What’s a dichotomous key?
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- Group 1Lycophytes, Monilophytes
- Group 2Gymnosperms
- Group 3Monocots
- Group 4Woody angiosperms with opposite or whorled leaves
- Group 5Woody angiosperms with alternate leaves
- Group 6Herbaceous angiosperms with inferior ovaries
- Group 7Herbaceous angiosperms with superior ovaries and zygomorphic flowers
- Group 8Herbaceous angiosperms with superior ovaries, actinomorphic flowers, and 2 or more distinct carpels
- Group 9Herbaceous angiosperms with superior ovaries, actinomorphic flowers, connate petals, and a solitary carpel or 2 or more connate carpels
- Group 10Herbaceous angiosperms with superior ovaries, actinomorphic flowers, distinct petals or the petals lacking, and 2 or more connate carpels
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- Dichotomous Key
- Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae
See list of 6 genera in this family-
1a. Leaf blades palmately lobed with peltate petioles; stamens with repeatedly branched filaments; capsules covered with soft prickles
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1b. Leaf blades entire or toothed, but not lobed, with basifixed petioles; stamens with simple filaments; capsules without prickles (though sometimes pubescent)
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2a. Plants with a milky latex; inflorescence a cyathium; flowers without a calyx, subtended by a cup-like involucre with glands (sometimes with petaloid appendages) at the margin, housing within a single, peduncled, carpellate flower and 1 to several staminate flowers, collectively resembling a single bisexual flower [Figs. 626,627,628]
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2b. Plants without latex, the sap watery; inflorescence an axillary cyme; flowers with a calyx, clearly unisexual [Figs. 624,625]
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3a. Plants with stellate hairs (the branches of the hairs basally fused in Crotonopsis to form a flat scale on some surfaces); anthers inflexed in bud
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4a. Abaxial leaf surface with stellate hairs; staminate flowers with 7–14 stamens; fruit dehiscent, 3-locular; seeds with a caruncle
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4b. Abaxial leaf surface with stellate hairs that have the branches basally united to form a flat scale; staminate flowers with 5 stamens; fruit indehiscent, 1-locular; seeds without a caruncle
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3b. Plants glabrous or with simple hairs; anthers erect in bud
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5a. Leaves alternate; staminate calyx 4-merous; gynoecium with 3 carpels
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5b. Leaves opposite; staminate calyx 3-merous; gynoecium with 2 carpels
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Show photos of: Each photo represents one genus in this family.