keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

316 KEY TO MONOCOTS
28. Corollas or corolla-like perianth parts present (often conspicuous); plants
terrestrial or aquatic; fruits capsules, berries, or achenes (if achenes, these
usually winged).
30. Plants 1–2.5 m tall; leaves large, banana leaf-like, with prominent midrib
and numerous side veins parallel or concentric with each other;
stamens (some sterile and thus staminodes) petal-like, showy; fertile
stamen 1.
31. Ovary and fruit with warty surface; flowers large and showy, much
more than 1 cm long, variously colored; inflorescence neither with
zig-zag branches nor a white powdery appearance; fruit with several
seeds ________________________________________ (Canna) Cannaceae
31. Ovary and fruit with smooth surface; flowers 1 cm long or less,
purplish; inflorescence a panicle with zig-zag branches and a striking
white powdery appearance; fruit with only a single seed
________________________________________________ (Thalia) Marantaceae
30. Plants without the above combination of characters.
32. Pistils 5–numerous per flower, free from each other or nearly so;
fruits achenes or follicles, more than one developing from each
flower; plants of aquatic or wet habitats (arrowhead and waterpoppy
families).
33. Pistils 15–numerous per flower, each pistil developing into a 1seeded
indehiscent fruit (achene); petals white or rarely pink
__________________________________________________ Alismataceae
33. Pistils 5–8 per flower, each pistil developing into a severalseeded,
beaked follicle; petals light yellow to white with yellow
base ________________________________ (Hydrocleys) Limnocharitaceae
32. Pistil 1 per flower, made up of a single carpel or of several carpels
fused together; fruit various but often a many-seeded capsule, only
one developing per flower; plants of various habitats.
34. Plants aquatic, either completely submersed or partly floating
or partly emersed, with leaves clustered in rosettes.
35. Leaves all long-petiolate; leaf blades often reniform or cordate
at base; inflorescence not subtended by a spathe-like
bract; perianth greenish white to yellowish to white or
pinkish _____________________________________ Hydrocharitaceae
35. Leaves both sessile and long-petiolate; leaf blades various
basally, but not cordate; inflorescence subtended by a
spathe-like bract; perianth light blue to purplish blue to
white, with 3 of the lobes yellow at base _______________ (Heteranthera)
Pontederiaceae
34. Plants terrestrial OR if aquatic, then leaves not clustered in
rosettes.
36. Ovary inferior.
37. Plants very small, 5–20(–33) cm tall, usually in bogs or
similar habitats; stems delicately thread-like; leaves
scale-like, to only 5(–8+) mm long; flowers small (to only
15 mm long), purple or greenish white to cream, sometimes
tinged with blue _______________________ Burmanniaceae
37. Plants usually � 20 cm tall, in various habitats; stems
not thread-like; leaves not scale-like (except in
saprophytic species); flowers small OR often large, variously
colored.