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.