e-Key v3 - Ke<span id="jodit_selection_marker_1706523872575_8272961896087123" data-jodit_selection_marker="start" style="line-height: 0; display: none;"></span>y to Mesembryanthem<span id="jodit_selection_marker_1706523872575_3838594929332322" data-jodit_selection_marker="end" style="line-height: 0; display: none;"></span>aceae Genera (Vegetative)
SANBI Flora Keys Logo
Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Key 2 based on Hartmann (1991b), using mainly vegetative features.

Backtrack a
  • Ovary always with an axile placenta
  • Nectary koilomorphic: represented usually by 4 or 5 shell-shaped depressions
  • Fruits with expanding keels, if present, reaching from central axis to tips of valves
  • Fruit rarely a woody nut
 Mesembryanthemoideae
(002)
b
  • Ovary with placenta parietal to basal, very rarely axile (Caryotophora, Hymenogyne, both with schizocarpic fruit)
  • Nectaries lophomorphic: crest-shaped, either as separate glands or united into a ring, rarely ± absent
  • Fruit with expanding keels never reaching the centre of the fruit
  • Fruit, if not opening when wetted, then rarely opening when drying out, fleshy or breaking up into mericarps
 Ruschioideae
(014)
Mesembryanthemoideae
Backtrack a
  • Leaves flat
 002
b
  • Leaves ± cylindrical
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves becoming skeleton-like with lignified veins and margins, persistent and enclosing young buds
 Sceletium
b
  • Leaves not drying skeleton-like
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves stem-clasping, opposite, shape and particularly size of basal and upper leaves markedly different
 Synaptophyllum
b
  • Leaves not stem-clasping, opposite, occasionally becoming alternate in the inflorescence, or throughout the plant, occasionally appearing petiolate, with no marked difference in size between basal and upper leaves
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with conspicuous bladder cells, leaf margins often undulate
 Mesembryanthemum
b
  • Leaves with inconspicuous bladder cells, leaf margins flat
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves shortly fused at the base, glaucous, covered with a thick wax layer that rubs off easily
  • Green parts of the stem become dry and remain on the slightly woody stem as a thick whitish layer
 Prenia
b
  • Leaves not fused at the base, shiny green, without visible wax layer
  • Stems green and succulent, 4-angled or cylindrical
 Aptenia
Backtrack a
  • Internodes entirely enclosed in embracing leaf tissue
 002
b
  • Internodes not entirely enclosed by leaf tissue but often with green, succulent cortex
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves alternate, finger-like, up to 100 mm long and up to 20 mm in diameter
  • Plants compact, dwarf
 Dactylopsis
b
  • Leaves opposite, subterete, basally free, up to 35 mm long and up to 8 mm in diameter
  • Shrublets up to 150 mm high
 Aspazoma
Backtrack a
  • Stems constricted at nodes, green, with persistent, succulent primary cortex
 002
b
  • Plants with a continuous stem, only the young stages green, primary cortex not persistent
 002
Backtrack a
  • Bladder cells at base and edges of leaves often becoming hair-like, bladder cells on stems densely arranged and firm to the touch, those on the leaves more sparse and soft to the touch
 Brownanthus
b
  • Bladder cells on leaves and stems similar to ± absent, rarely becoming hair-like
 002
Backtrack a
  • Perennials with creeping annual stems and tuberous rootstock
 Caulipsolon
b
  • Perennials or annuals with erect to decumbent stems
  • Roots not tuberous
 Psilocaulon
Backtrack a
  • Bladder cells scarcely visible
  • Branches and peduncles woody or wiry
 Aridaria
b
  • Bladder cells usually conspicuous
  • Young branches and peduncles externally herbaceous
 002
Backtrack a
  • Shrublets or subshrubs, often with thickened roots
  • Stems corky or lignified, at least towards the base
 Phyllobolus
b
  • Annual to perennial fleshy herbs with fibrous roots
  • Stems herbaceous
 Mesembryanthemum
Ruschioideae Groups
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with a sticky surface, sand and soil adhering to it
 Group A
(021)
b
  • Leaves with a smooth or papillate surface, often glistening, but not sticky
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants heterophyllous: different types of leaf pairs present
 Group B
(022)
b
  • Plants homophyllous: all leaves ± similar
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves flat, wider than thick, petiolate
 Group C
(033)
b
  • Leaves three-dimensional, triquetrous, trigonous, terete, not wider than thick
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants creeping, with procumbent stems
 Group D
(048)
b
  • Plants compact, caespitose or shrubby
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants compact and tufted, all internodes completely concealed by the leaves
 Group E
(068)
b
  • Plants caespitose, shrubby, or if basally compact then with additional long shoots
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants caespitose, internodes short but visible, procumbent, stems not rooting
 Group F
(142)
b
  • Plants shrubby, long shoots ascending, erect, or climbing, sometimes with a compact centre
 002
Backtrack a
  • Shrubs or shrublets without spines
 Group G
(164)
b
  • Shrubs or shrublets with spines
 Group H
(218)

Ruschioideae Group A
Plants with sticky surfaces
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with covering membranes, locules 8
  • Epidermis cells of leaves undivided
 Arenifera
b
  • Capsules without covering membranes or with narrow rims, locules 5
  • Epidermis cells of leaves divided by secondary walls
 Psammophora

Ruschioideae Group B
Heterophyllous plants (different types of leaf pairs are present)
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface with bladder cells
 002
b
  • Leaf surface without bladder cells, homocellular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants compact, tufted
 002
b
  • Plants shrubby
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with parallel expanding keels
 Oophytum
b
  • Capsules with divergent expanding keels
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants small, lower than 40 mm
 Diplosoma
b
  • Plants larger, 40-150 mm high
 Monilaria
Backtrack a
  • Old leaf sheaths with sclerotic bases, enclosing the internodes completely
 Monilaria
b
  • Old leaf sheaths papery or parchment-like, entire
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves dentate
 Hammeria
b
  • Leaves not dentate
 002
Backtrack a
  • More than 2 leaf pairs produced per season
 Dicrocaulon
b
  • Two leaf pairs produced per season
 002
Backtrack a
  • Flowers basally enclosed by a cup
 Dicrocaulon
b
  • Flowers exserted above the leaves, without a basal cup
 002
Backtrack a
  • Both leaf pairs connate for more than 50% of their length
 Meyerophytum
b
  • One leaf pair connate for less than 25% of its length, spreading, the other connate for more than 50% of its length, erect
 Mitrophyllum
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-locular
 Antimima
b
  • Capsules multilocular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants with long, erect or straggling branches from a compact (tufted) base
 Vanzijlia
b
  • Plants compact to caespitose
 Cheiridopsis subgenus Cheiridopsis

Ruschioideae Group C
Plants with ± flat leaves (leaves wider than thick)
Backtrack a
  • Plants perennial
 002
b
  • Plants annual
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves soft and smooth, surface mesomorphic
 002
b
  • Leaves hard, with warts or white dots, or velvety and dust-covered, leaf surface xeromorphic
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit woody, finally disintegrating into nutlets
 Caryotophora
b
  • Fruit a capsule
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsule xerochastic
 002
b
  • Capsule hygrochastic with well-developed expanding keels and sheets
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves homocellular, without bladder cells
  • Capsules with separate marginal seed-pockets at half their height
 Skiatophytum
b
  • Leaves with bladder cells
  • Capsule without pockets
 Saphesia
Backtrack a
  • Plants anisophyllous, i.e. the leaves of a pair are unequal in size
  • Capsules multilocular, with firm, undulating covering membranes, with or without reduced valve wings
 Glottiphyllum
b
  • Plants isophyllous, i.e. the leaves of a pair are equal in size
  • Capsules 5-locular, without covering membranes, but with broad, triangular valve wings
 Delosperma
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with fine white, often raised dots, leaf tips tapering
 Nananthus
b
  • Leaves with warts, particularly along the distal broadened margin, leaf tips broadly rounded
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit 5-locular
 Titanopsis
b
  • Fruit multilocular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves velvety, dust-covered
 Deilanthe
b
  • Leaves tuberculate or punctate
 Aloinopsis
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface ± smooth
 002
b
  • Leaf surface with prominent bladder cells
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf margin ciliate
  • Capsules with locules covered by the overarching covering membranes
 Carpanthea
b
  • Leaf margin with bladder cells, never ciliate
  • Capsules with seed pockets
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf epidermis with tanniniferous idioblasts
  • Fruit breaking into mericarps enclosing one seed each
 Hymenogyne
b
  • Leaf epidermis without tanniniferous idioblasts
  • Fruit opening hygroscopically by expanding keels
 Apatesia
Backtrack a
  • Leaves lyrate
 002
b
  • Leaves entire
 002
Backtrack a
  • Top of capsule flat
  • Valves with expanding sheets only
 Aethephyllum
b
  • Top of capsule with ribs
  • Valves with expanding keels merging into expanding sheets
 Cleretum
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings broad, rectangular
 Cleretum
b
  • Valve wings tapering into awns
 Dorotheanthus

Ruschioideae Group D
Plants with creeping growth form
(Plants procumbent, rooting at the nodes, only short branches, usually with tufted leaves, growing erect.)
Note: Not included are genera such as Rhinephyllum and Cylindrophyllum which may comprise creeping forms.
Backtrack a
  • Internodes on the main stems long, woody or spongy
  • Adventitious roots fibrous
 002
b
  • Internodes on the main stem short
  • Adventitious roots thickened and fleshy
 002
Backtrack a
  • Internodes with prominent hairs (elongated bladder cells)
 Drosanthemum
b
  • Internodes with papillate or smooth surface
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit a berry
 Carpobrotus
b
  • Fruit a hygrochastic capsule
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface mesomorphic
  • Leaves soft
 002
b
  • Leaf surface xeromorphic
  • Leaves firm
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsule multilocular
 Malephora
b
  • Capsule 5- or 6-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsule with parallel expanding keels
 002
b
  • Capsule with diverging expanding keels
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants minute, 15 mm high, 30 mm wide
 Ectotropis
b
  • Plants not minute, taller than 15 mm
 Delosperma
Backtrack a
  • Closing bodies large, bipartite
 Disphyma
b
  • Closing bodies absent
  • Locule closed by funicles
 Lampranthus
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with teeth along margins and keel
 Chasmatophyllum
b
  • Leaves without teeth at margins or keel (but mucronate)
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules multilocular
 002
b
  • Capsules usually 5- or 6-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with small closing bodies
 Jordaaniella
b
  • Capsules with large closing bodies
 002
Backtrack a
  • Stems strictly procumbent, each node with adventitious roots
 Cephalophyllum
b
  • Some stems spreading, later curving down and rooting near their tips (saltatory)
 Leipoldtia
Backtrack a
  • Leaves small, <15 mm long
 Mossia
b
  • Leaves larger, >20 mm long
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit without closing bodies
 Vlokia
b
  • Fruit with closing bodies
 Ruschia
Backtrack a
  • Leaves ± sharply triquetrous
 002
b
  • Leaves ± club-shaped, terete but widening distally
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with >10 locules
 Cephalophyllum
b
  • Capsules with <10 locules
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf margins serrate
 Acrodon
b
  • Leaf margins entire
 002
Backtrack a
  • Flowers yellow
 Bergeranthus
b
  • Flowers purple or white
 Khadia
Backtrack a
  • Widened tip of leaf warty, rough
 Neohenricia
b
  • Widened tip of leaf with a window
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules multilocular
 Fenestraria
b
  • Capsules 5- or 6-locular
 Frithia

Ruschioideae Group E
Plants with a compact growth form ('Flowering stones')
(Internodes of these plants are very short and not visible because they are enclosed by the sheathing leaf bases.)
Backtrack a
  • Plants heterophyllous, i.e. with two different leaf pairs per season
 002
b
  • Plants isophyllous or anisophyllous, but not heterophyllous
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves xeromorphic
 Cheiridopsis
b
  • Leaves mesomorphic
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit with parallel expanding sheets
 Oophytum
b
  • Fruit with expanding keels widely diverging and merging gradually into expanding sheets
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants lower than 40 mm
 Diplosoma
b
  • Plants higher than 50 mm
 Monilaria
Backtrack a
  • Leaves of a pair highly connate (>50%)
 002
b
  • Leaves of a pair less connate (<30%)
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants sunken into the ground or in crevices
 002
b
  • Plants above ground, clumpy
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules >10-locular
 002
b
  • Capsules 5-8-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface smooth, almost white, hard
 Argyroderma
b
  • Leaf surface with distant papillae, bright green
 Vanheerdea
Backtrack a
  • Fruit with basal bracteoles
 Conophytum
b
  • Fruit without basal bracteoles
 002
Backtrack a
  • Predominant number of locules per fruit in a population 5 or 6
 Lithops
b
  • Predominant number of locules per fruit 7 or more
 002
Backtrack a
  • Seeds tuberculate, tubercles distant
 Dinteranthus
b
  • Seeds smooth to rugose
 Lithops
Backtrack a
  • Capsules without covering membranes
 002
b
  • Capsules with covering membranes
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves firm, xeromorphic
 Conophytum
b
  • Leaves soft, mesomorphic
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with fine, velvety hairs
 Muiria
b
  • Leaf surface smooth, sometimes papillate
 Conophytum
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface smooth, glaucous-grey
 Argyroderma
b
  • Leaf surface with papillae
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-8-locular
 Gibbaeum
b
  • Capsules >10-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with large closing bodies
  • Leaves with prominent teeth along edges
 Odontophorus
b
  • Capsules without closing bodies
 Vanheerdea
Backtrack a
  • Plants with a persistent primary stem forming a head with closely arranged foliage leaves (similar to a rosette, but not flat)
  • Inflorescences developed laterally and mainly basally
 002
b
  • Plants without a distinct persistent primary stem and without a head as described above
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves xeromorphic
  • Capsules with broad, rectangular valve wings
 Cephalophyllum
b
  • Leaves mesomorphic
  • Capsules without valve wings or with narrow ones
 Conicosia
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface mesomorphic, with bladder cells or smooth
 002
b
  • Leaves xeromorphic, without bladder cells, firm, smooth to papillate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves anisophyllous, tongue-shaped
 Glottiphyllum
b
  • Leaves isophyllous, ± terete or flattish
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf tips with a diadem (a group of spreading bristles with a corky base)
 Trichodiadema
b
  • Leaf tips without a diadem
 Delosperma
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with a sticky surface, sand adhering to it
 Psammophora
b
  • Leaves not sticky
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves triquetrous-acuminate, i.e. tapering from the base into a pointed tip, leaves slender
  • Developing a fleshy stem with age (corm)
 002
b
  • Leaves trigonous, hunched (± gibbose), semiglobose-terete, tongue-shaped, or club-shaped but never triquetrous-acuminate as above
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants growing sunken into the ground on loamy or silty flats
  • Leaf tips emerging
 Nananthus
b
  • Plants with the leaves completely above ground, in rocky, stony or shaly ground
 002
Backtrack a
  • At least some leaves with teeth or a serrate keel
  • Flowers with central red stripes along petals
  • Fruit with a rounded base
 Acrodon
b
  • Leaves without teeth, not serrate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Flowers and fruit on stalked dichasia projecting beyond the leaves
 Bergeranthus
b
  • Flowers ± solitary, not carried above the leaves
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsule with tiny closing bodies
  • Plants with a thickened rootstock
 002
b
  • Capsule with large closing bodies
  • Plants developing corms with age
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsule with a flat or centrally raised top and a funnel-shaped base
 Ebracteola
b
  • Capsule with a rounded top and base
 Rabiea
Backtrack a
  • Petals striped
 Marlothistella
b
  • Petals not striped
 Khadia
Backtrack a
  • Leaves of a pair anisophyllous
 002
b
  • Leaves of a pair isophyllous
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves keeled, triangular in cross section
 002
b
  • Leaves without a keel (oval to round in cross section)
 002
Backtrack a
  • Keel sharply pleated, serrate
 Cephalophyllum
b
  • Keel rounded
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves ± symmetrical and as broad as thick
  • Capsule without closing bodies
 Cerochlamys
b
  • Leaves asymmetrical or thicker than broad
  • Capsule with closing bodies
 Bijlia
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface velvety from papillae
 Gibbaeum
b
  • Leaf surface smooth
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves slender, > 3× longer than wide
  • Capsule dark brown with a rounded top
 Antegibbaeum
b
  • Leaves short, < 3× longer than wide
  • Capsule greyish with a flat top
 Tanquana
Backtrack a
  • Plants sunken into the ground
 002
b
  • Plants in clumps above the ground
 002
Backtrack a
  • Several subsequent pairs of foliage leaves on a shoot forming a rosette
 002
b
  • One pair of foliage leaves per shoot (two only during active growth or in cultivation)
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves small, < 8 mm wide
 002
b
  • Leaves larger, > 10 mm wide
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with an apical window
 Frithia
b
  • Leaves with tiny warts, spirally arranged towards tip
 Neohenricia
Backtrack a
  • Capsule > 10-locular
 Aloinopsis
b
  • Capsule 5-7-locular
 Titanopsis
Backtrack a
  • Capsule 5-8-locular
 Lithops
b
  • Capsules >10-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves club-shaped with an apical window
 Fenestraria
b
  • Leaves semiglobose to semi-oval, with a thick whitish surface
 Argyroderma
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with well-developed papillae, i.e. velvety to the touch
 002
b
  • Leaves without papillae, epidermal cells sometimes elevated but never velvety to the touch
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with teeth
 002
b
  • Leaves without teeth
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-locular
 Schwantesia
b
  • Capsules multilocular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with tiny closing bodies
 Ihlenfeldtia
b
  • Capsules with large closing bodies
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsule with a flat top and funnel-shaped base
 Cheiridopsis
b
  • Capsules with a rounded top and semiglobose base
 Odontophorus
Backtrack a
  • Capsules without covering membranes
 002
b
  • Capsules with covering membranes
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves very thick, semi-ovate, as broad as thick
  • Capsule multilocular
 Namibia
b
  • Leaves triquetrous, keel prominent
  • Capsule 5-locular
 Schwantesia
Backtrack a
  • Capsules <10-locular
 002
b
  • Capsules >10-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Covering membranes distally reflected, firm, resilient
 Antimima
b
  • Covering membranes straight or distally inflexed, thin, flexible
 Gibbaeum
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with narrow valve wings
 Cheiridopsis
b
  • Capsules with broad valve wings, at least at their base
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings rectangular
 Cephalophyllum
b
  • Valve wings tapering into awns, pointed
 Aloinopsis
Backtrack a
  • Leaves without a distinct keel, although sometimes hunched (± gibbose), therefore oval to round in cross section
 002
b
  • Leaves keeled, therefore triangular in cross section
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-8-locular
 Cylindrophyllum
b
  • Capsules with > 10 locules
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves semiglobose, less than twice as long as broad
 Pleiospilos
b
  • Leaves elongate, at least as long as broad
 Cephalophyllum
Backtrack a
  • Capsule multilocular (>10)
 002
b
  • Capsules 5-8-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules without closing bodies
 Dracophilus
b
  • Capsules with closing bodies
 002
Backtrack a
  • Closing bodies small
 Machairophyllum
b
  • Closing bodies large
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves whitish
 Argyroderma
b
  • Leaves dark green
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules dark brown, ± round
 Pleiospilos
b
  • Capsules greyish brown, with an almost flat top
 Cheiridopsis
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with covering membranes
 002
b
  • Capsules without covering membranes, sometimes with a rim
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves fat and short
  • Flowers and fruits solitary
 002
b
  • Leaves more than three times longer than broad
  • Flowers and fruits in dichasia
 002
Backtrack a
  • Flowers developed seemingly laterally
  • One leaf pair per branch
 Didymaotus
b
  • Flowers clearly terminal
  • 2 or 3 leaf pairs per branch
 Lapidaria
Backtrack a
  • Flowers white
 Nelia
b
  • Flowers yellow
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with an extensive, often emarginate hunch superseding the tip of the upper side of the leaf
 Rhombophyllum
b
  • Leaves only moderately hunched (gibbose)
 Hereroa
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings absent or narrow
 002
b
  • Valve wings broader than expanding keels, rectangular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings absent
  • Flowers white or pink
 Ruschianthus
b
  • Valve wings narrow
  • Flowers yellow
 Carruanthus
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings stiff and woody, stretching over the locules
 Faucaria
b
  • Valve wings flexible
 002
Backtrack a
  • Flowers (and fruits) with bracteoles
 002
b
  • Flowers and fruits without bracteoles
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves rounded-trigonous, sides concave, rarely straight
  • Flowers with hypanthium
 Stomatium
b
  • Leaves sharply triangular, sides straight to concave
  • Flowers without a hypanthium
 002
Backtrack a
  • Margins of leaves with teeth (sometimes few)
  • Leaves bright green
 Orthopterum
b
  • Margins of leaves entire
  • Leaves whitish
 Conophytum
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with a prominent, hard, spiny tip
 Schwantesia
b
  • Leaves with a rounded though mucronate tip
 Dinteranthus

Ruschioideae Group F
Plants with caespitose growth form
(Internodes are short, the main shoots prostrate; adventitious roots are absent or only rarely formed.)
Backtrack 002 a
  • Leaves mesomorphic, with or without bladder cells
 002
b
  • Leaves xeromorphic, firm, smooth to papillate, velvety
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves of a pair anisophyllous
 Glottiphyllum
b
  • Leaves of a pair isophyllous
 002
Backtrack a
  • Internodes smooth
 Delosperma
b
  • Internodes with hairs derived from elongated bladder cells
 Drosanthemum
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with apical windows
 002
b
  • Leaves without apical windows
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-locular
 Frithia
b
  • Capsules multilocular
 Fenestraria
Backtrack a
  • Plants anisophyllous
 002
b
  • Plants isophyllous
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface velvety or minutely papillate
 Gibbaeum
b
  • Leaf surface smooth
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with >10 locules
 Cephalophyllum
b
  • Capsules with <10 locules
 Antegibbaeum
Backtrack a
  • Leaves of a pair united into a fleshy body (corpuscule)
 Conophytum
b
  • Leaves of a pair free for most of their length
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves finger-shaped to terete, not keeled
 002
b
  • Leaves trigonous to triquetrous, keeled
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves small, < 6 mm in diameter, with spirally arranged warts
 Neohenricia
b
  • Leaves larger, > 8 mm in diameter, without warts
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves greyish green
  • Capsules with a flat top
  • Flowers with a hypanthium, number of elements < 300
 Argyroderma
b
  • Leaves dark green
  • Capsules with high valve rims, top therefore elevated
  • Flowers without a hypanthium, number of elements > 2 000
 Cylindrophyllum
Backtrack a
  • Leaf surface velvety-papillate
 002
b
  • Leaf surface smooth or rough, but not papillate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Closing bodies small
 Ihlenfeldtia
b
  • Closing bodies large
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings rectangular, if pointed, plants heterophyllous
 Cheiridopsis
b
  • Valve wings tapering into awns
 Odontophorus
Backtrack a
  • Leaves trigonous
 002
b
  • Leaves sharply triquetrous, ± awl-shaped
 002
Backtrack a
  • Covering membranes absent or narrow rims
 002
b
  • Covering membranes complete
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with teeth along margins, rarely only horny
 Stomatium
b
  • Leaves without teeth, surface rough from hard white tubercles, or smooth
 Rhinephyllum
Backtrack a
  • Closing bodies small, hook-shaped
 Ruschia
b
  • Closing bodies large or bipartite
 002
Backtrack a
  • Covering membranes undulate with dorsal appendages
 Antimima
b
  • Covering membranes straight, ± flat
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with an extensive, often emarginate hunch superseding the tip of the leaf
 Rhombophyllum
b
  • Leaves not or only moderately hunched
 Hereroa
Backtrack a
  • Flowers and fruits solitary
 Khadia
b
  • Flowers and fruit in exserted dichasia
 Bergeranthus

Ruschioideae Group G
Shrubs or shrublets without spines
(Plants with woody, rarely succulent, persistent stems.)
Backtrack a
  • Leaves soft, with or without bladder cells
 002
b
  • Leaves firm
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants homophyllous, producing several similar leaf pairs per season
 002
b
  • Plants heterophyllous, producing two leaf pairs per season
 002
Backtrack a
  • Internodes with prominent hairs (elongated bladder cells)
 Drosanthemum
b
  • Internodes without prominent distant hairs
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaf tips with apical diadems (groups of spreading bristles with a corky base)
 Trichodiadema
b
  • Leaf tips without diadems, although sometimes with elongated bladder cells
 002
Backtrack a
  • Covering membranes absent
 Delosperma
b
  • Covering membranes present
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with > 10 locules
 Malephora
b
  • Capsule with 5-8 locules
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves as long and broad as a finger
  • Flowers with a nectary ring
 Jacobsenia
b
  • Leaves shorter, if as long as a finger then more slender
  • Flowers with 5 separate nectaries
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves broadly trigonous, glaucous-grey, often dentate
 Oscularia
b
  • Leaves terete or semiterete, if trigonous, shorter than 20 mm
 002
Backtrack a
  • Inflorescences mostly as solitary flowers
 Lampranthus
b
  • Inflorescences distinctly differentiated from the vegetative part, very floriferous, bracteate and bracteolate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves terete, up to 60 mm long, apically rounded
 Scopelogena
b
  • Leaves trigonous, up to 30 mm long, apiculate
 Mestoklema
Backtrack a
  • Leaves toothed
 Hammeria
b
  • Leaves not toothed
 002
Backtrack a
  • Basal parts of old leaf sheaths sclerotic, completely enveloping the stem
 Monilaria
b
  • Old leaf sheaths papery or parchment-like
 002
Backtrack a
  • Bracteoles connate, forming a cup enclosing the base of the flower
 Dicrocaulon
b
  • Bracteoles well below the flower
 002
Backtrack a
  • Both leaf pairs of a season connate for > 30% of their length
 Meyerophytum
b
  • First leaf pair of a season connate for > 25% of its length, spreading, the second connate for > 50%, erect
 Mitrophyllum
Backtrack a
  • Leaves continuous with succulent, green internodes
 002
b
  • Leaves clearly distinct from the wooden internodes
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit 5-7-locular
 002
b
  • Fruit >8-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules without closing bodies, with valve wings
  • Seeds echinate
 Braunsia
b
  • Capsules with closing bodies, without valve wings
  • Seeds smooth or papillate
 Ruschia
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 10- or more-locular
 002
b
  • Capsules 8-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves more than 50 mm long, semiterete, tip blunt
 Leipoldtia
b
  • Leaves less than 20 mm long, triquetrous, tip spiny
 Polymita
Backtrack a
  • Covering membranes reduced
 Zeuktophyllum
b
  • Covering membranes well developed
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valves basally connate, only tips expanding once, capsule then staying open
 Stayneria
b
  • Valve free to base, capsule opening repeatedly
 Smicrostigma
Backtrack a
  • Leaves longer than internodes, dominating the aspect (succulent shrubs)
 002
b
  • Leaves shorter than internodes, aspect dominated by woody stems (woody shrubs)
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves almost globular, shaped like a grape
 Jensenobotrya
b
  • Leaves trigonous to terete
 002
Backtrack a
  • Internodes shiny, spongy
 Jordaaniella
b
  • Internodes rough from peeling bark
 002
Backtrack a
  • Foliage leaves slender, digitiform, leaves in inflorescence trigonous, much shorter
 Ottosonderia
b
  • Leaves similar
 002
Backtrack a
  • Seeds echinate
 002
b
  • Seeds glabrous or papillate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with closing bodies, without valve wings
 Astridia
b
  • Capsules without closing bodies, with valve wings
 Braunsia
Backtrack a
  • Capsules without covering membranes
 002
b
  • Capsules with covering membranes
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit not closing properly after opening
 Corpuscularia
b
  • Fruit opening and closing repeatedly when wetted
 Hartmanthus
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with closing bodies
 002
b
  • Capsules without closing bodies
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-locular
 Astridia
b
  • Capsules > 10-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit in persistent inflorescences to which partial inflorescences are added each season
  • Valve wings rectangular
 Cephalophyllum
b
  • Fruit solitary or in dichasia, sometimes persistent
  • Valve wings tapering slightly
 Schlechteranthus
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings absent
 002
b
  • Valve wings present
 002
Backtrack a
  • Flowers bright magenta
 Enarganthe
b
  • Flowers white to pink
 Wooleya
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-locular
 Hereroa
b
  • Capsules > 8-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Flowers bright magenta
 Namaquanthus
b
  • Flowers white
 002
Backtrack a
  • Calyx 4-lobed
 Juttadinteria
b
  • Calyx 6-8-lobed
 Jacobsenia
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 5-locular (rarely up to 10 locules)
 002
b
  • Capsules > 8-locular
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruits woody, dispersal units nutlets
 Ruschianthemum
b
  • Fruit loculicidal capsules
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules opening only once completely
 002
b
  • Capsules opening repeatedly
 002
Backtrack a
  • Seeds flat, dispersal by wind
 Stoeberia
b
  • Seeds roundish, dispersal by rain
 Erepsia
Backtrack a
  • Capsules with closing bodies
 002
b
  • Capsules without closing bodies
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings absent
 Ruschia
b
  • Valve wings present
 002
Backtrack a
  • Closing bodies large, locules shallow
 Antimima
b
  • Closing bodies small, locules deep
 002
Backtrack a
  • Capsules breaking away from pedicels
  • Plants therefore ± spiny
 Eberlanzia
b
  • Capsules remaining on pedicels
 Amphibolia
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings broad
 002
b
  • Valve wings absent or narrow
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves rough from tiny elevations
 Rhinephyllum
b
  • Leaves smooth, glabrous
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings rectangular
 Lampranthus
b
  • Valve wings narrowed towards the tip
 Circandra
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings absent, expanding keels short and radial
 Esterhuysenia
b
  • Valve wings narrow (rarely broader), expanding keels longer, diverging
 Erepsia
Backtrack a
  • Plants with a compact centre and long shoots
 002
b
  • Plants without a compact renewal centre of assimilating short shoots
 002
Backtrack a
  • Long shoots procumbent but never rooting
 Hallianthus
b
  • Long shoots erect, later leaning in other shrubs
 002
Backtrack a
  • Plants homophyllous
  • Leaves with dentate margins
 Odontophorus
b
  • Plants heterophyllous (first leaf pair of a branch highly connate)
  • Leaves entire, mucronate
 Vanzijlia
Backtrack a
  • Capsules without closing bodies
 Erepsia
b
  • Capsules with closing bodies
 002
Backtrack a
  • Covering membranes straight
 Octopoma
b
  • Covering membranes distally recurved and undulate
 Leipoldtia

Ruschioideae Group H
Shrubs or shrublets with spines
Backtrack a
  • Capsules 6-9-locular
 002
b
  • Capsules 5-locular (very rarely 4- or 6-locular)
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings rectangular, broader than expanding keels
  • More spines than fruits per inflorescence
  • Closing bodies large
  • Internodes often shorter than leaves
 Leipoldtia
b
  • Valve wings reduced to awns or absent
  • Few spines per inflorescence
  • Closing bodies medium-sized, hook-shaped
 Ruschia
Backtrack a
  • Closing bodies absent
 Mestoklema
b
  • Closing bodies present
 002
Backtrack a
  • Closing bodies large, white
  • Covering membranes without additional closing devices
 Arenifera
b
  • Closing bodies small, translucent to glassy
  • Covering membranes with closing rodlets
 002
Backtrack a
  • Valve wings broad
  • Blunt spines derived from pedicels after the ripe fruit has been shed
 Eberlanzia
b
  • Valve wings absent or very narrow
  • Sharp spines developed from pedicels after abortion mainly of buds or flowers
 Ruschia subgenus Spinosa

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