence axis; bracteole frequently with the midrib excurrent, but not long and spinous
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23 a Inflorescence repeatedly branched and cymose-fastigiate
Key to  Centemopsis FZ account for Centemopsis
b — Inflorescence spiciform
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24 a Outer tepals densely pilose on the dorsal surface
Key to  Pandiaka FZ account for Pandiaka
b — Outer tepals glabrous or sparingly floccose
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25 a Outer tepals with a single nerve (midrib)
Key to  Achyropsis FZ account for Achyropsis
b — Outer tepals 3–5-nerved
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26 a Tuberous-rooted perennial; outer tepals with very broad white margins each more or less as wide as the green, 3-nerved centre
Key to  Pandiaka FZ account for Pandiaka
b — Annual or short-lived perennial with a slender rhizome; outer tepals with the pale margins much narrower than the centre
Key to  Centemopsis FZ account for Centemopsis

Flora Zambesiaca