POLEMONIACEAE, the Polemonium Family

Herbs with alternate or opposite leaves and conspicuous regular flowers; sepals 5, united; petals 5, united and bearing the 5 stamens in the corolla-tube; ovary superior, 3-celled.

1a. Leaves pinnately compound and alternate (2-4 dm. high; flowers blue, in spring) =Greek Valerian, Polemonium reptans.=

1b. Leaves fascicled, narrowly linear (about 1 dm. high; flowers pink-purple, in spring) =Moss Pink, Phlox subulata.=

1c. Leaves simple, strictly opposite --2.

2a. Corolla-lobes deeply 2-cleft to the middle (1-2 dm. high; flowers pink, in spring) =Cleft Phlox, Phlox bifida.=

2b. Corolla-lobes entire and rounded, or somewhat notched at the apex --3.

3a. Flowers in summer (8-15 dm. high; flowers purple) =Garden Phlox, Phlox paniculata.=

3b. Flowers in spring (3-6 dm. high) --4.

4a. Corolla blue-purple; stems ascending =Sweet William, Phlox divaricata.=

4b. Corolla pink or red-purple; stems erect =Sweet William, Phlox pilosa.=

HYDROPHYLLACEAE, the Water-leaf Family

Herbs with alternate lobed or divided leaves and regular flowers; sepals 5; petals 5, united; stamens 5, attached to the corolla-tube and projecting beyond it; ovary 1-celled.

1a. Leaves palmately veined and lobed (4-8 dm. high; flowers purple, early summer) =Water-leaf, Hydrophyllum canadense.=

1b. Leaves pinnately veined and lobed (2-6 dm. high; flowers blue or purple, varying to white) --2.

2a. Corolla-lobes much shorter than the corolla-tube (summer) =Phacelia, Phacelia franklinii.=

2b. Corolla-lobes much longer than the corolla-tube (late spring and summer) (Water-leaf) --3.

3a. Calyx with a small reflexed appendage between each pair of sepals =Water-leaf, Hydrophyllum appendiculatum.=

3b. Calyx without appendages =Water-leaf, Hydrophyllum virginic.u.m.=

BORAGINACEAE, the Borage Family

Herbs with alternate entire leaves; sepals 5; petals 5, united, corolla generally regular; stamens 5, attached to the corolla-tube; ovary deeply 4-lobed with a single style.

1a. Corolla reddish-purple, about 8 mm. wide (4-10 dm. high; spring) =Hound's Tongue, Cynoglossum officinale.=

1b. Corolla blue with a yellow center, 4-8 mm. wide (1-5 dm. high; spring and early summer) (Forget-me-not) --13.

1c. Corolla deep orange, salver-form (2-6 dm. high; spring) (Pucc.o.o.n) --15.

1d. Corolla white or blue, or lightly tinged with yellow or red --2.

2a. Corolla rotate, with a very short tube, bright-blue, about 20 mm. broad (3-8 dm. high; summer) =Borage, Borago officinalis.=

2b. Corolla tubular, funnel-form, or salver-form --3.

3a. Corolla 10 mm. long or more; its tube distinctly longer than the calyx --4.

3b. Corolla less than 10 mm. long; its tube equaling or shorter than the calyx --8.

4a. Flowers yellowish-white, or somewhat tinged with pink or greenish --5.

4b. Flowers blue or purple --6.

5a. Corolla-lobes erect; leaves sessile (3-8 dm. high; early summer) =False Gromwell; Onosmodium occidentale.=

5b. Corolla-lobes spreading; leaves decurrent (6-10 dm. high; summer) =Comfrey, Symphytum officinale.=

6a. Stem and leaves glabrous (3-6 dm. high; spring) =Bluebell, Mertensia virginica.=

6b. Stem and leaves p.u.b.escent (4-8 dm. high) --7.

7a. Corolla regular; leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate (summer) =Bluebell, Mertensia paniculata.=

7b. Corolla irregular; leaves linear-oblong (summer) =Blueweed, Echium vulgare.=

8a. Ovary and fruit covered with hooked p.r.i.c.kles --9.

8b. Ovary and fruit not p.r.i.c.kly --12.

9a. Princ.i.p.al leaves 2.5 cm. wide or more --10.

9b. Princ.i.p.al leaves 2 cm. wide or less (3-8 dm. high; flowers blue or white, summer) (Stickseed) --11.

10a. Leaves chiefly basal, the racemes on long leafless peduncles (4-8 dm. high; flowers pale blue, early summer) =Wild Comfrey, Cynoglossum boreale.=

10b. Stems leafy (8-12 dm. high; flowers white, summer) =Beggar Lice, Lappula virginiana.=

11a. A bract at the base of each flower =Stickseed, Lappula echinata.=

11b. Racemes without bracts at the base of each flower =Stickseed, Lappula deflexa var. americana.=