RUBIACEAE, the Madder family

Herbs or shrubs, with opposite or whorled leaves and regular flowers; sepals 4, or minute or almost wanting; petals 4, united; stamens 4; ovary inferior.

1a. Shrub (1-3 m. tall; flowers white, in spherical heads, summer) =b.u.t.ton Bush, Cephalanthus occidentalis.=

1b. Herbaceous --2.

2a. Leaves opposite --3.

2b. Leaves whorled; flowers white, green, or purple (Bedstraw) --6.

2c. Leaves whorled; flowers yellow =Bedstraw, Galium verum.=

3a. Leaves about as long as wide (trailing; flowers paired, white, in spring) =Partridge Berry, Mitch.e.l.la repens.=

3b. Leaves at least twice as long as wide --4.

4a. Corolla salver-form, about 1 cm. wide; peduncles 1-flowered (about 1 dm. high; flowers blue or white, in spring) =Bluets, Houstonia coerulea.=

4b. Corolla funnel-form, about 5 mm. wide; flowers in cl.u.s.ters (1-2 dm. high; flowers white or pale-purple, summer) (Houstonia) --5.

5a. Basal leaves strongly ciliate =Houstonia, Houstonia ciliolata.=

5b. Basal leaves smooth =Houstonia, Houstonia longifolia.=

6a. Leaves in whorls of 4-7.

6b. Leaves in whorls of 6-8 --16.

7a. Ovary and fruit hispid with hooked bristles (3-7 dm. high; summer) --8.

7b. Ovary and fruit not bristly (early summer) --11.

8a. Leaves with 1 princ.i.p.al vein (flowers dull purple) =Bedstraw, Galium pilosum.=

8b. Leaves with 3 princ.i.p.al veins --9.

9a. Flowers bright-white =Bedstraw, Galium boreale.=

9b. Flowers greenish, yellowish, or purplish --10.

10a. Leaves ac.u.minate =Bedstraw, Galium lanceolatum.=

10b. Leaves acute or obtuse =Bedstraw, Galium circaezans.=

11a. Corolla-lobes 3 (2-6 dm. high; flowers white or greenish) --12.

11b. Corolla-lobes 4 --13.

12a. Flowers in cl.u.s.ters of 2 or 3 =Bedstraw, Galium claytoni.=

12b. Flowers solitary in the axils, on long hair-like pedicels =Bedstraw, Galium trifidum.=

13a. Corolla brownish or purple (3-6 dm. high) =Bedstraw, Galium latifolium.=

13b. Corolla white (1-4 dm. high) --14.

14a. Flowers rather numerous in small cymes =Bedstraw, Galium pal.u.s.tre.=

14b. Flowers in cl.u.s.ters of 2 or 3, or solitary --15.

15a. Princ.i.p.al leaves spreading or ascending =Bedstraw, Galium tinctorium.=

15b. Princ.i.p.al leaves recurved or reflexed =Bedstraw, Galium labradoric.u.m.=

16a. Ovary and fruit bristly or hispid --17.

16b. Ovary and fruit not bristly (summer) --18.

17a. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to linear, mostly 6-8 in a whorl (stem 5-15 dm. long; flowers white; spring and summer) =Bedstraw, Galium aparine.=

17b. Leaves narrowly oval or elliptical, mostly in whorls of 6; flowers in cl.u.s.ters of 3 (1-5 dm. high; flowers greenish, summer) =Bedstraw, Galium triflorum.=

18a. Leaves cuspidate or mucronate at the apex (flowers white) --19.

18b. Leaves obtuse at the apex (flowers white or greenish; 2-6 dm.

high) --20.

19a. Flowers very numerous in terminal panicles (stem 3-8 dm. long) =Bedstraw, Galium mollugo.=

19b. Flowers in axillary cl.u.s.ters (1-3 dm. high) =Bedstraw, Galium tricorne.=

19c. Flowers few, in small loose terminal cymes --20.

20a. Stem smooth or nearly so (2-4 dm. high) =Bedstraw, Galium concinnum.=

20b. Stem hispid with reflexed bristles (5-15 dm. long) =Bedstraw, Galium asprellum.=

CAPRIFOLIACEAE, the Honeysuckle Family

Shrubs or herbs, with opposite leaves; corolla regular or irregular, petals 4 or 5, united; stamens 4 or 5; ovary inferior, 1-5-celled.

1a. Leaves compound (shrubs 1-4 m. high; flowers white, in large cl.u.s.ters in early summer) (Elder) --2.