e-Key v3 - Key to Rosaceae Genera
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.
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  • Low or tall perennial herbs or unarmed low shrubs
 002
b
  • Trees, shrubs or scramblers
 002
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  • Flowers with distinct petals
 002
b
  • Flowers apetalous
 002
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  • Carpels 2, rarely 3
 Agrimonia
b
  • Carpels several to many
 002
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  • Styles persistent, long, hooked at fruiting
  • Carpels in dense hairy cluster
 Geum
b
  • Styles deciduous, short, not hooked at fruiting
  • Carpels not forming a hairy cluster
 002
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  • Leaves pinnate or palmate
  • Receptacle at fruiting dry
 Potentilla
b
  • Leaves ternate to 5-foliolate
  • Receptacle at fruiting swollen and red
 002
Backtrack a
  • Petals yellow
  • Receptacle not pulpy
 *Duchesnea
b
  • Petals white or pink
  • Receptacle pulpy (Strawberry)
 *Fragaria
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  • Flowers in leafy cymes
  • Epicalyx present
 Alchemilla
b
  • Flowers stalkless in long-stalked, leafless heads or spikes
  • Epicalyx 0
 002
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  • Receptacle spiny at fruiting stage
  • Stamens 2-10
  • Stigmas peltate, dilated, fimbriate or penicillate
 Acaena
b
  • Receptacle not spiny at fruiting stage
  • Stamens 4-30
  • Stigmas brush-like
 *Sanguisorba
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  • Stems and/or branches and/or leaves armed with prickles or thorns
 002
b
  • Stems, branches and leaves unarmed
 002
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  • Leaves compound, imparipinnate
  • Leaflets 3-7
  • Shrubs or scramblers armed with prickles
 002
b
  • Leaves simple, not divided
  • Shrubs with branches with thorns in axils of leaves, prickles 0
 002
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  • Ovary (carpels) superior
  • Calyx tube not becoming fleshy
  • Fruit succulent, collection of many 1-seeded drupelets
 Rubus
b
  • Ovary (carpels) usually inferior
  • Calyx tube becoming fleshy
  • Fruit dry
  • Achenes free within enlarged receptacle
 *Rosa
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  • Deciduous
  • Leaves irregularly serrate
  • Seeds 1 or 2
 *Crataegus
b
  • Evergreen
  • Leaves entire or nearly so
  • Seeds 5
 *Pyracantha
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  • Leaves imparipinnate, trifoliolate or unifoliolate, but then petals 0 and flowers wind-pollinated
 002
b
  • Leaves simple, not divided
  • Petals present
  • Flowers insect-pollinated
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves trifoliolate or unifoliolate
  • Ericoid shrubs
  • Flowers solitary
  • Petals 0
  • Stigmas plumose
 Cliffortia
b
  • Leaves imparipinnate
  • Flowers in erect racemes
  • Petals present
  • Stigmas channelled, hooked
 Leucosidea
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  • Leaf margins crenate or serrate
  • Inflorescences racemose, fasciculate or umbellate
 002
b
  • Leaf margins entire
  • Inflorescences cymose or flowers solitary
 002
Backtrack a
  • Inflorescences racemose
  • Carpels free from receptacle
  • Fruit a drupe
 Prunus
b
  • Inflorescences fasciculate or umbellate
  • Carpels connate to receptacle at least in lower half
  • Fruit a pome (Pears)
 *Pyrus
Backtrack a
  • Flowers in 2-many-flowered inflorescences\Petals 5 mm or less long
  • Fruit small, less than 20 mm long, red or black
 *Cotoneaster
b
  • Flowers solitary (Quince)
  • Petals longer than 5 mm
  • Fruit large, 30 mm or longer, green, yellow or brown
 *Cydonia

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