A N F Keys
1 Stipules present, a conspicuous, membranous cylinder sheathing stem internode (ocrea)
2 Leaves opposite on trailing shoots, blades fan-shaped and conspicuously 2-lobed; flowers unisexual (bisexual), axillary, pistillate flower enclosed by involucre having 2 veiny, comblike wings .. Pterostegia drymarioides [pics]
2' Leaves helically alternate, blades neither fan-shaped nor 2-lobed; flowers unisexual or bisexual, never enclosed in involucre (bracts)
3 Plants with clusters of unisexual flowers and fruits in each branch fork; achene embedded within a hard perianth tube, burlike with outer 3 lobes (tepals) being curved spines .. Emex spinosa [pics]
3' Plants with mostly bisexual flowers, with terminal inflorescence and sometimes also axillary inflorescence but not flowering at every branch fork; achene loosely enclosed or not by a persistent perianth, sometimes perianth spinescent but never hard or burlike
4 Perianth of 5 petal-like parts, enlarging only slightly in fruit, lobes white, pink, or rose
5 Plants ascending to erect, 20+ cm tall; blades 8−80 mm wide; dense spikelike panicle of condensed cymes .. Persicaria
5' Plants matlike on ground; blades 1.5−9 mm wide; axillary or terminal condensed cymes .. Polygonum
4' Perianth of 6 parts arranged as lobes in dimorphic 2 whorls, lobes mostly green and inner whorl often forming 1 or more tubercles by enlargement of the midvein .. Rumex
1' Stipules absent
6 Involucre containing a cyme of 2+ flowers, the flowers on pedicels and at anthesis exserted from tubular to bell-shaped involucre
7 Bract subtending involucre entire; involucre many-flowered and lacking spines .. Eriogonum
7' Bract subtending involucre or cluster of involucre 3-lobed; involucre with 2−6 flowers, spiny .. Mucronea californica [pics]
6' Involucre enclosing typically 1 sessile to subsessile flower, awns present on involucre
8 Involucre 6-lobed and urn-shaped, showy perianth lobes usually exposed from involucre at anthesis; perianth 6-lobed; stamens 9 .. Chorizanthe
8' Involucre of 3 bracts fused only at base, perianth lobes not showy and having hooked awns; perianth 5-lobed; stamens 3 .. Lastarriaea coriacea [pics]
1 Involucre with hooked awns, at anthesis tube 2−3 mm long, grayish pubescent with strigose-villous hairs; perianth lobes pale to dark pink or purplish pink (white) .. Chorizanthe staticoides [pics]
1' Involucre with straight awns, at anthesis tube (1.5−)1.7−2 mm long, sparsely puberulent; perianth lobes white .. Chorizanthe parryi var. fernandina [pics]
Eriogonum Michx.
WILD BUCKWHEAT
1 Involucres typically 1(−2) per node
2 Taprooted annuals, mostly 1-stemmed at base (sometimes several-stemmed in E. gracile); involucre appearing mostly glabrous
3 Stems 6-ridged; involucre conic to cup-shaped, 1.4−2.5 mm long, minutely glandular-hairy; flowers en masse appearing rose-purple; perianth with "clawed" lobes; filaments glabrous .. Eriogonum angulosum [pics]
3' Stems cylindric; involucre vase-shaped, appearing glabrous, internally tomentose; filaments short-pilose at base
4 Involucre 2−3.5 mm long; perianth ca. 1.5 mm long, lobes yellowish green with green or rose-red midstripe (outer whorl) and white (pinkish) with yellow-green midstripe, both aging yellow with red midstripe .. Eriogonum gracile var. gracile [pics]
4' Involucre 4−4.5 mm long; perianth typically at least 2 mm long, lobes white with green midstripe or outer whorl aging reddish with dark red midstripe .. Eriogonum cithariforme var. agninum [pics]
2' Perennials; involucres densely white-woolly
5 Perennial herb to subshrub with long, whiplike, photosynthetic axes 60−150 cm tall; involucre (4−)6−7 mm long .. Eriogonum elongatum var. elongatum [pics]
5' Subshrubs with densely white-woolly foliage (at least on lower surface), 10−50 cm tall
6 Involucres 3−4 mm long, fringed with 5−8 erect lobes; flowers bright yellow to bright greenish yellow; perianth tube funnel-shaped from short-stalked base .. Eriogonum crocatum [pics]
6' Involucres 2−3 mm long, with 5 lobes appearing fused by dense white wool; flowers white; perianth tube broadly funnel-shaped but lacking stalked base .. Eriogonum wrightii var. membranaceum [pics]
1' Involucres typical 2+ per node
7 Evergreen shrub with long shoot-short shoot organization, having linear to elliptic-linear or oblanceolate-linear leaves blades 1−3.7 mm wide with strongly inrolled margins (revolute)
8 Stems and inflorescence axes, surfaces of blades, and involucre tomentose to villous-tomentose; lobes of perianth with hairs .. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum [pics]
8' Stems and inflorescence axes, surfaces of blades, and involucre glabrous to glabrate; lobes of perianth without hairs ......Eriogonum fasciculatum var. fasciculatum
7' Shrubs having blades lanceolate or ovate to elliptic or oblong, (4−)6−50 mm wide
9 Plants with long shoot-short shoot organization; blades with strongly inrolled margins, at maturity upper surface dark olive green and glabrescent, lower surface densely white-woolly; lobes of perianth lacking hairs .. Eriogonum parvifolium [pics]
9' Plants lacking long shoot-short shoot organization; blades lacking inrolled margins, both surfaces conspicuously grayish and tomentose; lobes of perianth having hairs
10 Petioles 1−15 mm long; involucres in dense, ball-like clusters to 30 mm across; flowers 4−5 mm across .. Eriogonum cinereum [pics]
10' Petioles 10−30 mm long; involucres borne in an extremely large and flat-topped inflorescence to 600 × 600 mm with 8+ orders of branching; flowers 2.5−3 mm across .. Eriogonum giganteum var. giganteum [pics]
Persicaria (L.) Miller
SMARTWEED,
KNOTWEED
1 Aquatic perennial herbs forming shoreline and shallow water clones by rhizomes and horizontal stolons (erect unbranched shoot from each stolon node); shoots ± glabrous and not gland-dotted, strigose on young ochreas and sometimes bristly-ciliate; panicle of cymes 40−110 × 8−17 mm, densely stalked-glandular; perianth 4−5.5 mm long, not gland-dotted; filaments 2.7−4 mm long .. Persicaria amphibia [pics]
1' Annuals or perennial herbs, often growing along wet banks, if perennial with a short rhizome, but never forming stolons; panicle of cymes < 8 mm diameter; perianth to 3 mm long; filaments to 1.2 mm long
2 Ocreas, blade surfaces, and perianth gland-dotted; ocreas bristly-ciliate 1−3 mm long; panicle of cymes 30−120 × 6−8 mm, appearing somewhat interrupted; perianth green with white margins (pinkish) .. Persicaria punctata
2' Ocreas not gland-dotted; panicle of cymes not interrupted; perianth 1.5−2.3 mm long, white (P. maculosa appears pink or rose in bud but perianth later mostly white)
3 Shoots with most blades having a light purplish red blotch on upper surface (fading); panicle of cymes ascending, 12−45 × 6−8 mm, lacking glandular hairs .. Persicaria maculosa [pics]
3' Shoots having stems with conspicuous purplish red spots; panicle of cymes arching or nodding, 25−60 × 3−6.5 mm, in range with stalked glandular hairs .. Persicaria lapathifolia [pics]
1 Plants mat-forming with radiating shoots resting on the ground, leafy throughout, having leaves overtopping and somewhat concealing short, axillary, spikelike cymes; achenes somewhat dull and rough to minutely bumpy .. Polygonum aviculare subsp. depressum [pics]
1' Plants with decumbent to ascending shoots, upper portions with leaves greatly reduced, leaves not overtopping or concealing axillary, spikelike cymes; achenes glossy and smooth .. Polygonum argyrocoleon
1 Individual plants with only staminate or only pistillate flowers (dioecious), clonal so that only 1 sex may occur in a local population, to 45 cm tall; blades oblanceolate to narrowly obovate with a pair of basal lobes (hastate), 30−57 × 8−12 mm .. Rumex acetosella [pics]
1' Individual plants with bisexual flowers but sometimes mixed with smaller pistillate flowers
2 Perennial herbs and several-stemmed at base; basal rosette absent and cauline leaves lanceolate (willowlike); lobes of inner perianth on fruit < 15 mm wide
3 Inner perianth whorl on fruit lacking tubercles .. Rumex californicus [pics]
3' Inner perianth whorl on fruit having 1 tubercle .. Rumex salicifolius [pics]
2' Plants with both basal and cauline leaves
4 Annuals typically < 30 cm tall; ocrea 3−7 mm long; in fruit margins of inner lobe of perianth with 1−3 widely spreading and widely spaced bristlelike teeth .. Rumex persicarioides [pics]
4' Perennial or biennial herbs in fruit typically > 30 cm tall; ocrea 10+ mm long; in fruit margins of inner lobe of perianth entire to toothed but teeth not fine and bristlelike
5 Inner perianth lobes ± entire
6 Fruiting perianth (valves) deltate-ovate, 4−5.3 mm long and veiny, rounded at tip, and having 3 tubercles of different sizes .. Rumex crispus [pics]
6' Fruiting perianth (valves) oblong to tongue-shaped, 2−3 mm long, obtuse at tip and with narrow perianth margin having 3 large, subequal tubercles covering most of perianth width .. Rumex conglomeratus [pics]
5' Inner perianth lobes with at least several coarse teeth below midpoint
7 Blades 150−430 mm long, generally cordate at base; on fruit, tubercles 3, the largest lanceoloid and only to midpoint, teeth absent above midpoint .. Rumex obtusifolius [pics]
7' Blades typically truncate to tapered at base
8 Inflorescence branches spreading; in fruit, teeth of inner perianth lobe not wider at base, 0.3−2.5 mm long .. Rumex pulcher
8' Inflorescence branches ascending; in fruit, teeth of inner perianth lobe wider at base, 0.2−1.5 mm long
9 In fruit, inner perianth lobe 6+ mm long, round, generally cordate, teeth 0.2−0.5 mm long, each much wider at base .. Rumex kerneri
9' In fruit, inner perianth lobe 3.5−5 mm long, round-ovate to triangular-ovate, truncate or ± cordate at base, teeth 0.2−1.5 mm long, each ± wider at base .. Rumex stenophyllus [pics]
NB. In range there are many forms of Rumex, in disturbed but also wetland habitats, and they have not been studied adequately to determine with certainty which species are present and what are their names. At least eleven species, and up to fourteen taxa, may be present in range, including names occurring on herbarium sheets that may not be correctly identified. Hence, the above key likely will not help the user much until species identities can be clarified. The above key is simply a place holder.
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