Flora Zambesiaca
Keys
Back to SearchKey to Cleome
Key notes from the flora:
Couplet 3a: flowers should be examined in bud as the anthers are often caducous.| 1 | a | Leaves simple go to 2 |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Leaves compound go to 3 |
| 2 | a | Racemes lax; leaves widely spaced; stems, ovary and fruit rather sparsely and shortly pubescent FZ account for Cleome monophylla |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Racemes dense; leaves crowded; stems, ovary and fruit with long, patent, purplish hairs and shorter glandular hairs FZ account for Cleome densifolia |
| 3 | a | Stamens both fertile and sterile go to 4 |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Stamens all fertile go to 5 |
| 4 | a | Flowers golden-yellow; fertile stamens 2, staminodes 6–12; plant glaucous; leaves 3–9-foliolate; seeds usually pubescent FZ account for Cleome diandra |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Flowers pink to violet; fertile stamens 2–4, staminodes 2–4; leaves 3–5-foliolate,seeds glabrous FZ account for Cleome maculata |
| 5 | a | Bracts of inflorescence minute, caducous go to 6 |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Bracts conspicuous, passing gradually into the leaves and often compound go to 7 |
| 6 | a | Leaflets linear, up to 2 (3) mm. wide; mature capsule 4–7 cm. long FZ account for Cleome macrophylla var. maculatiflora |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Leaflets more than 2 mm. wide; mature capsule 7–10 cm. long FZ account for Cleome macrophylla var. macrophylla |
| 7 | a | Leaflets linear (occasionally broader in C. iberidella but then the 2 upper petals with a purple-margined yellow spot) go to 8 |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Leaflets obovate, oblanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, rhomboid-elliptic, elliptic or lanceolate; petals sometimes bicoloured but not with a margined spot go to 11 |
| 8 | a | Flowers sulphur-yellow; seeds tuberculate-reticulate, c. 1 mm. in diam. FZ account for Cleome sulfurea |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Flowers pinkish or purple; seeds transversely rugose or ridged, 1.3 mm. or more in diam. go to 9 |
| 9 | a | Stamens 6–9; petals 5–9 mm. long; annual herbs up to 30 cm. tall go to 10 |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Stamens 10–12; petals 10–20 mm. long; a coarse herb up to 1.6 m. tall FZ account for Cleome hirta |
| 10 | a | Leaves 5–7 (9)-foliolate FZ account for Cleome rubella |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Leaves 3–5-foliolate FZ account for Cleome iberidella |
| 11 | a | Seeds smooth, minutely longitudinally tessellate; leaflets sparsely pubescent with some scattered sessile glands FZ account for Cleome bororensis |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Seeds transversely ridged or striate; leaflets sparsely setulose-, harshly strigillose- or densely glandular-pubescent go to 12 |
| 12 | a | Stamens 6; leaflets sparsely setulose-pubescent or glabrous FZ account for Cleome ciliata |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Stamens 8–13; leaflets densely strigillose- or glandular-pubescent go to 13 |
| 13 | a | Gynophore and capsule glandular; valves with 8–9 longitudinal nerves; stems and leaves densely glandular-pubescent; leaflets 3–7 FZ account for Cleome oxyphylla |
|---|---|---|
| b | – Gynophore glabrous; capsule minutely puberulous with about 3 longitudinal nerves; stems and leaves with a coarse strigillose pubescence;leaflets 3–5 FZ account for Cleome stricta |
