A N F Keys
CONVOLVULACEAE
MORNING GLORY
FAMILY
1 Plants with green leaves, not parasites
2 Flowers with corolla not obviously pleated in bud; styles 2 or essentially so, free or united at base, slightly unequal to equal
3 Creeping perennial herb with stolons; leaves with long petiole and kidney-shaped to heart-shaped blade 12−35 mm wide; flowers solitary and axillary, inconspicuous along buried stems, so plants often appearing only vegetative; ovary deeply 2-lobed .. Dichondra occidentalis [pics]
3' Halophytic perennial herb with ascending shoots and rhizomes; leaves with very short petiole and elliptic to lanceolate blade (1−)1.5−4(−6) mm wide; flowers solitary and axillary, evident in canopy with tubular white flowers; ovary not lobed .. Cressa truxillensis [pics]
2' Flowers with corolla pleated and twisted in bud; style 1
4 Blades on plant unlobed to symmetrically and asymmetrically 3-lobed, densely strigose; flowers brilliant blue when first open in morning turning rose-purple and closing in evening; stigma 1, capitate .. Ipomoea indica [pics]
4' Blades on plant unlobed or with spreading or backward-pointing basal lobes, nearly glabrous to hairy; flowers mostly white to pinkish or light purple, closing in the evening with greater pigmentation; stigmas 2, on slender branches
5 Bractlets 8.5+ mm long and relatively broad, at least partially concealing calyx (C. purpurata with long but narrow bractlets and not concealing calyx) .. Calystegia
5' Bractlets to 3 mm long and narrow, not concealing calyx .. Convolvulus
1' Plants nongreen parasites attached with haustoria to host plant, with slender, twining, orange to yellowish stems and lacking obvious leaves; flowers in dense clusters, with tubular white corolla and 2 unequal styles .. Cuscuta
1 Trailing perennial herbs of coastal dunes; blades fleshy and kidney-shaped to round, 20−60 × 20−70 mm, with rounded lobes, dark green; bractlets subtending flower (2) hiding calyx, 8.5−13 × 5−10 mm .. Calystegia soldanella [pics]
1' Perennial herbs of soil; blades not fleshy and having pointed lobes
2 Bractlets several mm below flower and not hiding calyx (tips somewhat overlapping calyx), narrowly lanceolate, 1.1−2.7 mm wide; inflorescences often with 2−3 flowers; corolla 20−36 mm long .. Calystegia purpurata subsp. purpurata [pics]
2' Bractlets < 1 mm below flower and hiding calyx, 4+ mm wide; inflorescences generally with only 1 flower
3 Plants not twining; blades deltate or with spreading basal lobes, 25−35 × 15−35 mm; corolla 20−30 mm long .. Calystegia collina subsp. venusta [pics]
3' Plants generally twining; blades typically > 35 mm long and mostly arrow-shaped
4 Bractlets ovate, 8.5−15 × 5.5−11 mm and slightly notched to obtuse at tip; corolla 35−43 mm long .. Calystegia macrostegia subsp. cyclostegia [pics]
4' Bractlets triangular-lanceolate, 17−19 × 6.5−7.5 mm and acute to acuminate at tip; corolla 25−40 mm long .. Calystegia macrostegia subsp. intermedia [pics]
1 Inconspicuous annual sometimes looped around adjacent plants; blades narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 1.5−6 mm wide; corolla 4−6 mm long, white with lavender (bluish) lobes .. Convolvulus simulans [pics]
1' Weedy, twining perennial vine on plants or along bare ground; blades ± arrow-shaped, 7−25 mm wide; corolla 15−20 mm long, white or with pink or light purple sectors exposed to sunlight .. Convolvulus arvensis [pics]
1 Stems threadlike, 0.15−0.3 mm diameter; flowers 3−4.3 mm across; calyx lobes acuminate-triangular; corolla tube 1.5−1.7 mm long and ovate lobes 1.5−2 mm long, with narrowly tongue-shaped appendages fringed at least at tip; in salt marsh, parasitic on Jaumea and Salicornia .. Cuscuta pacifica var. pacifica [pics]
1' Stems 0.4+ mm diameter; in various habitats, including coastal sand dunes, but not in salt marsh
2 Flowers 2.3−2.7 mm across; calyx lobes ovate-triangular; corolla tube 1.2−1.5 mm long and acuminate to acute lobes 1.1−1.7 mm long, with lobed, tongue-shaped appendages; along freshwater habitats, parasitic in range especially on Xanthium and Apium, with stems 0.5−1.3 mm diameter .. Cuscuta campestris [pics]
2' Flowers 4+ mm across
3 Stems 0.4−0.7 mm diameter; calyx ca. 2.5 × 1−1.3 mm, surface minutely bladderlike; corolla tube 2−2.5 mm long and lobes 2.7−3.8 mm, lacking appendages; stamens 5 with filaments 0.7−2 mm long and anthers 0.5−1.5 mm long; widespread, parasitic of common shrubs but also occasionally herbs .. Cuscuta californica var. papillosa [pics]
3' Stems 0.5−1.7 mm diameter; calyx 1.8−3.3 × 1.6−2.1 mm, surface not minutely bladderlike; corolla tube 3.1−4.5(−5) mm long, having spatulate appendages with fringed margins; stamens (4−)5 with filaments 0−0.2 mm long and anthers 0.6−0.8 mm long; parasitic mainly on Malosma but also Ceanothus spinosus and potentially neighboring shrubs .. Cuscuta subinclusa [pics]
The text of the above keys used with permission from
A Naturalist's Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills, California
© Copyright
Barry A. Prigge and Arthur C. Gibson
2013