General Key to the Families
| PLANTS WITHOUT FLOWERS | |
| Ferns and their Allies | |
| Leaves large, fern-like. | |
| Sporanges in a spike or panicle above the sterile leaf. | Ophioglossaceæ. |
| Sporanges borne in sori, on the backs or margins of the leaves | Polypodiaceæ. |
| Leaves small, reduced to scales. | |
| Stems erect, hollow, jointed, rush-like; leaves reduced to sheaths | |
| at the joints; sporanges in the terminal, cone-like spike. | Equisetaceæ. |
| Stems not hollow, creeping; leaves numerous, scale-like; sporanges | |
| of one kind, solitary in the axils of the leaves. | Lycopodiaceæ. |
| Stems creeping, moss-like; leaves numerous; sporanges of two kinds | |
| in the axils of the upper leaves, which are formed into a | |
| quadrangular spike. | Selaginellaceæ. |
| PLANTS WITH FLOWERS | |
| Woody Stemmed Plants; Trees, Shrubs, and Vines | |
| TREES OR SHRUBS WITH RESINOUS JUICE; LEAVES USUALLY EVERGREEN. | |
| Fruit a cone, either dry or berry-like. | Pinaceæ. |
| Fruit a fleshy crimson berry. | Taxaceæ. |
| TREES, SHRUBS, OR VINES WITH WATERY JUICE. | |
| Leaves deciduous. | |
| Flowers in catkins. | |
| Staminate and pistillate catkins on different plants; | |
| seed with white, silky hairs. | Salicaceæ. |
| Staminate and pistillate catkins on the same plant; | |
| fruit cone-like. | Betulaceæ. |
| Flowers not in catkins. | |
| (A) Trees. | |
| Leaves simple, not lobed; flowers white. | Drupaceæ. |
| Leaves lobed; flowers greenish-yellow. | Aceraceæ. |
| Leaves pinnate; flowers white. | Pomaceæ. |
| (B) Shrubs or vines. | |
| *Stems spiny erect or trailing. | |
| (a) Leaves simple or lobed. | |
| Flowers small in dense terminal racemes. | Araliaceæ. |
| Flowers few in axillary clusters or racemes. | Grossulariaceæ. |
| (b) Leaves pinnate or palmate. | Rosaceæ. |
| **Stems not spiny but with minute scales; | |
| fruit silver, scarlet or orange berries. | Elæagnaceæ. |
| ***Stems erect, smooth. | |
| (a) Petals distinct. | |
| †Leaves simple. | |
| Flowers small, in flat heads or clusters. | |
| Petals 4; stamens 4. | Cornaceæ. |
| Petals 5; stamens numerous. | Rosaceæ. |
| Flowers in axillary clusters or racemes; petals 5; stamens numerous. | |
| Fruit a berry. | Drupaceæ. |
| Fruit a pome. | Pomaceæ. |
| ††Leaves pinnate; flowers yellow. | Rosaceæ. |
| (b) Petals united. | |
| Flowers small, short-campanulate in axillary | |
| or terminal heads. | Caprifoliaceæ. |
| Flowers large, funnel-form, in terminal | |
| or axillary clusters. (Azaleastrum) | Ericaceæ. |
| Flowers bell or urn-shaped, few, axillary | Vacciniaceæ. |
| ****Stems creeping or twining, smooth or hairy. | |
| Flowers with distinct petals, blue or purple. (Atragene). | Ranunculaceæ. |
| Flowers with united petals. | |
| Corolla tubular. | Caprifoliaceæ. |
| Corolla bell-shaped. | Ericaceæ. |
| Leaves evergreen; shrubs or vines. | |
| Leaves pinnate; flowers yellow. | Berberidaceæ. |
| Leaves simple. | |
| Flowers inconspicuous; fruit a black berry. | Empetraceæ. |
| Flowers showy, open, campanulate or urn-shaped, | |
| white or pink. | Ericaceæ. |
| Herbaceous Plants | |
| Plants without leaves. | |
| Parasitic on branches or stems of evergreens. | Loranthaceæ. |
| Not parasitic on trees; roots coral-like. (Corallorhiza) | Orchidaceæ. |
| Plants with leaves. | |
| Leaves parallel-veined. | |
| (A) Flowers small, collected on a spadix. | Araceæ. |
| (B) Flowers not collected on a spadix. | |
| *Flowers regular; corolla lobes 6; stamens 6. | |
| (a) Leaves grass-like, mostly at the base. | |
| Flowers white or greenish. | Melanthaceæ. |
| Flowers pink. (Allium). | Liliaceæ. |
| Flowers blue. (Sisyrinchium). | Iridaceæ. |
| (b) Leaves not grass-like, mostly on the stem. | |
| Flowers white or pink. | Convallariaceæ. |
| Flowers green. | Melanthaceæ. |
| Flowers yellow or orange. | Liliaceæ. |
| Flowers red or wine-color. (Kruhsea.) | Convallariaceæ. |
| **Flowers irregular, frequently with broad or inflated lip and spur. | Orchidaceæ. |
| Leaves not parallel-veined. | |
| (A) Flowers small, in close heads surrounded by an involucre. | |
| Flowers all alike, florets ligulate. | Cichoriaceæ. |
| Flowers not alike, central ones tubular, marginal usually with rays. | Carduaceæ. |
| (B) Flowers in umbels at the ends of the stems or branches. | |
| Umbels broad, flat or nearly so, flowers white, yellow, or purple. | Apiaceæ. |
| Umbels round. | |
| Flowers greenish; leaves compound. | Araliaceæ. |
| Flowers white or pink; leaves simple. (Eriogonum.) | Polygonaceæ. |
| (C) Flowers not in umbels. | |
| *Flowers regular. | |
| (a) Flowers with 2 sepals and 5 petals; corolla pink. | Portulacaceæ. |
| (b) Flowers with 3 sepals and 3 petals; seeds triangular. | Polygonaceæ. |
| (c) Flowers with 4 sepals and 4 petals. | |
| Stem angular; leaves in whorls. | Rubiaceæ. |
| Stem round; leaves not in whorls | |
| Stamens 6, erect. | Brassicaceæ. |
| Stamens 8, spreading. | Onagraceæ. |
| (d) Flowers with 5 sepals or petals, distinct. | |
| †Stamens as many or twice as many as the corolla lobes. | |
| Stems swollen at the nodes. | Caryophyllaceæ. |
| Stems not swollen at the nodes | |
| Stem leaves numerous, entire, thin; flowers in | |
| terminal or axillary clusters, white or greenish. | Santalaceæ. |
| Leaves basal, entire; flowers solitary on a 1-leaved scape. | Parnassiaceæ. |
| Leaves mostly basal, lobed or cut; flowers in | |
| a close spike or head. | Saxifragaceæ. |
| Leaves and stems fleshy. | |
| Follicles 2. | Saxifragaceæ. |
| Follicles 4. | Crassulaceæ. |
| Leaves numerous, stiff, awl-shaped; stems low, tufted. | Saxifragaceæ. |
| ††Stamens more than twice as many as the corolla lobes | |
| §Leaves basal or mostly so. | |
| Leaves evergreen, simple or lobed, flowers yellow | |
| or white, solitary on naked scapes. (Dryas.) | Rosaceæ. |
| Leaves not evergreen, simple, lobed, or much divided | |
| Smooth. | |
| Stems erect or floating. | Ranunculaceæ. |
| Stems creeping. | |
| Flowers white or pink. | Rosaceæ. |
| Flowers yellow. | Ranunculaceæ. |
| Rough-hairy. | |
| Flowers yellow or pink. | Rosaceæ. |
| Flowers white, blue or purple. | Ranunculaceæ. |
| §§Leaves mostly on the stem. | |
| Leaves finely cut; stems creeping; flowers white. | Rosaceæ. |
| Leaves entire. | |
| Leaves bright green, black-dotted; flowers yellow. | Hypericaceæ. |
| Leaves glaucous, without black dots; flowers blue. | Linaceæ. |
| (e) Flowers with 5 sepals and 5 united petals or lobes. | |
| †Stamens 3; flowers small, in terminal clusters. | Valerianaceæ. |
| ††Stamens 5. | |
| Opposite to the corolla lobes. | Primulaceæ. |
| Alternate with the corolla lobes. | |
| Stems smooth, leafy; corolla campanulate. | |
| Stem leaves broad; flowers pink. | Apocynaceæ. |
| Stem leaves narrow; flowers blue. | Campanulaceæ. |
| Stems rough-hairy. | |
| Corolla salver-form; stamens included. | Boraginaceæ. |
| Corolla tubular; stamens exserted. | Hydrophyllacæ. |
| †††Stamens 10; flowers mostly in terminal heads or singly. | Pyrolaceæ. |
| **Flowers irregular. | |
| (a) Leaves all entire and basal, forming rosettes; flowers blue. | Lentibulariaceæ. |
| (b) Leaves all heart-shaped; flowers blue, white or yellow. | Violaceæ. |
| (c) Leaves not heart-shaped, simple or much cut, not pinnate. | |
| Stems square; flowers in close verticels in the axils of | |
| the leaves or in terminal heads. | Menthaceæ. |
| Stems round; flowers numerous in elongated terminal leafy heads | |
| or few on slender stems in the axils of the upper leaves. | Scrophulariaceæ. |
| (d) Leaves palmate; flowers blue in elongated spikes. | Ranunculaceæ. |
| (e) Leaves pinnately divided; flowers pea-like. | Papilionaceæ. |
| (f) Leaves compoundly lobed, not pinnate. | |
| Stems low, spreading, flowers small in dense terminal. | |
| or axillary spikes. | Papaveraceæ. |
| Stems erect; flowers drooping in open terminal heads, either showy and spurred | |
| or not showy and without spurs; leaves maiden-hair fern-like. | Ranunculaceæ. |
Alpine Flora
of the
Canadian Rocky Mountains