PAPAVERACEAE, the Poppy Family
Herbs with milky or colored juice, regular flowers, 2 sepals, 4, 6, or 8 petals, numerous stamens, and a 1-celled ovary.
1a. Leaves palmately lobed; flower 2.5-5 cm. wide, with 8 petals or more (leaf basal; flower white, in early spring) =Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis.=
1b. Leaves pinnately toothed or lobed; flower 7-10 cm. wide, with 4-6 petals (4-8 cm. high; leaves clasping; summer) =Poppy, Papaver somniferum.=
1c. Leaves divided pinnately to the mid-rib into several toothed or lobed segments; flower 2.5 cm. broad or less (3-5 cm. high; flowers yellow) --2.
2a. Flowers in cl.u.s.ters of 2-4, about 3 cm. wide (spring) =Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum.=
2b. Flowers in umbels of 3-8, about 1.5 cm. wide =Celandine, Chelidonium majus.=
FUMARIACEAE, the Fumitory Family
Herbs with watery juice, compound or dissected leaves, and irregular flowers; sepals 2, small; petals 4, in two pairs, and one or both of the outer pair spurred at the base; stamens 6.
1a. Both outer petals spurred or sack-like at the base --2.
1b. One outer petal spurred or sack-like at the base --4.
2a. A climbing vine with flowers in panicles (white or pinkish flowers in summer) =Climbing Fumitory, Adlumia fungosa.=
2b. Low herbs (2-4 cm.) with basal leaves and white or pinkish flowers in racemes (early spring) --3.
3a. Spurs of the corolla triangular, divergent =Dutchman"s Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria.=
3b. Spurs of the corolla short and rounded =Squirrel Corn, Dicentra canadensis.=
4a. Flowers about 5 mm. long, pink-purple tipped with red (3-8 dm.
high; summer) =Fumitory, Fumaria officinalis.=
4b. Flowers 10 mm. long or more, yellow, at least at the tip (2-6 dm. high) (Corydalis) --5.
5a. Flowers yellow throughout (spring) =Corydalis, Corydalis aurea.=
5b. Flowers pink, tipped with yellow (summer).
=Corydalis, Corydalis sempervirens.=
CRUCIFERAE, the Mustard Family
Herbs, with alternate, frequently lobed or dissected leaves, and regular flowers, usually in racemes; sepals and petals each 4, stamens 6, 4 long and 2 short (or rarely 2 only), ovary 1.
1a. Petals yellow or yellowish --2.
1b. Petals white, pink, or purple, never yellow --29.
2a. Leaves simple, entire or dentate, never lobed --3.
2b. Leaves deeply lobed or compound (the bracteal leaves, at or near the flower-cl.u.s.ters, may be simple and unlobed) --10.
3a. Leaves clasping the stem --4.
3b. Leaves not clasping at base --6.
4a. Clasping base and apex of leaf obtuse or rounded; pod very long and slender (3-8 dm. high; summer) =Hare"s Ear, Conringia orientalis.=
4b. Clasping base and apex of leaf acute; pod obovoid (3-7 dm.
high; early summer) (False Flax) --5.
5a. Stem and leaves glabrous =False Flax, Camelina sativa.=
5b. Leaves and usually the stem p.u.b.escent =False Flax, Camelina microcarpa.=
6a. Flowers about 2 mm. wide (1-3 dm. high; flowers in summer) --7.
6b. Flowers 5 mm. wide or more (2-6 dm. high; flowers in summer) --8.
7a. Leaves about twice as long as broad, widest near or below the middle =Whitlow Gra.s.s, Draba nemorosa.=
7b. Leaves 3-5 times as long as broad, widest above the middle =Yellow Alyssum, Alyssum alyssoides.=
8a. Leaves lanceolate, gradually tapering to the base; flowers about 15 mm. wide =Sand Rocket, Diplotaxis muralis.=
8b. Leaves ovate, acute at base; flowers about 15 mm. wide --22a.
8c. Leaves entire or minutely toothed; flowers 5-10 mm. wide --9.
9a. Pods 25 mm. long or less, on slender pedicels about 8 mm. long =Worm-seed Mustard, Erysimum cheiranthoides.=
9b. Pods 20 mm. long or more, on stout pedicels about 4 mm. long =Worm-seed Mustard, Erysimum parviflorum.=
10a. Leaves bipinnate or dissected into very numerous divisions (3-8 dm. high; flowers in summer) --11.
10b. Leaves simply pinnate --13.
11a. Flowers about 5 mm. broad; pods about 20 mm. long by 1 mm. broad =Herb Sophia, Sisymbrium sophia.=
11b. Flowers about 3 mm. broad; pods about 8 mm. long by 2 mm. wide (Tansy Mustard) --12.