a	Plants monocotyledonous in appearance Capitula discoid, 1-flowered Upper involucral bracts sheathing flower	Corymbium
	b	Plants not exhibiting the above characters in combination

	a	Corollas all strap-shaped, equally 5-toothed at the apex (florets ligulate - no. 6) Latex present in plant	Lactuceae
	b	Corollas not strap-shaped, if radiate, then these with 4 or fewer equal or unequal apical teeth Latex rarely present

	a	Style branches with sweeping hairs consisting of 2 or 3 cells separated by vertical walls Endothecial cells with transverse thickenings in only basal half Lobes of disc florets with accessory apical vein	Eremothamneae
	b	Sweeping hairs, endothecial cells and lobes of disc florets not as above

	a	Style branches with conspicuous papillose appendages Capitula discoid, with florets all bisexual, not yellow Corollas with 5(4) relatively short, broad apical lobes Mature cypselas black*	Eupatorieae
	b	Style branches, capitula, corollas and mature cypselas not showing the above combination of character states

	a	Involucral bracts uniseriate, cohering by their overlapping margins, or partly or wholly connate, with or without a calyculus Pappus present
	b	Involucral bracts imbricate, in 2 or more rows, free or connate OR uniseriate but then bracts not cohering or pappus 0 or capitula unisexual or cypselas densely villous with long hairs from base

	a	Involucral bracts with evident elongated oil glands Cypselas black* when mature	Helenieae
	b	Involucral bracts without elongated oil glands Cypselas not black* when mature	Senecioneae

	a	Style branches long, gradually attenuate-acute, shortly hairy on outside, style shaft similarly hairy on upper part Capitula homogamous, all florets bisexual	Vernonieae
	b	Styles and capitula not exhibiting above combination of character states, or capitula unisexual

	a	Capitula with all or only outer florets bilabiate Corollas with 3-toothed outer lips and 2-lobed inner lips	Mutisieae
	b	Capitula without any such bilabiate florets

	a	Capitula discoid Involucral bracts without scarious unlobed appendages or apices, and without scarious margins OR capitula radiant (capitula discoid but outer florets ± enlarged and sterile, not true ray flowers) OR capitula unisexual and plants dioecious Appendages of involucral bracts, if present, spiniform and/or pinnately divided
	b	Capitula radiate or disciform but not radiant as above OR capitula discoid and involucral bracts with unlobed, scarious, often white or coloured appendages or apices or with scarious, usually brownish margins, but not with spiniform and/or pinnately divided appendages OR capitula unisexual and plants monoecious

	a	Leaves spiny or bristly spiny at least towards base
	b	Leaves neither spiny nor bristly spiny

	a	Anthers tailed (caudate) Receptacle densely setose	*Cardueae
	b	Anthers not tailed (ecaudate) Receptacle alveolate with fringed alveolae	Arctoteae

	a	Corolla lobes ± as long as broad, or if much longer than broad then leaves opposite Capitula sometimes of only 1 floret, or capitula aggregated into glomerules
	b	Corolla lobes of tubular florets much longer than broad Leaves alternate Capitula of more than 1 floret, not aggregated into glomerules

	a	Receptacle densely setose Inner florets bisexual, outer sterile	*Cardueae
	b	Receptacle naked, not setose All florets unisexual Plants dioecious	Tarchonantheae

	a	Style branches of disc florets connate in lower part, connate part thicker than style shaft and abruptly marked off from it by ring of short hairs at its base Capitula always bisexual	Arctoteae
	b	Style branches of disc florets long to short or 0 but connate lower part of style branches, if present, not as above or capitula unisexual and plants monoecious

	a	Receptacle paleate and leaves opposite, or leaves not opposite and mature cypselas black* and/or capitula glomerulate OR receptacle epaleate and pappus of scales and/or leaves opposite and/or mature cypselas black and/or capitula unisexual and/or capitula glomerulate Pappus not of slender bristles, or if of bristles then bristles plumose	Receptacular paleae present: Heliantheae
			Receptacular paleae absent:: Helenieae
	b	Receptacle epaleate (although sometimes hairy or fimbrillate) OR receptacle paleate and leaves not opposite (although sometimes opposite on upper stem) and cypselas not black* when mature, or capitula not unisexual Capitula glomerulate or not OR if lower leaves opposite then pappus of slender barbellate bristles, at least in disc florets, or pappus 0, receptacle naked and capitula not glomerulate

	a	Style branches of bisexual or functionally male florets each with a subulate to triangular papillose appendage
	b	Style branches of bisexual or functionally male florets acute to rounded, or truncate and fringed with short hairs or papillae, or shortly conical at apex with subdistal fringe of hairs, not appendaged or style undivided

	a	Receptacle alveolate Pappus a deeply and unequally laciniate corona Capitula disciform	Receptacular paleae present: Heliantheae
			Receptacular paleae absent:: Helenieae
	b	Receptacle, pappus and capitula not showing the above combination of character states	Astereae

	a	Involucral bracts with scarious, usually brown, often erose margins, not appendaged Leaves often pinnatipartite Style branches apically truncate and fringed, or style undivided and truncate Pappus 0, or if present, then a short lacerate crown or lobed auricle, or leaves pinnatipartite and outer pappus of 5 white petaloid scales	Anthemideae
	b	Involucral bracts green and herbaceous (though often with hyaline margins), or with scarious, membranous, often white or coloured appendages or apices, or rarely appendages foliose Leaves never pinnatipartite A pappus of hairs or scales present in at least some florets, or if 0 then style branches not truncate and fringed

	a	Pappus 0 Fruit large, curved, angular or winged cypselas, or smooth drupes Capitula radiate	Calenduleae
	b	Pappus present or 0 Fruit small cypselas and not as above Capitula radiate or disciform

	a	Capitula radiate Ray florets neuter, or if fertile then style branches shortly conical at apex with subdistal fringe of hairs	Mutisieae
	b	Capitula radiate, disciform or discoid Ray florets, if present, female Style branches not as above

	a	Stems without resin ducts Leaves generally entire, with hairs of type B (hairs with 1 basal cell and a very long terminal cell) Involucral bracts with entire or divided sclerenchymatous basal portion Pollen with 2-layered double sexine	Gnaphalieae
	b	Stems with or without resin ducts Leaves dentate, denticulate, serrulate or pinnatifid, rarely entire, with hairs of type A (multiseptate hairs with short cells) Involucral bracts with undivided sclerenchymatous portion Pollen with 1-layered sexine

	a	Female florets in 1 row, radiate, miniradiate, rarely filiform, or absent Style with acute sweeping hairs ending above furcation, rarely with obtuse sweeping hairs (Anisopappus)	Inuleae
	b	Female florets in several rows, filiform or rarely radiate Style with obtuse sweeping hairs	Plucheeae