Leaves: usu. compound, often finely divided (2+ times) pinnately or palmately. Sheathed at base (like buttercup) stems hollow between nodes often furrowed

Flowers:

regular, usually perfect
•Very small, arranged in umbels & umbels of umbels, subtended by bracts
–Sepals 5 separate
–Petals 5 sep or none
–Stamens 5
–Pistils 1 2-parted, inferior ovary

Fruits:

schizocarp with 2 mericarps
–Mericarp is a carpel with one seed
–Usually 2-parted in 2-parted ovary

Leaves: simple or compound, alt. or basal, pinnate, palmate or parallel veins,
1) Just like Birthwort family is not a typical Dicot, Arum family not a typical Monocot
2) sheathing base
3) veins merge at the margin to a make a border around the leaf
4) leaves and stem contain calcium oxylate crystals which can burn lining of mouth and throat
5) Roots can be eaten if dried or boiled

Flowers:
1) Very unusual
(a) Arranged on a fleshy, upright, club-like cylinder (spadix)
(b) Usually subtended by a large leaf-like bract (spathe) which is usually showy
2) Tiny, Perfect or Unisexually (occasionally dioecious)
3) Sepals: 4-6
4) Petals: 0
5) Stamens: 4-10 with short filaments and anthers 2-celled
6) Pistils: 2-3 parted; superior ovary or somewhat sunken in the spadix

Fruits: Berry or Utricle

Leaves: similar to parsley, no sheathes, stipules

Flowers: regular usu. perfect
–Small rounded umbel
–Sepals 5
–Petals 5
–Stamens 5
–Pistils 5 parted, inferior

Fruits: Berry or drupe

Leaves: Basal or alt.; simple; mostly heart-shaped; smooth edges (entire although could be lobed) some evergreen

Flowers:
1) K(3) C0 A6-36 Ğ(4-6)
2) Perfect, incomplete
3) No petals—sepals only; fused; often hard; stamens 6 or 12; Pistil inferior, 4-6 parted
4) Solitary or clustered
5) Often red or purple, often fetid, fly pollinated

Fruits: many seeded capsule

Leaves: usu. alt., some opp., varies: simple to divided; often basal rosettes, stem sap watery
or milky

Flowers:
1) Very different: What looks like a regular flower with more than 7 parts in really a tight head
of many tiny flowers. Two kinds of flowers: Ray (or ligule) and Disc (or tubular.) This is one
reason why Newcomb’s separates by “parts” rather than “petals”
2) Flowers in heads arranged in racemes or panicles
3) The parts that look like sepals are really bracts—called phyllaries forming an involucre
4) Sepals: many have a pappus (hairs at base of petals)
5) Petals: 5, tiny, fused, either flat (ray) or tubular (disk)
6) Stamens: 5, fused at top
7) Pistils: one 2-parted, can see 2 styles and inferior ovary

Fruits: achenes

Leaves: Basal or alt., simple or compound

Flowers:

1) Regular, perfect
2) Showy
3) Solitary, racemes, or clusters
4) Sepals separate, some petaloid
5) Petals separate, some very small (Caudophyllum)
6) Stamens, in two circles, anthers open in little flaps
7) Pistils 1 simple (not divided)

Fruits: berry or capsule

Leaves: alt., simple, entire, often bristly hairs on lvs & stems (ex. Mertensia)

Flowers:
1) Regular, complete, often bell-shaped; helicoids cymes or racemes
2) Sepals: 5 fused partly or fully
3) Petals: 5 fused partly or fully
4) Stamens: 5 opposite petals
5) Pistils: one 2-parted

Fruits: nutlet or achene

Leaves: usu. alt., bitter, pungent, watery sap, usually deeply lobed or pinnately compound, often basal rosette with diff shape

Flowers:
1) Perfect regular
2) Sepal 4, may fall early
3) Petals 4 in a cross, paddle or club shaped, long clawed
4) Stamens 6 (4 long 2 short)
5) Pistil 1 (2 parted)

Fruits: silicle or silique. Splits in 2 parts and seeds dispense. Usually lower ones fruit while upper still flowering

Leaves: Opp., simple entire, swollen nodes

Flowers:
1) K5(5) C5[0] A5-10 G (2-5)
2) Regular and us. complete (some genera lack petals)
3) Sepals: 5 separate or fused
4) Petals: 5 separate; fringed, notched or cut; may look like 10
5) Stamens: 5 or 10
6) Pistil: 2-5 parts, superior ovary
7) Infl: cyme or solitary

Fruits: Capsule (is incomplete: utricle—one seeded fleshy fruit

Leaves: alt., entire, sheathed bases, swollen nodes, succulent and mucilaginous, parallel veins

Flowers:
1) Perfect, usu. regular or slightly irreg.
2) Sepals: 3 usually green
3) Petals: 3 often blue, separate or united to form a tube. Often last only a day or less.
4) Stamens: 3 or 6, typically in 2 whorls of 3, but these are often reduced, modified, or sterile; often with brightly colored hairs
5) Pistils: 3 parted, usually only one fertile part; one stigma, superior ovary

Fruits: 2- or 3-parted capsule (loculicidal)

Dicentra cucullaria)

Leaves: alt. or basal, very finely dissected, juice clear & watery, stems brittle and fleshy

Flowers:
1) Perfect, irregular
2) Sepals: 2 tiny, fall early
3) Petals 4, outer petals spurred
4) Stamens 4-6
5) Pistil: 1 (2 parted)

Fruits: pod-like capsule

Leaves: opposite or alternate
–deeply palmately lobed
–palmately veined
–many stipulate, opp. or alt.

Flowers: regular, perfect
•Loose cluster (cyme), axillary or solitary
–Sepals: 5 separate or basally connected
–Petals: 5 separate, us overlap
–Stamens: us 10 in two whorls
•filaments basally connected, sometimes 5 or 15
–Pistil: 1
•usually 5 parted sometimes 3 parted

Fruits: schizocarp

Leaves: alt. or opp., often deeply lobed

Flowers:
1) Regular, complete, usually bell-shaped
2) Sepals: 5 fused at base
3) Petals: 5 fused, some only at base, others almost all
4) Stamens: 5 opp petals
5) Pistils: one, 2-parted

Fruits: 2-parted capsule

Leaves: linear, simple, entire, parallel veins, stiff, often pointed, sheathing, basal, overlapping and folded

Flowers:
1) Perfect, regular
2) Sepals: 3 fused at base and droop, colored as petals
3) Petals: 3 fused and fused with sepal, upright
4) Stamens: 3 often lie on petals
5) Pistils: 1 3-parted, inferior ovary

Fruitss: 3-parted capsule

Leaves: opp., usu. simple, often toothed or lobed; square stems

Flowers:
1) Perfect; Irregular, bi-labial, racemes, spikes, axillary
2) Sepals: 5 fused at base, 2-lipped (2/3)
3) Petals: 5 fused at base, 2-lipped (2/3)
4) Stamens: 2 or 4
5) Pistils: one 2-parted

Fruits: four nutlets sitting in the sepals, like eggs in a nest

Smilax spp.; Trillium spp.; Trout Lily (Erythronium spp); Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum); Solomon's Plume (Maianthemum racemosum); Onion (Allium spp.) 

Leaves: usu. long narrow entire parallel veins, basal or alt.

Flowers:
1) usually perfect, regular, 3 or 6 parted, some fused
2) single, raceme or loose umbels
3) Sepals: 3 (often colored like petals (Tepals))
4) Petals: 3
5) Stamens: 6
6) Pistils: 1 3-parted, ovary usually superior

Fruits: capsule or berry

Leaves: oval, sheathing base, entire, prominent parallel veins, basal or alternate, usually sessile

Flowers:
1) Usually perfect, irregular, solitary, spike, raceme, or panicle
2) Sepals: 3 green or colored, similar in appearance
3) Petals: 3, the lower one usually larger and different (spurred, lipped or pouched)
4) Stamens: 3, but only 1 or 2 with anthers, fused to style, whole structure called column or gynandrum. pollen in a simple waxy mass called a pollinium.
5) Pistils: one 3-parted inferior ovary, Perianth (sepals and petals) fused to the top of the ovary

Fruits: capsule, usu. 6-sided
1) produce large quantities of seeds that are extremely small and dust-like that contain little or no nutrients to support the embryo.

Leaves:
1) Clover like: 3 parted compound palm or pinnate
2) Each leaflet heart shaped and bends in middle.
3) Have oxalic acid (tart, lemony, edible)

Flowers:
1) Sepals 5 separate
2) Petals 5 fused at base or separate
3) Stamens, 10 fused at base and opposite petals
4) Pistil. One with 5 parts

Fruits: Upright capsule, 5-angled, splits open and explodes when ripe

Leaves: usu. alt., often deeply lobed, colored sap

Flower:
1) Perfect, regular, many showy, solitary
2) Sepals 2-4 fall early
3) Petals 4-12, wrinkled in bud
4) Stamen many 12+
5) Pistil 1 (2 parted)

Fruits: Capsule

Leaves: opp. and simple except Polemonium which are pinnately divided

Flowers:
Phlox have petals fused at base into narrow tubes then separate lobes; twisted buds; Polemonium have bell-shaped flowers
1) Complete, regular, fused petals; loose cymes
2) Sepals: 5 fused only at base so look separate
3) Petals: 5 fused at least at base, often at least half way
4) Stamens: 5 opposite petals
5) Pistils: one, 3-parted
6) Stamens and Pistils may be hidden inside the tube (Phlox)

Fruits: 3-parted capsule

Leaves: simple, entire, opp or alt or basal, succulent, fleshy leaves and stem

Flowers:
1) K2 C4-6 A4-∞ G (2-8)
2) Regular, complete
3) Sepals 2, green
4) Petals 4 or 5, separate or touching at base
5) Stamens 4-6 or 8-12, opposite of petals, some lie on petals
6) Pistils 2-8 parted fused
7) In racemes, cymes or axillary
8) Many genera open only in sun and closed if cloudy

Fruits: capsule

Leaves: alt. or basal, uss. divided—often palmately compound, stem and basal may be different; sheath at base of petiole attached to main stem.

Flowers:
1) K3-x C0-∞ A∞ G (3-∞)
2) Regular, some irregular (delphinium); perfect, some imperfect (Thalictrum), many incomplete (Hepatica)
3) Sepals 5+ petaloid, most yellow and shiny
4) Petals 0-∞
5) Stamens numerous in a spiral arrangement
6) Pistil. Undivided but 3-many small pistils on an elongated receptacle (thimble shaped). Together with stems a bushy cluster
7) Solitary, raceme, loose cluster

Fruits: Aggregate of achenes, follicles or berries

Leaves:
1) Usually Alternate
2) Toothed, many compound.
3) May have stipules or thorns (modified stipules)

Flowers:
1) Sepals – 5 touching or joined at base
2) Petals-5 separate
3) Stamens-usually 5 or 10
4) Pistil: 5-parted or many pistils on receptacle or only 1 pistil in prunus

Fruits: depends on genus: achene, pome, drupe, hips, follicle (spirea)

Leaves: simple, opp. or whorled, stipules often leaf-like

Flowers:
1) Perfect, regular (some bilabial) small, tubular with flaring radiate lobes
2) Sepals: usually 4, sometimes 5
3) Petals: usually 4, sometimes 5
4) Stamens: usually 4, sometimes 5
5) Pistils: one 2-parted
6) K(4-5) C4-5 A4-5 Ğ1(2)

Fruits: capsule, berry or drupe

Leaves:
1) Basal and usually alternate
2) usually simple, often lobed or toothed

Flowers:
1) Sepals usually 5 rarely joined at base in a cup-hypanthium
2) Petals usually 5 often short, rarely absent
3) Stamens 5 or 10, clawed
4) Pistil 2 parted or 5 separate, ovary superior or inferior, depends on genus

Fruits: capsule

By doctrine of similars, the roots of some species resemble scrofulus tumors, hence the plants are used as a cure.

Some species are semi-parasitic.

Leaves: simple, usu. opp., stem round except Mimulus which is square,

Flowers:
1) Perfect, irregular (bilabial or 4th petal smaller); spikes, racemes, or in axils
2) Sepals: 5 fused at base
3) Petals: 4 or 5 fused at base
4) Stamens: usually 4 or 2; if 5 one is sterile (beardtongue)
5) Pistils: 1, 2-parted (not 4-lobed ovary as in mints)

Fruits: capsule or berry (mints are nutlets)

Leaves: simple alt. or basal, toothed or lobed,
–stipulate

Flowers:

Sepals 5 separate, usually unequal
–Petals 5 separate, usually irregular
•one (lower) spurred
•Lateral often bearded
–Stamens 5 in a tight ring around pistil
–Pistil 1 usually 3 parted
–2 small bracts
•Closed cleistogamous flower: beneath leaves, self pollinate, bud-like no petals, concealed

Fruits: 3-parted capsule or berry