CRASSULACEAE
Stonecrop Family
Ours annual herbs, elsewhere perennials or shrubs or treelets, usually succulent. Leaves alternate to opposite, whorled, or imbricate, simple, usually entire, estipulate. Flowers solitary or more commonly in cymose arrangements, in ours bisexual, hypogynous, usually perfectly (3-) 4- or 5- (6-) merous. Sepals free or slightly united. Petals free or briefly united, sometimes reduced or wanting. Stamens usually as many as the petals, in 2 whorls or as many as the petals and alternate with them. Carpels usually free (or sometimes united to about halfway), often with a nectary appendage near the base, each maturing into a longitudinally dehiscent follicle (fruit a capsule if carpels united); ovules 1 to many per carpel, placentation submarginal.
There are 33 genera and about 1,500 species nearly worldwide, especially common in the tropics but found in a great variety of habitats; 7 genera and 13 species in TX; 2 genera in our area, each represented by 1 species. (See also Penthorum of the Saxifragaceae, with slightly inferior ovary, sometimes treated in the Crassulaceae.)
Many species are cultivated as ornamental pot plants, ground covers, etc., especially members of the genera Sedum, Crassula, Sempervivum, Echeveria,
and Kalanchoë (Mabberley 1987).
1. Plants minute, more or less aquatic; leaves opposite; flowers minute, solitary in the axils; stamens as many as the sepals ............................................................................1. Crassula
1. Plants 3 cm or more tall, terrestrial; leaves alternate; flowers ca. 7 mm broad, in cymes; stamens twice as many as the sepals
......................................................................2. Sedum
1. CRASSULA L.
Texas plants small annuals to ca. 5 cm tall; stems creeping or erect. Leaves opposite, basally connate, oblong, fleshy. Flowers axillary, solitary or in glomerules, to ca. 2 mm long. Stamens as many as the sepals.
About 200 species worldwide; 2 in TX; 1 here.
Many species are grown as ornamentals.
1. C. aquatica (L.) Schoenl. Water Pigmy-weed. Tiny, inconspicuous, glabrous plants; stems spreading or decumbent to ascending, to 10 cm long,
sometimes free-floating, plants often forming tufts or mats. Leaves succulent, connate-perfoliate, linear or linear-oblong, 4 to 7 mm long (but drying much
smaller), entire. Flowers minute, (3-)4-merous, solitary in the axils, commonly sessile or subsessile at anthesis but pedicels often elongating in fruit or
sometimes longer to start with. Sepals 0.5 to 1 mm long, connate to about the middle; petals greenish white or sometimes pinkish, lance-elliptic, about
twice as long as the sepals; stamens shorter than the petals. Follicles longer than the sepals, free, ovoid, 1.5 to 2 mm long, with 1 to 8(10) seeds. Dry
mudflats, margins of ponds, shores, wet depressions, sometimes on rock. Present in our area but under-collected. E. and SE. TX; Newf. to WA, UT,
WY, and TX, S. to MD, AR, LA, and Mex. Apr.-Aug. [Tillaea aquatica L.; Tilleastrum aquaticum (L.) Britt.; Includes long-pedicelled plants known
variously as C. drummondii (T. & G.) Fedde, Tillaea drummondii (T. & G.), orTilleastrum drummondii (T. & G.) Britt.].
2. SEDUM L. Stonecrop, Orpine
Annual or perennial herbs, commonly succulent and/or with fleshy leaves. Leaves usually alternate (sometimes opposite or imbricate), the lowermost commonly deciduous by anthesis. Inflorescences compact to open, paniculate or 1-sided, terminal or axillary cymes; flowers 4- or 5-(6-)merous. Petals narrow, free or briefly united basally. Stamens twice as many as the sepals, mostly perigynous. Follicles arranged in a ring, often with their tips diverging, free or slightly united basally, each subtended by a basal scale and several- to many-seeded.
About 600 species of N. temperate regions and tropical montane areas; 5 in TX; 1 here.
Many are cultivated for ornament, e.g. S. spectabile, commonly grown as a border plant, and S. morganianum, a hanging-basket plant. Some have edible
leaves or are used in herbal remedies (Mabberley 1987).
2. S. nuttallianum Raf. Yellow Stonecrop. Annual from shallow, slender roots; stems 4 to 13 cm tall, 1 to several from the base, thin, branched above the middle, commonly tufted in appearance; herbage glabrous. Leaves alternate, succulent, linear-oblong, 4 to 19(23) mm long (drying much shorter!), subterete, acute, sessile. Cyme 2- to 5-forked, branches 1 to 5 cm long; flowers ca. 7 mm broad, star-shaped, sessile or very short-pedicelled, alternate with reduced leaves. Sepals fleshy, ovate, obtuse, 2 to 3 mm long; petals bright clear yellow, lanceolate, acute, slightly longer than the sepals. Carpels 4 or 5, 2 to 3 mm long, widely diverging in fruit, tipped with short subulate style beaks 0.3 mm long. In shallow soil, common on or near sandstone and granite, but also in pastures and on clay soils; in our area often on the fine sands of the Carrizo formation or associated with rock outcrops or very sandy areas. Primarily on the Ed. Plat, NE to Hopkins Co.; MO and AR to KS and TX. Apr.-July. [S. torreyi G. Don.].
The leaves are edible raw, steamed, boiled, or pickled and are said to be crisp, tart, and good in salads or with other greens (Tull 1987).
SAXIFRAGACEAE
Saxifrage Family
As treated here without woody taxa currently segregated to Grossulariaceae, Hydrangeaceae, etc., usually perennial, sometimes annual herbs, sometimes rather succulent, rarely suffrutescent. Leaves usually alternate or sometimes all basal and stems scapose, simple to lobed, usually estipulate. Flowers in cymes, racemes, or solitary, usually regular and perfect, sometimes slightly irregular. Hypanthium well-developed, free or adnate to the ovary. Calyx lobes (3)4 or 5(6) sometimes represented by lobes on the hypanthium. Petals as many as the sepals and alternate with them, often attached to the hypanthium. Stamens as many as or twice as many as the stamens, usually on the rim of the hypanthium, in 2 whorls or 1 whorl staminodial or absent. Carpels 2 to 4(7), separate or basally connate, each with a separate stigma, marginal, axile, or parietal placentation, and several to many ovules. Fruit a capsule or, if carpels distinct, a group of follicles.
This group has ill-defined limits and many members have been assigned to other families at one time or another. As listed by Mabberley (1987), 36 genera and 475 species nearly worldwide, especially in N. temperate and cold areas; 5 genera and 8 species in TX, with woody taxa Fendlera, Fendlerella, and Philadelphus removed to the Hydrangeaceae and Itea and Ribesremoved to the Grossulariaceae; 3 herbaceous genera in our area, each with 1 species.
This family includes many taxa cultivated for ornament, including some fine rock garden plants. Cultivated genera include Bergenia, Heuchera, Tiarella,
Saxifraga, Astilbe, etc. (Mabberley 1987).
1. Plants minute, forming prostrate patches less than 4 cm broad ...............1. Lepuropetalon
1. Plants more robust, with erect stems ......................................................................................2
2(1) Leaves all in a basal rosette; gynoecium about 1/2 inferior; carpels longitudinally dehiscent .
...............................................................................................................................2. Saxifraga
2. Leaves cauline; ovary mostly superior; fruit circumscissile ..............................3. Penthorum
1. LEPUROPETALON ELL.
A monotypic genus, the plants sometimes placed in their own family, the Lepuropetalaceae.
1. L. spathulatum Ell. Very small annual herb forming small rosettes or tufts 1 to 3 cm broad, nearly completely flat; stems very short, usually branched
at the base, branches angled; herbage glabrous. Leaves alternate, sessile, spatulate, 2 to 6(10) mm long, obtuse to acute or apiculate, usually with red
glandular dots or short lines. Flowers inconspicuous but relatively large for the size of the plant, solitary at or near the ends of the stem and branches.
Hypanthium shallowly campanulate, at maturity longer than the calyx; calyx 1.5 to 2 broad, sepals 5, ovate-triangular, 1 to 2 mm long, spreading, unequal,
glandular like the leaves; corolla regular, minute, white, petals shorter than the sepals and somewhat unequal, reniform to ovate, scale-like; stamens 5,
filaments very short, subulate; ovary inferior, the 3 or 4 carpels united. Fruit a capsule ca. 2 mm long, with erect, spreading, follicle-like tips, dehiscing
loculicidally; seeds minute, oblong, red-brown, pitted or reticulate. Wet soils of sinks, pond margins, etc.; very easily overlooked; also said to grow on
powerlines (Mabberley 1987). E. 1/2 TX; SE. NC to GA, W. to TX and Mex., also Chile. [Author sometimes given merely as (Muhl.) Ell.; Pyxidanthera
spathulata Muhl. ].
2. SAXIFRAGA L. Saxifrage
About 300 species chiefly of N. temperate and subarctic regions; we have the 1 species found in Texas.
Many species are grown as ornamentals, often in rock gardens or hanging baskets (e.g.,S. stolonifera). Some have unusual traits such as secreting lime
water or reproducing via bulbils. Some are edible (Mabberley 1987).
1. S. texana Buckl. Texas Saxifrage. Perennial from a bulbous, corm-like root and a cluster of fibrous roots, plants 1 to several in clumps; flowering
stems solitary, more or less scapose, 5 to 15 cm tall, glabrous or with coarse white hairs basally, green or sometimes rose. Leaves ca. 4 to 8(10), all in a
basal rosette, 1 to 4 cm long, spreading, ovate to ovate-oblong, obtuse, basally abruptly narrowed into a petiole-like base, somewhat fleshy, glabrous or
with a few fine marginal hairs. Inflorescence terminal, of 3 to 6(8) cymules aggregated into tight heads 1 to 2 cm broad, branches of cymes 3 to 5 mm
long, slightly elongating in fruit. Sepals ovate to oblong, obtuse, 1.5 to 2 mm long, commonly rose, glabrous, erect or slightly spreading; petals white, the
nerves pinkish near the base, 2 to 3 mm long, elliptic to obovate, sometimes clawed; stamens 10, inserted at the same level as the petals and equalling or
longer than them; ovary about 1/2 inferior, of 3 or 4(5) united carpels with free, follicle-like tips ca. 3 mm long, the tips ascending or slightly spreading,
stigmas flat, capitate. Fruit dehiscent along the inner face of each carpel; seeds many, 0.7 to 1 mm long, fusiform. Seepage areas on rock, openings or
edges of woods, sometimes in fields, usually on sandy or sandy loam soil. Uncommon. E. TX; MO, KS, AR, OK, and TX. Feb.-Mar. [S. reevesii Cory;
Micranthes texana (Buckl.) Small].
3. PENTHORUM L. Ditch-stonecrop
2 or 3 species; 2 in Asia and 1 in N. America. Sometimes segregated in its own family, the Penthoraceae. Kartesz (1998) and GPFA (1986) included it in
the Crassulaceae. It certainly shares characters of both the Crassulaceae and the Saxifragaceae, where it was retained by Hatch, et al. (1990). It is retained
here in the Saxifragaceae because its non-fleshy habit and slightly inferior ovary make it more similar to our saxifrages than our stonecrops.
1. P. sedoides L. Perennial herb, stoloniferous and with fibrous roots along the lower stem; stems erect to sprawling, decumbent at the base, simple or
widely branching, 2 to 8 dm tall; herbage essentially glabrous below and stipitate-glandular in the inflorescence. Leaves alternate, short petiolate, lanceolate
or narrowly elliptic, acuminate at both ends, finely serrate, 5 to 10(15) cm long, 1 to 4 cm broad. Inflorescence a 2- to 6-branched cyme, the branches
scorpioid with the flowers secund on the upper side. Calyx lobes 5(6 or 7), green, erect or slightly spreading, ovate, acute; corolla none (rarely present but
inconspicuous); stamens 10, inserted with the sepals on the rim of the hypanthium; carpels 5 or 7, united in the lower half into a ring formation, slightly
recessed into the receptacle, 3 to 4 mm long, stigmas flat-capitate. Fruit a 5(7) -beaked, -angled, and -celled capsule, dehiscence circumscissile below the
beaks; seeds many, pinkish, ellipsoid, 0.7 mm long, echinate. Ditches, edges of water, along streams, and on wet ground. Uncommon but known from
Brazos and Robertson Cos.; E. and SE. TX; N. B. to MN, S. to FL and TX. Jun.-July.
ROSACEAE
Rose Family
Herbs, shrubs (sometimes rather vine-like), or trees, sometimes armed. Leaves alternate (in ours; elsewhere sometimes basal or rarely opposite), simple or pinnately or palmately compound, usually stipulate. Stipules fee or adnate to the petiole, sometimes caducous, reduced, or absent. Inflorescence quite various, occasionally reduced to a single flower. Flowers generally regular and perfect, perigynous or epigynous, sometimes nearly hypogynous; androperianth inserted on the rim of a variously-shaped hypanthium or floral cup in perigynous species, in epigynous taxa the hypanthium apparent as the outermost layer of the "ovary wall." Sepals generally 5 (3 to 8), usually free at the point of attachment to the hypanthium, often alternate with an equal number of bractlets and thus appearing "double", persistent or deciduous. Petals generally as many as the sepals (occasionally appearing more by doubling) or rarely absent, free at the point of attachment to the hypanthium, usually imbricate in bud, commonly deciduous. Stamens usually some multiple of 5, commonly 15 to many, in indistinct whorls of 5, often persistent. Carpels 1 to many, free or united, in epigynous taxa connate and also adnate to the hypanthium; ovules 1 to several per carpel. Fruit various, seed with little or no endosperm.
A large family of about 103 genera and 3,100 species worldwide, most common in the temperate and warm regions of the Northern Hemisphere; 23 genera and 83 species in Texas; 8 genera and 27 species possible in our area.
This very diverse family has traditionally been divided into subfamilies which have at times been treated as separate families. The divisions are based on characters of the gynoecium as follows:
Prunoideae--Ovary superior, unicarpellate; fruit a drupe. Ex. Prunus (peach, plum, apricot, cherry, almond, etc.)
Maloideae--Gynoecium inferior, of 2 to 5 united carpels; fruit a pome. Ex. Pyrus (pear),Malus (apple), and Cydonia (quince.)
Rosoideae--Gynoecium superior, of 2 or more separate, simple, uniovulate pistils, each maturing as a drupelet or achene. Ex. Rubus (blackberry, raspberry) with an aggregate of drupelets, Rosa (rose) with achenes borne within a somewhat fleshy hypanthium in a structure called a hip,; and Fragaria (strawberry) with achenes borne on the surface of an enlarged receptacle (often deemed and accessory fruit).
Spiraeoideae--Gynoecium superior, of 2 or more simple pistils, each with several to many ovules and maturing as follicles. Ex. Spiraea.
The family is important for a number of temperate fruits as mentioned above, and also for a great many ornamentals, including members of the genera Rosa, Photinia, Spiraea,Chaenomeles, Alchemilla, Potentilla, Crataegus, Cotoneaster, etc. (Mabberley 1987).
The following treatment includes native and introduced taxa, as well as those known to naturalize in our area. It should be remembered, however, that
many cultivated taxa are long-lived and may persist around old homesites without establishing offspring. Likely taxa include species of Chaenomeles
(flowering quince), Malus (apple, crabapple), Pyrus (pear), Prunus (plum, cherry), and Spiraea (bridal veil), among others.
1. Ovary inferior; fruit a pome .......................................................................................................2
1. Ovary or ovaries superior; fruit a drupe, achene, aggregate, etc ...........................................5
2(1) Plants evergreen to semi-evergreen, usually cultivated .........................................................3
2. Plants deciduous, native or cultivated ......................................................................................4
3(2) Plants armed; leaves less than 4 cm long .......................................................1. Pyracantha
3. Plants unarmed; leaves more than 4 cm long ......................................................2. Photinia
4(2) Fruit green or brownish at maturity, with grit cells; seeds with only a leathery or papery seed coat within the pericarp; thorns, if any, often with leaves or flowers ................3. Pyrus
4. Fruit red (rarely greenish) at maturity, without grit cells; seeds enclosed in a bony outer layer within the fleshy fruit; thorns without flowers or leaves
.............................4. Crataegus
5(1) Pistil 1; fruit a drupe ..................................................................................................5. Prunus
5. Pistils more than one; fruit a hip or an aggregate of drupelets or achenes ...........................6
6(5) Plants unarmed; fruit a cluster of achenes ................................................................6. Geum
6. Plants armed with prickles; fruit a hip or aggregate of drupelets ...........................................7
7(6) Pistils borne on the inside of a hypanthium; fruit a hip ................................................7. Rosa
7. Pistils borne on the surface of the receptacle; fruit a cluster of drupelets ..............8. Rubus
1. PYRACANTHA M. J. Roem. Firethorn
Shrubs, usually with stout thorns (modified spur shoots, often bearing leaves or flowers); leaves evergreen, simple, crenate or serrate to entire, in ours glabrous or glabrate, short petiolate. Flowers white, corymbose. Fruit a depressed-globose, orange or red pome with yellow-orange flesh; ovules usually 2.
Six species of SE. Europe and Asia; many cultivars exist, making identification difficult; our escaping or persisting specimens probably all assignable to the following.
1. P. coccinea M. J. Roem. Shrub to 2(5) m tall; young growth gray pubescent, becoming glabrous. Leaves lanceolate to oblong-ovate, to 2.5 (3) cm
long, serrulate or crenate to nearly entire, apically blunt or emarginate or minutely mucronate, glabrous and lustrous. Inflorescence finely pubescent, 2.5 to
3 cm broad. Flowers to ca. 8 mm broad; petals more or less orbicular. Fruit red or red-orange, ca. 5 to 6 mm long, depressed-globose. Flowering in
spring, the fruit ripening into fall. Many cultivars are grown. Very rarely escaping to vacant lots, fencerows, etc; usually in association with cultivated or
abandoned areas; native to SE. Europe.
2. PHOTINIA Lindl. Photinia
Shrubs (elsewhere trees). Leaves alternate, simple, entire to toothed, short-petiolate. Flowers white to cream, in terminal short panicles or corymbs. Sepals 5, persistent in fruit. Petals 5, orbicular. Stamens about 20. Ovary inferior. Fruit a depressed-globose, berrylike pome, red.
About 40 species from the Himalayas to Sumatra and Japan; several species cultivated for hedges or ornament; 2 grown in our area. Almost always merely
persisting where planted, though some collectors swear their specimens were taken "far away from any houses."
1. P. serrulata Lindl. [= Photinia serratifolia (Desf.) Kalkm.]) Shrub to 40 feet, usually smaller. Leaves evergreen, coriaceous, glabrous to subglabrous, oblong to oblanceolate, to 23 cm long, dark green above, paler beneath, serrate. Inflorescences creamy, 10 to 15 cm broad; petals glabrous. Fruit to 5 or 6 mm broad, red or rusty. Very rarely escaping. Flowering spring, the fruit remaining through the winter until the following spring when it falls or is eaten by birds.
NOTE: P. x fraseri Dress (P. glabra x P. serrulata)--Frasier or Red Tip Photinia--is also cultivated in our area. It is similar to P. serrulata, but smaller,
with leaves to 9 cm long. The new growth is bright red to copper-colored. The petals are pubescent within. As far as known, in our area only persisting
and not escaping.
3. PYRUS L. Pear
Trees or shrubs, young branches sometimes spine-like. Leaves alternate, deciduous (in ours), simple, often toothed or sometimes lobed (not ours), blades often involute, convolute, or folded in bud. Flowers usually showy, in umbel-like or corymb-like racemes, pedicellate, often unpleasantly scented. Hypanthium globose to obconic or somewhat urceolate, sometimes the mouth closed by a disk. Sepals 5. Petals 5, orbicular to obovate. Stamens many. Styles 2 to 5, free or briefly fused at the base, ovary inferior. Fruit a pome, the flesh with grit cells, carpels 2 to 5, the walls papery or cartilaginous; seeds usually 2 per carpel, seed coat thin and papery.
About 20 species of Eurasia and the Mediterranean; 1 species naturalized in Texas, which we have. Many species formerly in Pyrus have been moved to Malus (apples, crabapples) on the basis of their lack of grit cells in the fruit and the absence of any extrafloral nectaries (Mabberley 1987; Hatch, et al. 1990).
P. communis (see below) is the common pear eaten fresh or canned. The globose Asian pears are P. pyrifolia or derivatives. Pearwood has been much
used for carving and turnery, tool handles, and musical instruments such as recorders (Mabberley 1987).
1. P. communis L. Pear, Pera. Smallish tree to ca. 15 m tall; crown pyramidal when unobstructed; bark of mature trunk and branches scaly; branchlets
glabrous or glabrate. Leaves involute in bud (with both margins inrolled and not overlapping), blades to ca. 8 cm long, ovate to orbicular or rather elliptic,
acuminate, basally rounded to very broadly cuneate, margin crenate, often pubescent below and along margin when very young, quickly becoming glabrous;
petiole 2 to 5 cm long, slender. Flowers in umbel-like inflorescences commonly pubescent at anthesis; pedicels 1.5 to 3 cm long. Sepals ovate to
lance-ovate, acuminate, densely pubescent within; petals white, broadly oblong to obovate, to ca. 1.5 cm long; anthers often reddish; hypanthium closed by
a ring of tissue at the summit; styles free. Fruit pyriform to obovoid, in many varieties large (to 10 cm long) and juicy, in some varieties much smaller and
sometimes nearly globose, flesh with abundant grit cells. Thickets, margins of woods, river banks, old orchards or homesites, and fencerows. E. TX;
native of Eurasia; cultivated for fruit and persisting, escaping, and naturalizing from ME and MO, S. to FL and TX. Flowering Mar.-Apr.(May).
4. CRATAEGUS L. Hawthorn, Red Haw, Thorn
Shrubs or small trees, usually with thorny branches and often with exfoliating bark. Leaves alternate, simple, serrate to variously lobed, rarely nearly entire, those of the vegetative shoots usually differently shaped (larger and more strongly lobed) than those of the flowering shoots, all glabrous to variously pubescent or sometimes glandular; stipules of flowering shoots small, caducous, those of the vegetative shoots larger and more persistent. Flowers usually in corymbose or cymose arrangements on short lateral branches, the inflorescences sometimes reduced to a few or single flowers. Flowers regular, epigynous, hypanthium campanulate to obconic. Sepals 5, without intervening bractlets. Petals 5, white or sometimes pinkish, deciduous. Stamens 5 to 20, in 1 to 3 whorls, filaments filiform; anthers oblong, white, yellow, or pink/red. Styles 1 to 5, free. Ovary inferior, carpels fused or sometimes free at the very apex. Fruit a pome, variously colored and shaped, with 1 to 5 bony, usually 1-seeded stones (nutlets) within.
The genus Crataegus is a taxonomist's nightmare, the large number of true species being complicated by freely-reproducing presumed hybrids. Many species also reproduce via female gametophytic apomixis, the result being clonal colonies exhibiting all the characters of the female parent (Dickinson and Phipps 1986). Other taxa exhibit polyploidy.
Over 1,000 "species" have been named, primarily in North America, with experts able to apply names to numerous subtly variant forms. In recent years the trend has been to treat each series of closely related and very similar species as one large, rather variable species. The result is that most plants can be worked through a key with some degree of confidence. It is this practical, strictly "lumping" approach (Hatch, et al. 1990; Kartesz 1998) which is followed here. We have 5 of the 17 species listed by Hatch, et al. for TX (cf. 33 species listed for Texas by Correll and Johnston 1970).
The fruits of many species are edible and are especially suitable for making jams and jellies. Nearly-ripe fruits contain enough pectin that none need be added in preserving (Tull 1987). Some species are useful ornamentals, providing spring flowers, colorful fruit, and interesting exfoliating bark. The fruits of most are an important wildlife food.
NOTE: The most confident identifications are obtained by keying material from the same tree in both flower and fruit.
1. Major veins of the larger leaves extending to the sinuses as well as to the points of the lobes or teeth ............................................................................................................................2
1. Major veins of the larger leaves extending only to the points of the lobes or teeth ...............3
2(1) Leaves of flowering shoots generally spatulate to narrowly obovate, basally cuneate to attenuate, unlobed or only the leaves of the ends of the branches 3-lobed; anthers yellow; fruit globose; exterior of calyx glabrous or sparsely pubescent ...................1. C. spathulata
2. Leaves of flowering shoots generally broadly ovate (about as long as wide), basally rounded to cordate, deeply incised or lobed; anthers pink; fruit
oblong; exterior of calyx densely woolly ..................................................................................................2. C. marshallii
3(2) Leaves generally ovate to deltoid in overall outline, widest below the middle, base usually rounded to truncate or nearly cordate, softly and densely tomentose beneath throughout the season ..............................................................................................................3. C. mollis
3. Leaves generally narrowly obovate to cuneate or oblong to obovate, narrowed to the base, at most sparingly pubescent beneath ......................................................................................4
4(3) Leaves of flowering branches generally obovate to oblong-obovate, usually thick, firm, and highly glossy above; thorns often quite long, to 5 cm or more; nutlets generally 1 to 3(5) per fruit, flesh of fruit dry and remaining hard at maturity ...............................4. C. crus-galli
4. Leaves of flowering branches generally rhombic to obovate or ovate-ish, generally narrowed to the base, thin-textured and dull above; thorns shorter,
generally less than 5 cm long; nutlets 3 to 5 per fruit, flesh of fruit thin but juicy at maturity .................5. C. viridis
NOTE: Two more species may eventually be found here. C. brachyacantha Sarg. & Engelm. occurs just to the east of our area. It is easily distinguishable
by its blue fruits. C. berberifolia T. & G. occurs in E. TX. It has been reported (perhaps erroneously) from our area. It is similar to C.crus-galli as treated
here, but with the flowers and foliage pubescent when young and usually throughout the season. It is included in C. crus-galli in some works, e.g., GPFA (1986).
1. C. spathulata Michx. Pasture Haw, Littlehip Hawthorn. Shrub or small tree 5 to 7 m tall, branches usually horizontal, young branches glabrous to
pubescent; bark gray, smooth or exfoliating; thorns 0.5 to 4 cm long. Leaves of flowering branches generally spatulate to narrowly obovate, ca. 1 to 3 cm
long and ca. 1 cm broad, gradually and strongly tapered to the petiole, with several coarse or rounded teeth apically or with small lobes (usually 3) above
the middle, firm, glabrous, and glossy above, major veins more or less obscure, strongly ascending and somewhat parallel, at least some extending to the
sinuses between the lobes; leaves of vegetative shoots varying in shape from spatulate to elliptic, ovate, or rhomboid, larger and often more deeply lobed
than the leaves of flowering shoots; petioles ca. 1/4 to 1/2 the length of the blades, with leaf bases very narrowly decurrent along the length. Flowers
numerous in glabrous corymbose clusters, pedicels 3 to 8 mm long; blossoms 6 to 8 mm broad. Sepals deltoid to triangular-ovate, 1 to 2 mm long, entire
but ciliate, persistent in fruit; petals ca. 3 to 5 mm long; stamens 20, anthers yellow. Fruit globose, 4 to 7 mm long, red outside and with a soft, yellow
flesh; nutlets 3 to 5. Sandy or sandy clay soils of woods, fencerows, pastures, etc. E. part of TX; FL to TX, N. to S. MO and VA. Flowering Mar.-Apr.;
fruiting (Aug.-)Sept.-Nov. [C. microcarpa Lindl.].
2. C. marshallii Eggl. Parsley Hawthorn. Shrubs or small trees to 8 m tall; branches with thorns 1 to 3 cm long or thornless; bark thin and exfoliating
gray and tan or brown; younger branches sometimes reddish, branchlets pubescent when young. Leaves deltoid to broadly ovate in overall outline, about as
broad as long, basally rounded to truncate or cordate, apically acute, finely and sharply serrate, also deeply incised or lobed, usually with 2 or 3 pairs of
lateral lobes, these often again lobed or incised, pubescent when young, becoming glabrate above, paler beneath and remaining pubescent along the veins;
petioles slender, from about 1/2 as long as to longer than the blades. Flowers numerous in corymbose clusters, pedicels slender, pubescent, 0.5 to 1.5 mm
long; blossoms 1 to 1.5 cm broad. Hypanthium pubescent externally; sepals lanceolate (to oblong), 2 to 5 mm long, ca. 1 mm broad, glandular-serrate at
least apically, generally absent from fruit; petals (5)6 to 9(10) mm long; stamens 10 to about 20, anthers red. Fruit oblong to obovoid, 5 to 9 mm long, 4 to
8 mm broad, red; nutlets (1)2(3). Sandy woods, fencerows, pastures, roadsides, hillsides, etc. E. part of TX; VA to FL, W. to TX, N. in the Mississippi
valley to SE. MO. Flowering Mar.-Apr.; fruiting Sept.-Nov. [C. apiifolia Michx.].
3. C. mollis Scheele Downy Hawthorn, Red Haw, Summer Haw. Small tree to ca. 12 m tall, trunk to 3 dm in diameter, crown rounded; bark dark,
exfoliating; branchlets villous when young, becoming glabrous; thorns scattered, stout, or plants occasionally thornless. Leaves variable in shape, generally
ovate to deltoid or more or less rhombic or elliptic, (3)5 to 7(10) cm long, 3 to 8 cm broad, sharply or coarsely serrate, often with 3 to 5 pairs of lateral
lobes, leaves of vegetative branchlets sometimes laciniate, upper surface of all with short appressed hairs, becoming glabrate with age, lower surface
densely pale-tomentose, especially on the veins, becoming somewhat less hairy with age, but remaining strongly pubescent throughout the season; petioles
villous, generally shorter than the blades; stipules 10 to 15 mm long, pubescent and glandular. Flowers generally many in corymbose clusters, (1.5)2 to 2.3
cm broad; pedicels densely tomentose. Hypanthium villous externally; sepals lanceolate, glandular-serrate or -laciniate, villous, persistent; petals ca. 9 to 12
mm long; stamens usually 20 in 2 whorls, anthers yellow or pink. Fruit subglobose (to oblong or obovoid), 1.3 to 1.8 cm in diameter, scarlet to bright red,
often pubescent at least near the ends, topped by the shallow calyx, flesh soft or mealy at maturity; stones usually 5, yellowish, 7 to 7.5 mm long, the inner
faces flat to concave. Near streams in bottomland woods, in thickets, on hillsides, and known from rocky outcroppings. NE. and N. Cen. to S. Cen. TX;
Newf. and ME W. through Ont. to MN and ND, SW. through NJ, VA, and TN, S. to NE and OK. Flowering Mar.-Apr.; fruiting Aug.-Oct. [C.
berlandieri Sarg.; C. arnoldiana Sarg.; C. canadensis Sarg.; C. indurata Sarg.; C. dallasiana Sarg.;C. brachyphylla Sarg.; C. invisa Sarg.; C. submollis Sarg.;
C. quercina Ashe; C. lasiantha Sarg.; as treated here, including C.viburnifolia Sarg.; C. limaria Sarg.; C. brazoria Sarg.; and C. columbiana Sarg., but not C.
columbiana Howell, which is retained by Hatch, et al. as a separate species composed of part of C. mollis sensu Correll and Johnston.].
4. C. crus-galli L. Cockspur Hawthorn, Bush's Hawthorn. Shrub or small tree 4 to 6(8) m tall, branches widespreading, crown rounded or depressed;
bark dark, somewhat exfoliating; young branchlets glabrous; thorns 3 to 8 cm long, quite sharp, usually dark. Leaf blades of flowering branches generally
obovate, unlobed, basally cuneate, 2 to 6 cm long, 1 to 3.5 cm broad, serrate at least in the upper 1/2, glabrous, coriaceous, dark green and quite lustrous
above, leaves of vegetative shoots often larger (up to twice as large), ovate-ish to oblong-elliptic, coarsely dentate to serrate and sometimes lobed; petioles
0.3 to 3 cm long, glabrate and perhaps sparsely glandular; stipules of vegetative shoots oblanceolate, sparingly glandular, caducous. Flowers (5 to) many in
glabrous corymbose clusters; blossoms 1 to 1.5(2) cm broad. Hypanthium turbinate, glabrous, 2 to 2.5 mm long; sepals lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 3.5
to 5 mm long, entire or sparsely glandular-serrate, persistent; petals 7 to 8 mm long; stamens 10(20), anthers pink or pale yellow, sometimes red. Fruit
broadly oblong to slightly obovoid or ovoid, (6)8 to 10 mm in diameter, sometimes slightly 5-angled, greenish to dull red or scarlet, flesh thin and dry and
fruit remaining hard at maturity; nutlets 1 to 2(3 to 5), yellowish-brown, 6 to 8 mm long, the ventral faces flattened. Common in woods, thickets,
fencerows, pastures, hillsides, etc., often showing a preference for calcareous soils. N. Cen. and E. TX; NY and Que. W. to MN, S. to FL., W. to TX, OK,
E. KS, and IA. Flowering Apr.-May; fruiting (Aug.)Oct.-Nov. [Includes var. barettiana (Sarg.) E. J. Palm., var. bellica (Sarg.) E. J. Palm., and var.
pyracanthifolia Ait.; listed synonyms include C. bushii Sarg.; C. cherokeensis Sarg.; C.pyracanthoides Beadle; C. sabineana Ashe; C. sublobulata Sarg.; C.
hannibalensis E. J. Palm.; C. munita Sarg.; C. regalis Beadle and var. paradoxa (Sarg.) E. J. Palm.; C. tantula Sarg.; C. vallicola Sarg.; C. stevensiana Sarg.;
C. discolor Sarg.; C. canbyi Sarg.;C. acutifolia Sarg. C. berberifolia T. & G. is included by some sources, e.g. GPFA (1986). In that case, additional
synonyms include C. engelmannii Sarg.; C. reverchonii Sarg. and var. discolor (Sarg.) E. J. Palm.; C. edita Sarg. and C. berberifolia T. & G. var. edita
(Sarg.) E. J. Palm.].
5. C. viridis L. Green Haw or -Hawthorn. Shrub or small tree 3 to 12 m tall, branches slender and unarmed or else with thorns 1 to 4 cm long; bark dark
or pale gray, smooth or exfoliating to reveal an orange-brown inner bark; young branchlets glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Leaves variable, even on a
single plant, often asymmetrical, leaves of flowering shoots rhombic to oblong-elliptic or oven obovate, 2.5 to 5 cm long, 1.3 to 2.55 cm broad, finely
serrate, at least above the middle, leaves of vegetative shoots with blades still serrate but more ovate and deeply cut or lobed near the base, all dull green,
thin-textured, glabrous at maturity save for tufts of pale hair in the axils of the major veins below; petioles slender, glabrous or becoming so, 1.2 to 5 cm
long; stipules 5 to 6 mm long, with stalks 1. to 1.5 mm long, falcate. Flowers 5 to many in glabrous or pubescent corymbose clusters; blossoms 1.2 to 1.5
cm broad. Hypanthium glabrous or with a few hairs, turbinate, ca. 1.5 to 2.2 mm long; sepals triangular to lanceolate, 1.5 to 2 mm long, externally
glabrous, sometimes with glandular teeth; petals white; stamens 20, anthers yellow or reddish. Fruit subglobose (to ellipsoid or obovate), topped with the
persistent but fragile calyx, 5 to 8(10) mm in diameter, red to orange-red, the flesh juicy but thin; stones usually 5, yellow-brown, 5 to 6 mm long, the
ventral faces flattened. In alluvial soils or low, wet woods, also in prairies, sandy fields, and on sandy clay soils, etc. E. and S. Cen. TX; VA, IL, MO, and
SE. KS, S. to FL, and TX. Flowering Mar.-Apr.; fruiting (Apr.)Sept.-Nov. [Includes var. velutina (Sarg.) E. J. Palm., var. ovata(Sarg.) E. J. Palm., var.
lanceolata (Sarg.) E. J. Palm., var. lutensis (Sarg.) E. J. Palm. and forma abbreviata (Sarg.) E. J. Palm.;C. velutina Sarg.; C. abbreviata Sarg.; C. glabrius
Sarg.; C. glabriuscula Sarg.; C. anamesa Sarg.; C. antiplasta Sarg.; C.poliophylla Sarg.; C. stenosepala Sarg.; C. sutherlandensis Sarg. and var. spinescens
Sarg.; C. antimima Sarg.].
5. PRUNUS L. Plum, Cherry, Peach
Deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs, sometimes spreading by root sprouts or rhizomes; young branches sometimes spinose; winter buds with many imbricate scales. Leaves alternate, simple, usually serrate to serrulate or dentate, often with glandular teeth, sometimes entire or nearly so, convolute (rolled lengthwise) or conduplicate (folded lengthwise) in bud, in some species more or less conduplicate at maturity, variously pubescent to glabrous, petioles often with gland(s) at or near the juncture with the blade, or these actually on the lower margin or surface of the blade; stipules paired, lance-linear, deciduous. Flowers perigynous, regular, perfect, usually pedicellate, borne singly (rarely) or in racemes from the axils of previous year's leaves or on terminal new wood OR borne in corymbs or umbels on short spur shoots, appearing with or before the leaves. Hypanthium campanulate, urceolate, or obconic, with a thin disk, deciduous after anthesis or ruptured by the developing fruit. Sepals 5, spreading or reflexed. Petals 5, white (pink or red in cultivated species locally). Stamens 15 to 20, in 2 whorls around the edge of the hypanthium. Pistil 1, simple, biovulate, superior and free of the hypanthium, style 1. Fruit a 1(2)-seeded drupe with a thin or fleshy exocarp and a bony endocarp; stone subglobose or somewhat compressed.
More than 400 species, primarily temperate in distribution; 14 for TX; 6 to be found here.
The genus is important for cultivated stone fruits: peach--P. persica and the glabrous var.nectarina (nectarine), plum and prune--P. domestica, sour
cherry--P. cerasus, sweet cherry--P.avium, apricot--P. armeniaca, and almond--P. dulcis (P. amygdalus), as well as various regionally common plum
species. Many species are grown as ornamental shrubs or trees, including P.laurocerasus, P. yedoensis, P. cerasifera, P. subhirtella, P. mume, etc.
(Mabberley 1987). Some provide useful timber or veneer or are used medicinally (Mabberley 1987). The seeds (and sometimes also the foliage) of most
species are poisonous, containing compounds that release hydrocyanic acid (Lampe 1985). Many of our native species produce large crops of fruit,
providing a good source of food for birds and mammals (Elias 1980).
1. Plants with flowers, with or without mature leaves ..................................................................2
1. Plants with mature leaves, with or without flowers or fruit .....................................................7
2(1) Flowers in racemes ..................................................................................................................3
2. Flowers in umbels, corymbs, or solitary ..................................................................................4
3(2) Racemes dense, usually shorter than the leaves; leaves evergreen, entire or nearly so .......
........................................................................................................................1. P. caroliniana
3. Racemes rather loose, usually longer than the leaves; leaves deciduous, glandular- toothed ................................................................................................................2. P. serotina
var. serotina
4(2) Flowers sessile; petals pink; ovary pubescent. ...................................................3. P. persica
4. Flower definitely pedicellate; petals usually white, ovary glabrous ........................................5
5(4) Petals 6 to 7.5(10) mm long when fresh (often shrinking to ca. 5 mm when dry); sepals densely pubescent within; leaves with eglandular teeth; non-rhizomatous trees ....................
..........................................................................................................................4. P. mexicana
5. Petals to 3.5 to 6.5 mm long when fresh (often drying to less than 5 mm); sepals more or less glabrous to pubescent below the middle on the inner
surface; leaves with gland- tipped teeth (or teeth with scars where glands deciduous); rhizomatous shrubs or small trees ..........................................................................................................................................6
6(5) Calyx lobes more or less glabrous outside and glabrous within except at the base, entire; pedicel ca. 2 to 6(10) mm long at anthesis .................................................5. P. angustifolia
6. Calyx lobes finely pubescent on both sides, glandular toothed or entire; pedicel ca. 5 to 12(15) mm long at anthesis
.................................................................................6. P. gracilis
7(1) Leaves essentially entire, evergreen; fruits black at maturity, ovoid ............1. P. caroliniana
7. Leaves serrate, crenate, or dentate, deciduous; fruit red, yellow, or black at maturity .........8
8(7) Leaves 7 to 15 cm long, lance-oblong, often folded lengthwise; fruit pubescent; stone deeply furrowed and pitted ..................................................................................3. P. persica
8. Leaves shorter and/or proportionately wider, flat or folded (but if folded, then shorter); fruit glabrous, often glaucous; stone smooth to grooved or
slightly wrinkled ...............................9
9(8) Infructescence racemose; calyx persistent in fruit; stone globose ...................2. P. serotina
var. serotina
9. Infructescence umbellate (or fruits single through loss); calyx absent in fruit; stone usually longer than wide .....................................................................................................................10
10(9) Leaf teeth usually eglandular; small tree; usually at least some leaves more than 6 cm long; mature fruit 2 to 3 cm long .....................................................................4. P. mexicana
10. Leaf teeth gland-tipped (or with scars where glands deciduous); small tree or colonial shrub from rhizomes; leaves usually 6 cm long or shorter; mature
fruit 7 to 15(25) mm long .........................................................................................................................................11
11(11) Leaves densely pubescent below, flat, obtuse to acute, ovate to oval .............6. P. gracilis
11. Leaves glabrous beneath or somewhat pubescent along the midrib, commonly folded lengthwise, acute, lanceolate to oblong
......................................................5. P. angustifolia
1. P. caroliniana (P. Mill.) Ait. (Carolina) Laurel Cherry. (Shrub or) small or medium tree to 12 m tall; trunk to 30 cm. in diameter; bark at first smooth, becoming shallowly fissured and gray; branchlets slender, glabrous, brown to gray. Leaves evergreen, coriaceous and lustrous, glabrous, elliptic-lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 5 to 12 cm long, to 4 cm broad, basally cuneate to rounded, apically acute to acuminate, mucronate, essentially entire or with a few remote teeth, lower surface usually with (1)2 glands at the base, easiest seen as oily-looking spots on fresh material; petiole ca. 4 to 9 mm long, glabrous, minutely ridged with the decurrent margin of the blade. Inflorescences dense racemes in the axils of the previous year's leaves, racemes shorter than the leaves; flowers perfect or occasionally some aberrant and only staminate. Hypanthium campanulate or obconic, glabrous; sepals 1 to 1.5 mm long, obtuse; petals cream, 2 to 3 mm long, boat-shaped; stamens (10)15 to 20. Fruit ovoid to subglobose, at first green and maturing nearly black, 1 to 1.3 cm long, glabrous, the flesh thin, sometimes smelling strongly of cherry, maturing in the fall but often persisting until flowering the following season; stone ovoid, 0.9 to 1.2 cm long. Native in our area and probably also present as an escape from its cultivation as a shrub or hedge plant. Interiors and edges of woods, in fields, thickets, lowland areas, along bluffs and streams, etc. E. TX; coastal plain from NC to FL, W. to TX; also Berm. Flowering Feb.-Apr.; fruit maturing through the fall. [Laurocerasus caroliniana (Mill.) Raven].
The fruit is often eaten by birds, though it is inedible by humans. Deer eat the young leaves, but withered autumn leaves are poisonous to browsing
mammals (Elias 1980).
2. P. serotina Ehrh. var. serotina (Wild) Black Cherry. Tree to 30 m tall; trunk to 1.5 m in diameter, but usually much smaller; bark dark reddish-brown to black, inner bark aromatic; branchlets slender, smooth, greenish, becoming red-brown, finally gray or darker. Leaves deciduous, flat or somewhat folded lengthwise, blades ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 6 to 9(15) cm long, 2.5 to 4(5) cm broad, acute to abruptly or gradually acute, basally acute to obtuse, margins with blunt or pointed, appressed or incurved, gland-tipped teeth, glabrous and lustrous above, glabrous below except for rusty or tawny pubescence on the lower ca. 1/3 of the midvein; petiole slender, glabrous, to 15(20) mm long on foliage branches, slightly shorter on flowering branches, apex usually with 2 glands, these sometimes transferred to the lower margin of the blade; stipules lanceolate, 4 to 7(10) mm long, glandular-toothed, deciduous. Flowers in rather loose axillary racemes (5)8 to 15 cm long at the tips of the current season's growth; pedicels spreading, 3 to 10 mm long, glabrous. Hypanthium campanulate, 1.2 to 1.7 mm long, glabrous; sepals oblong to triangular, 0.6 to 1.2 mm long, glabrous, margins often toothed, persistent in fruit; petals white, 2.5 to 4 mm long, suborbicular with a narrow claw; stamens (10)15 to 20. Fruit subglobose, initially dark red, maturing black-purple, 7 to 10(12) mm in diameter, glossy, edible, sweet or bitter; stone ovoid, 5 to 7(9) mm long, smooth or minutely rugose, with a groove on one side and a ridge on the other. This variety in woods, thickets, wood edges, fencerows, etc. in E. TX and eastward; species as a whole from N. S., Que. and Ont., S. to FL, W. to TX; also AZ, NM, and S. through Mex. to Guat. Flowering Feb.-Apr.; fruiting in fall. [Padus serotina (Ehrh.) Agardh. Prunus virginiana L. is included by some, e.g. GPFA (1986), but this is retained as a separate species by Hatch, et al. (1990) and Kartesz (1998).].
The wood has been used for veneer and cabinet-making. The fruit is eaten by game and songbirds and small mammals. Deer eat the new leaves, but the
older leaves are toxic (Elias 1980). Native Americans used the bark of this species and P. virginiana (chokecherry) in cold remedies and tonics, and the
early white settlers used it as a tonic, febrifuge, cough remedy, and mild sedative. However, because of the presence of hydrocyanic compounds (however
minimal) and the availability of safer substitutes, the use of this plant is not recommended (Kindscher 1992). The fruit is rather astringent fresh, but is
suitable for jams, jellies, and sauces. It is important to remove the seeds before cooking (Tull 1987).
3. P. persica (L.) Batsch Peach, Duranzno. Small tree with rounded or flat crown, to 10 m tall, usually smaller; bark red-brown and smooth when young,
becoming gray and scaly; branchlets glabrous and winter buds pubescent. Leaves deciduous, elliptic- to oblong-lanceolate, 7 to 15 cm long, usually
broadest at or above the middle, apically attenuate and long-acuminate, broadly cuneate basally, glabrous except perhaps when very young, margin serrate
or serrulate, leaves sometimes folded lengthwise; petioles 1 to 2 cm long, glabrous, usually glandular at the summit or glands at the base of the margin;
stipules lanceolate, 6 to 12 mm long, deciduous. Flowers opening before the leaves are expanded, usually solitary, sessile or subsessile on short spur
shoots, showy. Hypanthium obconic, glabrous; sepals rounded, pubescent externally; petals pink (to red), 8 to 20 mm long, apically rounded; s tamens 20
to 30, filaments sometimes reddish; ovary and fruit pubescent (peaches) or rarely glabrous (nectarines). Fruit subglobose, usually with a terminal point and
a furrow on one side, yellow to reddish, to 5 or 7 cm in diameter; stone ovoid, deeply pitted and furrowed, to ca. 3 cm long. Native to China, cultivated for
its sweet, edible fruit and occasionally escaping and naturalizing along fencerows and roadsides or at old homesites, orchards, waste places, or dumps, etc.
E. TX; sporadically naturalizing from Ont. to FL, W. to the Great Plains. [Author variously given as Sieb. and Zucc., Batsch, or Maxim in some sources].
4. P. mexicana S. Wats. Mexican Plum, Big-Tree Plum. Usually a solitary tree, sometimes forming root sprouts, but not rhizomatous, 3 to 6(8) m tall; trunk to ca. 25 cm in diameter, darkening on older trees to dark gray or black; branchlets pubescent to glabrous, dark reddish brown, becoming gray, generally not spiny; winter buds finely pubescent. Leaves deciduous, blades ovate to obovate or oblong-obovate, (3)4 to 12 cm long, 3 to 6 cm broad, basally rounded to subcordate, abruptly acuminate, upper surface sparsely short pubescent (at least when young) and soft to slightly scabrous, rugose, lower surface pubescent, especially on the more or less reticulate veins, usually retaining the softness throughout the season, margin sharply serrate or doubly serrate, teeth eglandular; petiole 1 to 2 cm long, pubescent, usually with (1)2 glands at the apex or these transferred to the lower margin of the blade; stipules lanceolate, 3 to 6 mm long, sometimes toothed or lobed, deciduous. Flowers opening with or just before the leaves, in umbels of 2 to 4(6) from buds of the previous season; pedicel glabrous to pubescent, measurements usually given as 6 to 10 mm long, but to as much as 15 mm long, elongating further in fruit. Hypanthium obconic, 3 to 2.5 mm long, finely pubescent; sepals oblong, 3.5 mm long, rounded and entire or dentate at the apex, slightly glandular, pubescent inside and often outside as well, reflexed at anthesis; petals white, obovate, 6 to 7.5(10) mm long when fresh, shorter when dry but usually ca. 5 mm long; stamens 20 to 30; ovary glabrous. Fruit 2 to 3 cm long, globose or elliptic, reddish-purple with a white or gray glaucous bloom, edible and sweet; stone obovoid to subglobose, 1.2 to 1.8 cm long, smooth, one margin ridged and the other with a groove. Flowering Feb.-Mar.; fruiting July-Sept. Woods, prairies, river bottoms, lake shores, etc. E., NE., and N. Cen. TX and Ed. Plat; SE. ND and NE, S. through KS. to TX, E. to IA, IL,, IN, and OH, S. to AL, MS. LA, and TX, also Mex. [Includes var. flutonenis (Sarg.) Sarg., var. polyandra (Sarg.) Sarg. and var. mollis (Dougl.) Boivin; P. arkansana Sarg.; P.palmeri Sarg.; P. reticulata Sarg.; P. tenuifolia Sarg.; P. americana Marsh. var. lanata Sudw.; P. lanata Mack. & Bush.].
The fruit is readily eaten by bears, deer, squirrels, foxes, and other mammals and birds (Elias 1980). It make good jams and jellies.
NOTE: P. umbellata Ell., Flatwood(s) Plum, is found in E. TX. It is reported from our area, but specimens seen by the author are P. mexicana. If
present, probably to be found only in the far E. portion of the area. The key character of pedicel length given by Correll and Johnston (1970) is not
sufficient to distinguish the two species. P. umbellata has all leaves usually less than 7 cm long (while P. mexicana usually has some that long or longer),
with apices acute or only gradually acuminate; the calyx is wholly without glands, and the fruit is only 1 to 2 cm in diameter.
5. P. angustifolia Marsh. Chickasaw Plum, Sandhill Plum. Shrub or very small tree, usually forming thickets from root sprouts and rhizomes, to 4 m tall; branches slender and often zig-zagging from node to node, sometimes spinose, dark red and smooth when young; bark of older branches dark reddish-brown, furrowed and scaly. Leaves deciduous, lance-oblong, 2 to 6(8) cm long, 1 to 2.5 cm broad, strongly conduplicate (folded lengthwise), base rounded to broadly cuneate, acute to short-acuminate, glabrous and shiny above, paler below and glabrous or with pubescence along the base of the midrib, margin finely serrulate with appressed, gland-tipped teeth, glands commonly reddish and persistent or deciduous; petioles reddish, 1 to 1.4 cm long, usually with 2 glands at the summit or sometimes glandless. Flowers in clusters of 2 to 4, appearing before the leaves or just as the leaves emerge; pedicels 2 to 6(10) mm long, glabrous. Hypanthium obconic, 1 to 2 mm long, glabrous; sepals ovate, shorter than the calyx tube, eglandular and glabrous except at the base within; petals white to cream, obovate and with a short claw, 3.5 to 6 mm long; stamens 20; style 4 to 6 mm long. Fruit ellipsoid or subglobose, 0.9 to 2 cm in diameter, 2 to 2.5 cm long, bright red to yellow, shiny or with a slight bloom; stone ovoid, 0.9 to 1.2 cm long, rough or slightly pitted. Commonest in sandy soil, forming thickets on roadsides, fencerows, and along wood edges. Mostly in the E. 2/3 TX, scattered W.; S. NJ, WV, IN, and IL, W. to NE, S. to FL and TX. Flowering Feb.-Mar.; fruiting May-July. [Includes subsp. varians W. Wight & Hendrick; P. watsoniiSarg.--'Watson' is a named cultivar.].
If varieties are recognized, our plants are var. angustifolia. This species reportedly hybridizes with P. gracilis (GPFA 1986).
Early American settlers used the fruit for jams and jellies and often planted the trees, which regularly yield large crops (Kindscher 1987). The fruits are an
important wildlife food for deer, bears, small mammals, and birds; the dense thickets also offer ample cover and provide good erosion control (Elias 1980).
6. P. gracilis Engelm. & Gray Oklahoma Plum, Sand Plum. Shrub, sometimes straggly, 0.5 to 1.5 m tall, usually rhizomatous and thicket-forming, occasionally a single plant; young branches pubescent, later glaucous and reddish-brown. Leaves deciduous, blades elliptic to ovate, 2 to 5.5 cm long, rounded or broadly cuneate basally, apically obtuse to acute or short-acuminate, upper surface sparsely and finely pubescent, lower surface densely pubescent and reticulate, margin finely serrate, the teeth acute to obtuse, gland tipped when young but the glands deciduous; petioles 4 to 16 mm long, pubescent, glandless; stipules narrowly lanceolate, 2.5 to 5 mm long, glandular-serrate or sometimes lobed, deciduous. Flowers appearing before or just with the new leaves, in clusters of 2 to 4(8); pedicels 6 to 12 mm long, pubescent. Hypanthium obconic, 2.5 to 3 mm long, pubescent or rarely subglabrous; sepals ovate or triangular, 1.2 to 1.7 mm long, acute to obtuse, slightly glandular-toothed to entire, pubescent on both surfaces; petals white, 5 to 6.5 mm long and 4 to 5 mm broad, obovate, with a short claw; stamens usually 20. Fruit subglobose to ellipsoid, 15 to 18 mm long, 12 to 15 mm broad, red or yellow, with a slight bloom; stone ovoid, blunt at both ends, one margin slightly ridged, surface rough. Dry or sandy soils of open hills, open woods, fencerows, fields, etc. E. TX and E. panhandle; KS, OK, TX, and E. NM. Flowering Mar.-Apr.; fruiting Jun.-Aug. [P. normalis (T. & G.) Small].
Reported to hybridize with P. angustifolia (GPFA 1986).
The Kiowa are said to have gathered the plums and dried them whole for winter use and to have pounded them to make cakes (Kindscher 1987).
6. GEUM L. Avens
Perennial herbs from horizontal rhizomes or vertical caudices, usually with a basal rosette. Lower leaves compound to ternate or simple, becoming less compound or even simple upwards, alternate, rarely opposite; stipules of lower leaves wholly adnate to the petioles, those of cauline leaves free. Flowers solitary or in loose cymes, regular, perfect, perigynous. Hypanthium shallow to campanulate or turbinate, with nectary ring at the mouth or below the carpels. Sepals 5, usually alternating with 5 small bractlets. Petals 5, white or yellow. Stamens 20 to many in several series. Pistils several to many, free on a hemispheric, globose, cylindrical, or conical receptacle that is sometimes stipitate. Fruit a cluster of 1-seeded achenes, each with a long, persistent style that is entire or else jointed and geniculate at or above the middle with apical portion deciduous.
About 65 species of temperate and cold regions; 2 species in TX; 1 here.
A few species are cultivated for ornament or are used regionally in herbal medicines (Mabberley 1987).
1. G. canadense Jacq. White Avens. Perennial from a short rootstock or horizontal rhizome; stems 1 to several from the base, simple, 3 to 12 dm tall, glabrous to sparsely hispid below, becoming sparsely to densely short pubescent and/or glandular puberulent above, sometimes also with scattered longer hairs. Leaves of the basal rosette simple or usually with 3 to 5(7) rhombic, serrate or sometimes slightly lobed leaflets to ca. 6 cm long, sometimes also with a few more, much smaller leaflets the long petioles smooth or sparsely hairy, lower cauline leaves similar but shorter petiolate to sessile, most with 3 leaflets, upper leaves ternately cleft or simple; stipules 3 to 10(20) mm long, ovate to oblong, cleft or entire. Flowers solitary or in few-flowered, leafy-bracted cymes; pedicels usually velvety pubescent and with sparse to rather dense longer hairs, occasionally glandular. Hypanthium 2.5 to 3 mm long, sparsely to densely pubescent; sepals lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 4 to 8(10) mm long; petals white, fading yellowish, oblong to obovate, 2 to 4.5 mm broad, 5 to 9 mm long, equalling or longer than the sepals. Mature fruiting heads globose, 1 to 2.2 cm in diameter, receptacle densely bristly-villous, achenes many; achene body 2 to 4 mm long, usually pubescent apically; styles spreading or reflexed, jointed and geniculate, the persistent portion 4 to 7 mm long, glabrous or sparsely hirsute basally deciduous portion 1 to 2 mm long, sparsely pubescent below, ascending or spreading, only tardily deflexed. Rich woods and rather drier oak woods. E. 1/3 TX, W. to Real Co.; N. S. W. to ND and NE. WY, S. to GA, AL, and TX. Apr.-July.
Two varieties present in Texas; both possible here, though these rather similar and sometimes combined (GPFA 1986).
var. texanum Fern. & Weatherby Terminal segment of midstem leaves usually obtuse; body of achene 2 to 3 mm long, narrowly obovate to cuneate.
var. camporum (Rydb.) Fern. Terminal segment of midstem leaves usually acute; body of achene 3 to 4 mm long, broadly ovate. [G. camporum Rydb.].
7. ROSA L. Rose
Shrubs, stems upright to trailing or climbing; stems, petioles, leaf rachises, and/or inflorescences usually armed with straight or recurved prickles. Herbage and inflorescence also sometimes with bristles or other pubescence and/or glandular. Leaves alternate, petiolate, pinnately compound or ternate (rarely simple), leaflets usually toothed; stipules paired for each leaf, commonly adnate to the petiole and forming wings, entire to toothed or pinnatifid, persistent or deciduous. Flowers solitary or in terminal corymbose or paniculate inflorescences, perfect, regular. Sepals (4)5, entire or toothed, often only the outer 2 and the upper portion of the middle one toothed or appendaged, all acute to attenuate or dilated apically. Petals typically (4)5 in wild varieties, in some forms sometimes more through doubling, often numerous in cultivated varieties, usually obovate or obcordate. Stamens in several whorls, many, inserted on a disk around the opening of the globose to urceolate hypanthium. Carpels many, free, uniovulate, inserted on the interior of the hypanthium in various arrangements; styles free or connate, exserted from the hypanthium or only reaching the mouth, stigmas expanded. Fruit an accessory termed a hip, the hypanthium becoming fleshy at maturity and the carpels within maturing into bony, often pubescent achenes, each containing one thin-coated seeded.
An uncertain number of species, estimates ranging from about 100 (Mabberley 1987) to 250 (Correll and Johnston 1970); many "species" perhaps of ancient hybrid origin and thousands of cultivars existing; 12 species native or known to escape cultivation in TX; 7 possible here.
Roses have been grown for ornament probably since before recorded history. They have also been used in soaps, perfumes, and herbal remedies (Mabberley 1987). The ripe fruits of many species are edible and are common ingredients in jams, jellies, and herbal teas, being high in vitamin C. The Native Americans ate the hips, though often only as an emergency food. (Kindscher 1987). The hips are also a wildlife food.
NOTE: The key below includes native and commonly escaped cultivated species one might possibly encounter in our area. Rarely-encountered taxa, such
as non-naturalizing escaped cultivated species, are marked with an asterisk and are only briefly described in the text. Rosebushes can be long-lived, and it is
not unusual to find them around old homesites or where planted on fencerows, etc. Thus, it is possible to encounter old or abandoned "heirloom" or
modern roses which cannot even be said to be escapes. These are best identified by an experienced rosarian. As a general rule of thumb for our area:
any rose with red, orange, yellow, lavender, purple, or bicolored blossoms or with "double" flowers is almost certainly a cultivated plant. One common
student collection is R. banksiae Ait. f., a climbing or trailing plant with few prickles and numerous small (to ca. 2.5 cm across), double flowers; the cultivar
'Lutea' has pale yellow flowers.
1. Stipules free from the petiole or united only to it for less than 1/2 their length, eventually deciduous ..................................................................................................................................2
1. Stipules adnate to the petiole for 1/2 or more their length, forming "wings", usually persistent or only tardily deciduous .........................................................................................3
2(1) Branchlets and hips tomentose or pubescent; leaflets 7 to 9; stipules pectinate ....................
..........................................................................................................................1. R. bracteata
2. Branchlets glabrous; hips with stiff bristles; leaflets 3 or 5; stipules denticulate or entire .......
...........................................................................................................................2. R. laevigata
3(1) Styles more or less united, the column exserted from the hypanthium at anthesis, stigmas not closing the orifice of the hypanthium .................................................................................4
3. Styles free, not or only slightly exserted from the hypanthium, stigma cluster often closing the mouth of the hypanthium ...................................................................................................5
4(3) Leaflets 3(5); stipules stipitate-glandular and entire to denticulate; petals usually pink, fading white, 2 to 3 cm long; prickles scattered, not regularly associated with petiole bases
............................................................................................................................3. *R. setigera
4. Leaflets 5 or more; stipules pectinate-serrate and glandular-serrate; petals usually white, 1 to 2 cm long; a pair of prickles generally located at the base of each petiole ......................
.........................................................................................................................4. *R. multiflora
5(3) Leaflets glandular-pubescent or with resin dots beneath; usually prickles usually hooked ...
.........................................................................................................................5. *R. micrantha
5. Leaflets glabrous beneath or with eglandular pubescence; prickles (at least at the base of the stem) usually straight .........................................................................................................6
6(5) Leaflets usually 9 or 11, ca. 3 to 7 mm broad; flowers rose or white; plants without stolons .
...........................................................................................................................6. *R. foliolosa
6. Leaflets 7 or fewer, ca. 8 to 14 mm broad; flowers rose; plants stoloniferous ........................
.............................................................................................................................7. *R. carolina
1. R. bracteata Wendl. Macartney Rose. Stems and branches arching or clambering, tomentose and stipitate glandular; prickles broad-based, essentially
straight to slightly curved, usually in pairs subtending the leaves or leaf scars, often reddish. Leaves semi-evergreen, leaflets 5 to 9 (or 3 just below a
flower), 1 to 3.5 cm long, 0.8 to 1.8 cm broad, obovate to elliptic, apically rounded to obtuse (or acute), glabrous and lustrous above, sparsely pubescent
on the midvein below, margin bluntly glandular-crenate, rachis with stipitate glands end e-glandular hairs; stipules adnate to the petiole for ca. 2 to 5 mm,
the free tip ca. 2 to 3 mm long, pectinate, pubescent, deciduous. Flowers solitary or in few-flowered corymbs; pedicels relatively short, each with pectinate
or dissected bracts; blossoms 3 to 7 cm across. Sepals lanceolate, 1.5 to 2 cm long, acuminate, entire, pubescent, persistent; petals 5, white, 2.5 to 2.5(3.5)
cm long, obcordate; styles connate, slightly exserted from the hypanthium. Hip globose to ovoid, 1.5 to 2.5(3.5) cm long, orange-red or darkening to
nearly black, densely pubescent; achenes 4 to 5 mm long, subglabrous. Roadsides, pastures, fencerows, etc. Native of China, often cultivated as a living
fence, persistent or escaping cultivation and often weedy. E. 1/3 TX; FL to TX, N. to VA. Spring-fall; TAMU collections with flowers Apr.-Nov.
2. R. laevigata Michx. Cherokee Rose. Stems to ca. 5 m tall, sometimes high-climbing, glabrous; prickles broad-based, flattened, curved, to ca. 1 cm
long on flowering shoots and randomly arranged, only by chance paired beneath the leaves. Leaves coriaceous, glossy above, evergreen, 3-(5)foliolate,
leaflets ovate-elliptic or -lanceolate, 2 to 8 cm long, 0.8 to 3.5 cm broad, acute to acuminate, tapered at the base, glabrous on both surfaces, finely serrate;
stipules adnate for ca. 5 mm at the base, the free tips usually ca. 3 to 7 mm long, entire or with a few teeth. Flowers solitary on lateral branches; pedicel
and hypanthium with numerous stiff bristles to 4 mm long. Sepals lanceolate, apically expanded and caudate, externally glabrous except for the margins or
occasionally with a few stipitate glands or bristles; petals white (rarely rose), 2 to 4 cm long, obovate; styles connate, exserted ca. 1 mm from the mouth of
the hypanthium. Hip pyriform or ellipsoid, to 3.5 cm long with a tapered, stipe-like base, bristly, red; achenes 6 to 8 mm long, densely pubescent. Native
of China, escaping cultivation and naturalized in parts of the SE. U.S.--SC, GA, FL, AL, and MI. Flowering (Mar.)Apr.-fall; fruit ripening in the fall.
3. R. setigera Michx. Prairie Rose, Climbing Rose. Characters as in the key. Leaflets glabrous above, softly pubescent below in var. tomentosa T. &
G. or only pubescent on the veins in var. setigera; flowers in bracted corymbs, pedicel and hypanthium hispid-glandular; sepals reflexed at anthesis, 12 to
16 mm long, deciduous; style column about as long as the stamens; fruit red, 8 to 12 mm long. Woods, thickets, clearings, etc. (N)E. TX; possible in our
area; NY, MA, MI, and IA, S. to FL and TX. [R. rubifolia R. Br.].
4. R. multiflora Thunb. ex Murr. Japanese Rose. Characters as in the key. Leaflets glabrous above, more or less pubescent beneath; flowers usually
several to many in a rounded or pyramidal cluster; pedicels sometimes with stipitate glands; sepals 7 to 10 mm long, glabrous or stipitate-glandular, tips
usually attenuate; style column exserted; fruit globose, to ca. 1 cm long. Clearings, roadsides, wood edges, etc. E. TX; native of China and occasionally
escaping cultivation in E. 1/2 U.S.; often weedy where established.
5. R. micrantha Borrer ex Sm. Characters as in key. Leaflets 5 or 7, broadly ovate, doubly glandular-serrate, pubescent and glandular below, acute to
acuminate; styles slightly exserted; pedicel glandular-hispid; sepals spreading or reflexed, deciduous; blossoms pink to white, ca. 3 cm broad, in clusters of 1
to 4. Native to The European-Mediterranean region; occasionally escaping cultivation.
6. R. foliolosa Nutt. ex T.& G. Leafy Rose, White Prairie Rose. Characters as in key. Leaflets glabrous above, glabrous or pubescent on the veins
beneath; flowers 1 or 2 to 5, terminal; pedicel and sometimes the hypanthium glandular-hispid; sepals 12 to 16 mm long, glandular-hispid, attenuate; petals
obovate, 15 to 20 mm long; fruit globose, more or less hispid, ca. 8 mm broad. Sandy oak woods, prairies, fencerows, railroads, etc. N. Cen. and Cen.
TX; possible in the (N)W. part of our area; also SE. KS, W. AR, and E. 1/2 OK. [Includes R. ignota Shinners].
7. R. carolina L. Carolina Rose. Characters as in key. Leaflets dark green above, paler and softly hairy to glabrous below; stipules entire or
glandular-dentate; flowers usually single, rarely corymbose, terminal; pedicel and hypanthium usually stipitate-glandular, rarely glabrous; sepals attenuate or
sometimes appendaged, glabrous or stipitate-glandular; petals obovate, 2.2 to 2.5 (3.2) cm long; hip subglobose, red. Dry rocky or sandy open areas or
thin woods. E. TX; E. 1/2 U.S. W. to MN, MO, KS, and TX. [Includes var. carolina, var. grandiflora (Baker) Rehd., and f. glandulosa (Crep.) Fern.; R.
serrulata Raf.; R.subserrulata Rydb.; R. texarkana Rydb.; R. treleasei Rydb.].
8. RUBUS L. Dewberry, Blackberry, Bramble
Ours perennials with vine-like stems (elsewhere also herbs). Stems arising at or below the ground, erect to trailing or scrambling, plants commonly reproducing vegetatively from root or stem suckers or from the canes rooting where their tips touch the ground. Shoots biennial, terete to angled or ribbed, usually armed with prickles, glabrous to pubescent and/or with glandular hairs, those of the first season termed primocanes, usually unbranched, non-flowering, and with leaves generally compound (or simple but strongly lobed); shoots of the second year termed floricanes, producing short lateral branches bearing flowers, leaves generally smaller and differently shaped than those of the primocanes, often simple. Leaves deciduous to semi-evergreen; stipules small to rather large, free of the petioles or adnate to their bases, caducous or persistent. Flowers perfect (rarely plants dioecious), regular, hypogynous, borne 1 to many in cymose, racemose, corymbose, or paniculate inflorescences. Hypanthium flat to hemispherical, often with a prominent nectary ring. Sepals 5, valvate, reflexed to spreading, often caudate, without intervening bracts. Petals 5, in ours white or tinged with pink. Stamens many. Pistils many, each with 2 ovules, only one of which matures. Receptacle convex or conical, elongating in fruit, spongy or dry. Fruit a cluster of 1-seeded black or red drupelets falling separately or more commonly all together, either with the receptacle (blackberries), or the receptacle remaining on the plant (raspberries). Stones hard, the surfaces variously textured, each completely filled by the seed.
The taxonomy of Rubus is made more complex by apomixis, hybridization, polyploidy, and centuries of domestication. The blackberries are known to be particularly difficult (this includes all our local species). The most practical approach is to define a number of composite species which serve as nodes or centers of variation (Gleason and Cronquist 1963; Correll and Johnston 1970; GPFA 1986; Mabberley 1987). Thousands of entities have been described, these perhaps reducible to about 250 "species" with a tortured synonymy; 10 species listed for Texas; 5 confirmed from our area and encompassing most of the diversity found here.
Confident identifications can only be obtained when working with material which includes both primocanes and floricanes (most herbarium specimens have only floricanes) and where habit has been accurately noted. A more thorough study of the genus in North America is needed.
The fruits of most species are edible. R. idaeus L. is the red raspberry of horticulture; R.loganobaccus L. Bailey (a hybrid between R. ursinus and R.
idaeus) is the loganberry, the cultivar Boysen being the Boysenberry; the blackberries of N. America are of various species, including R.flagellaris
(Mabberley 1987). The plants also provide important wildlife food. Some species are used in herbal medicines. Tea made from the leaves or roots was
used by Native Americans and the settlers of Appalachia as a tonic, astringent, and anti-diarrheal (Kindscher 1992). Tull (1978) mentions that the stems
can be used for basketweaving once the prickles have been removed and that dyes ranging from light blue to purple or olive can be made from the berries or
shoots. Colorfastness is said to be poorer for berry dyes than for those made from shoots.
1. Plants upright, the canes sometimes arching but not trailing or rooting at the tips;
inflorescence truly racemose, the pedicels more or less the same length; leaflets of primocane leaves narrow, about twice as long as wide; leaflets of floricane leaves also narrow ..................................................................................................................1. R. argutus
1. Plants trailing, primocanes sometimes erect at first, but some canes obviously trailing, often tip-rooting; inflorescence more or less corymbose, the
pedicels of the lower flowers plainly longer than those of the upper, or flowers solitary; primocane leaflets at least half as wide as long .........................................................................................................................2
2(1) Plants with glandular bristles mixed with the dense prickles (bristles sometimes quite sparse on floricanes); flowers 1 to few per cluster ..................................................................3
2. Plants lacking glandular bristles; flowers 1 to many per cluster ............................................4
3(2) Leaflets glabrous below or pubescent only on the main veins; margins without glandular teeth ......................................................................................................................2. R. trivialis
3. Leaflets soft-pubescent below; margins with scattered, red, stipitate glands ..........................
.........................................................................................................................3. R. riograndis
4(2) Flowers 1 to 3(5) per cluster; larger canes more or less terete; lower surface of primocane leaves persistently soft-pubescent or velvety; primocane leaflets briefly pointed ....................
.......................................................................................................................4. R. aboriginum
4. Flowers usually 5 to 9 (or more) per cluster; larger canes angled; lower surface of primocane leaves densely not soft-pubescent or velvety (if softly pubescent, usually becoming glabrous by end of season); primocane leaflets abruptly contracted to
acuminate at the tip .........................................................................................5. R. flagellaris
NOTE: R. apogaeus Bailey is found in E. TX and may eventually be found in the E. part of our area. It is a trailer by habit, with primocane leaflets
soft-pubescent below, flowers in clusters of (4)5 to 9, and prickles of all canes more or less straight rather than hooked.
1. R. argutus Link Louisiana Blackberry, Sawtooth Blackberry. Stems erect or arching, not trailing or rooting at the tips, to 5 m long, finely pubescent when young, becoming glabrate, green to brown; larger canes angled and deeply furrowed; prickles straight or curved, broad-based; stipules subulate, ciliate. Primocanes: leaflets 5 per leaf, 3 to 12 cm long, 1 to 6 cm wide, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, at least twice as long as broad, long-pointed apically, tapered to the base, sharply serrate or twice serrate, dull-green and with a few scattered hairs above, paler beneath and soft-pubescent to velvety, especially along the major veins; petioles and petiolules more or less striate, soft pubescent or villous and with scattered recurved prickles. Floricanes: leaflets 3 per leaf or some leaves simple, similar to but smaller than the primocane leaflets, terminal leaflet of each leaf usually 2 to 3 times longer than wide, generally lanceolate to elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate. Inflorescences usually definitely racemose, the 4 to 15 pedicels of about equal length, the lower not elongating to match the upper, axes and pedicels finely pubescent and with a few small prickles. Sepals ovate-deltoid, reflexed, ca. 4 to 6 mm long, pubescent within; petals 6 to 15 mm long, 3.5 to 10 mm broad, bluntly oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic or oval. Fruit oblong-oval, 1 to 2.5 cm long, sweet. Damp sandy areas, especially near bogs, also in thickets, pastures, fencerows, etc. E. TX; NH and NY, S. to FL, W. to MN, OK, and TX. Flowering usually in April. [R. louisianus Berger; R. floridus Tratt.; R. floridanus Bailey; R. betulifolius Bailey; R. abundiflorusBailey].
NOTE: R. persistens Rydb. is found in SE. TX. Herbarium sheets labeled as this species have been collected in our area (outside its normal range), but
their identification is doubtful and uncertain as primocanes are lacking. This species is similar to R. argutus, but the primocane leaflets are pilose, becoming
glabrous beneath, not soft-pubescent to the touch. Some leaflets usually persist over the winter.
2. R. trivialis Michx. Southern Dewberry, Zarzamora. Stems more or less terete, trailing or low-arching, primocanes sometimes ascending in heavy
brush, but eventually trailing and rooting at the tips; all stems with numerous short, usually recurved, broad-based prickles, also with stalked red glands or
glandular bristles (these occasionally absent or very sparse on floricanes). Leaves glabrous or very sparsely pubescent on the veins and/or petioles.
Primocanes: leaves usually at least semi-evergreen, leaflets usually 5, oblong-lanceolate, to 10 cm long and 3 cm broad, coarsely toothed, glabrous;
petiolule of terminal leaflet to ca. 1/3 as long as the blade, lateral leaflets sessile. Floricanes: leaflets smaller, usually 3 per leaf, variously shaped, the blades
rhombic to oblanceolate or broadly ovoid. Flowers usually 1, sometimes in 3-flowered cymules; pedicels erect, filiform, with small prickles and bristles or
glands. Sepals 5 to 7 mm long, tips long and tapering or caudate, glabrous to glabrescent or glandular externally, pubescent within; petals obovate, (5)7 to
10 mm broad, to ca. 2(2.5) cm long. Fruit black at maturity, subglobose to elongate, 1 to 3 cm long, juicy; stones oblong, ca. 3 mm long, irregularly
ridged. Exceedingly common in our area, in vacant lots and woods, and along roads, railroads, and fencerows, etc. E. TX W. to the Grand Prairie area;
VA S. to FL, W. to MO, KS, and TX. Flowering (Feb.)Mar.-Apr. [Includes var. serosus Bailey; R. serosus Bailey; R. mississippianusBailey, among others].
3. R. riograndis Bailey Rio Grande Dewberry. Similar to R. trivialis, but generally smaller. Old and new canes with red glandular bristles and soft pubescence among the prickles. Leaves soft-pubescent below, the margins and sometimes surfaces with scattered, reddish, stipitate glands; petioles sometimes especially densely beset with glandular bristles, these sometimes present on the exterior of the calyx as well. Endemic, usually in deep sands (especially of the Carrizo Formation), also in sandy loams. Anderson Co. E. to Angelina Co., S. and W. to Wilson and Dewitt Cos. Known in our area at least from Leon and Robertson Cos. [R. duplaris Shinners; R. trivialis Michx. var. duplaris (Shinners) Mahler].
Mahler (1979) mentioned that this species grows alongside R. trivialis, with the two species exhibiting varying degrees and kinds of pubescence. With the
general "lumping" approach to dealing with Rubus, the desirability of maintaining two at least partially-intergrading species is somewhat questionable.
4. R. aboriginum Rydb. Garden Dewberry. Canes trailing or running and rooting at the tips (sometimes somewhat erect in very hard soil), terete to
angled, pilose when young, becoming glabrate; prickles scattered, hooked, broad-based, 2 to 3 mm long. Primocanes: leaflets 5 per leaf or 3 on young
portions, ovate to elliptic or oval, shortly acute, thinly and softly pubescent on both surfaces, the pubescence of the lower surface persisting until winter,
margins sharply doubly serrate, central leaflet 7 to 9 cm long and about 3/4 as broad, basally broad and more or less cordate, lateral leaflets tapered to the
base; petiole and often middle petiolule sparingly soft-pubescent and with stout prickles. Floricanes: leaflets 3 per leaf or leaves simple, resembling the
primocane leaves but smaller, terminal leaflet sometimes tapered to the base, lateral leaflets perhaps a bit broader at the base. Flowers 2 to 2.5 cm broad, 1
to 4(5) in cymose clusters on the terminal and middle portion of short spur shoots; pedicels slender, short-pilose and with few or no prickles. Sepals to ca.
5 mm long, triangular- or lance-ovate, pubescent on both surfaces, not appendaged but apiculate, reflexed; petals obtuse, broad enough to touch each other
at anthesis. Fruit oblong, 15 mm or more long, seedy. Open sandy woods, creekbanks, fencerows, etc. Endemic. E. TX, W. to W. Cross Timbers.
Flowering in April. [R. austrinus Bailey; R. Bollianus Bailey; R. almus Bailey. R. velox Bailey listed as a synonym by Correll and Johnston (1970).
Kartesz (1998) lists R. velox as a valid species for Texas, though it was not included by Hatch, et al. (1990) or Shelter and Skog (1978). Correll and
Johnston listed R. neonefrens Bailey as a synonym, but Kartesz lists that as a synonym of R.flagellaris.].
5. R. flagellaris Willd. Northern Dewberry. Canes at first low-arching, sometimes ascending if there is enough to climb on, later flat-trailing and
tip-rooting, to 5 m long. Primocanes: to 6(10) mm broad, strongly angled or ribbed, armed with broad-based, nearly straight to slightly curved prickles to 4
mm long, short-pubescent, becoming glabrate; leaflets 5 per leaf (rarely 3), terminal leaflet blade ovate lance-elliptic, to ca. 9 cm long and 6 cm broad, acute
to acuminate, the abruptly contracted tip as much as 2 cm long, basally rounded to subcordate, the petiolule elongate, lateral leaflets somewhat smaller,
variously lanceolate to oblong, not as acuminate, petiolules much shorter, all leaflets sparsely pubescent or glabrous or occasionally densely pubescent
below, usually becoming glabrate or at least much less pubescent with age. Floricanes: tough, often reddish or purplish, less-angled and with more strongly
curved prickles than primocanes, sparsely pubescent on new growth, becoming glabrous; leaves generally with 3 leaflets, leaflets ovate and basally rounded,
varying to oblong, or obovate and narrowed to the base, sparsely pubescent to glabrous below, petiole of the terminal leaflet only slightly longer than those
of lateral leaflets. Flowering branches erect, the largest (near the base of the cane) with up to 9 or more flowers in a flat-topped or elongate corymbose
cluster, pedicels to ca. 1 cm long at anthesis, erect, filiform, glabrous to puberulent or appressed-pilose, sometimes stipitate-glandular, sparsely or not
prickly; bracteal leaves 3-foliolate or simple. Sepals lance-ovate, 5 to 8 mm long, densely pubescent on both surfaces, not appendaged but apiculate; petals
white (rarely pinkish), obovate to oblong, elliptic, or oval, 1 to 1.5(3) cm long. Fruit relatively large, globose to slightly elongate, 1 to 2.5 cm long and
about as broad, juicy and sweet; stones 3 to 3.4 mm long, yellowish, areolate or reticulate. Dry fields, openings in and edges of woods, pastures, roadsides,
along railroads, etc. E. 1/3 TX; Que. and ME, S. to GA and TX, W. to MN, KS, and OK. Flowering Apr.-Jun. [R. occidualis Bailey; R. oppositus Bailey,
etc. Kartesz (1998) listsR. enslenii Tratt. as a synonym, while Steyermark (1963) listed R. enslenii as a separate species with R. aboriginum as a synonym.
GPFA (1986) listed R. baileyanus Britt. as a synonym, while Kartesz maintains both R. flagellaris and R. baileyanus as valid species, with one variety of R.
flagellaris listed as a synonym under R. baileyanus. Perhaps the most appropriate synonym is R.frustratus Bailey].
FABACEAE (s.l.) (LEGUMINOSAE)
Legume Family
Herbs, vines, trees and shrubs. Leaves and branches alternate. Leaves sometimes simple but more often compound; stipules usually present and well-developed; leaflets often with stipels. Flowers usually in terminal or axillary spikes, racemes, panicles, or glomerules, sometimes in umbels or cymes or solitary; most often perfect, complete, and showy. Flowers perigynous, the floral cup often so short as to make the flowers appear hypogynous. Androperianth commonly 5-merous.
The Fabaceae is easily divisible into three distinct subfamilies, mainly on the basis of androperianth characters. Some botanists treat these divisions as three
closely related but separate families in the order Fabales. The distinguishing characters of the subfamilies are as follows:
Subfamily Caesalpinioideae-- Genera 1 to 6. Leaves once or twice pinnately compound or occasionally simple. Flowers weakly to strongly
zygomorphic, inflorescence various. Sepals 5, free to the top of the floral cup or the uppermost two occasionally united. Corolla of 5 petals, the somewhat
larger upper petal (banner) inserted inside the two lateral petals, sometimes the petals fewer than 5 or absent. Androecium of 5 to 10 stamens, shorter than
the petals to about twice as long. Stamens sometimes dissimilar or some of them reduced or modified, often staminodial. If considered a separate family,
these plants make up the Caesalpiniaceae.
Subfamily Papilionideae-- Genera 7 to 41. Leaves simple or once pinnately or palmately compound, never twice compound. Inflorescence various.
Flowers strongly zygomorphic. Calyx of 5 sepals united below into a tube prolonged beyond the floral cup. Corolla of 5 petals in a characteristic
arrangement termed papilionaceous: the uppermost, largest petal (banner orstandard) positioned outside the lateral two petals (wings), which are
usually clawed, the two lowermost petals more or less united along their margins into a boat-shaped structure called a keel; in some genera the wings or
keel or both may be absent. Stamens 10 or fewer, most often some or all of them united by their filaments, the anthers remaining free. These plants, if
treated as a separate family, make up the Fabaceae (strict sense.)
Subfamily Mimosoideae-- Genera 42 to 47. Leaves primarily twice pinnately compound. Flowers usually in dense spikes, heads, or racemes,
actinomorphic (except for the gynoecium). Calyx of 5 sepals fused into a tube having 5 free lobes or teeth. Corolla of 5 petals, free or united. Stamens (4)5
to many, usually much longer and showier than the perianth, the filaments often brightly colored. If treated as a separate family, these plants make up the
Mimosaceae.
The gynoecium of the Fabaceae (s.l.) provides the unifying character and the primary reason for retaining these plants in one family. It consists of one superior, often slender, simple pistil; placenta 1, marginal, with the ovules in 2 alternating rows along the suture of the carpel. The style is simple and the whole gynoecium is often weakly curved upwards. Fruit usually a legume, dry at maturity and dehiscing along two lines--the suture and the midrib of the carpel; occasionally the fruit indehiscent or else constricted between the seeds and breaking into 1-seeded joints, in which case it is termed a loment. A few genera have 1-seeded indehiscent fruits. Seeds 1 to many, each with 2 integuments, a well-developed embryo, and very little endosperm.
This large family has approximately 500 genera and more than 10,000 species. There are 74 genera and about 360 species in TX; 47 genera and 121 species in our area. Some of the distributions used in this treatment are from the work of Turner (1959).
This is an important family for food crops--beans, peas, soybeans, lentils, peanuts, etc.; livestock feed and forage--clover, alfalfa, etc.; lumber--acacia,
locust, etc.; and many ornamentals--Sweetpeas, Bluebonnets, Wisteria, and many more. Most of these important species belong to the Papilionideae, which
is much the largest subfamily (Mabberley 1987).
1. Leaves simple ...........................................................................................................................2
1. Leaves compound ....................................................................................................................4
2(1) Plants trees; flowers pink or white .............................................................................1. Cercis
2. Plants herbs; flowers yellow .....................................................................................................3
3(2) Plants erect; leaves obovate to lance-linear .......................................................7. Crotalaria
3. Plants prostrate, trailing, or twining; leaves basically reniform .....................26. Rhynchosia
4(1) Leaves once pinnate or once palmate ....................................................................................5
4. Leaves twice pinnate (or rarely once pinnate and once palmate) .......................................48
5(4) Leaves palmately compound; if trifoliolate, all petiolules of equal length or all leaflets sessile .......................................................................................................................................6
5. Leaves pinnately compound; if trifoliolate, the petiolule of the terminal leaflet not equaling the other petiolules OR leaflets only two ...............................................................................13
6(5) Foliage and/or calyx glandular-punctate .................................................................................7
6. Foliage and calyx not glandular-punctate ...............................................................................9
7(6) Flowers yellow; leaflets usually exactly four ............................................................37. Zornia
7. Flowers blue, purple, etc., never yellow; leaflets usually 3 to 5 .............................................8
8(7) Legume enclosed by the enlarged calyx with only the elongate beak protruding; pericarp thin and papery ..............................................................................................13. Pediomelum
8. Legume exserted beyond calyx remnants, beak short; pericarp thick and leathery ................
. .......................................................................................................................14. Psoralidium
9(6) Stamens monadelphous; anthers of two different shapes ...................................................10
9. Stamens diadelphous or free; anthers all alike ....................................................................11
10. Corolla yellow; fruit a loment ...................................................................................37. Zornia
10. Corolla blue or white; fruit not a loment .................................................................8. Lupinus
11(9) Stamens free; flowers mostly yellow or cream; plants from large, woody rootstocks ............
. ................................................................................................................................9. Baptisia
11. Stamens diadelphous; flowers rarely yellow or cream; plants from taproots or fibrous root systems ...................................................................................................................................12
12(11) Leaflet margins entire or mucronate ...............................................................40. Lespedeza
12. Leaflet margins serrate, serrulate, or notched ...................................................36. Trifolium
13(5) Foliage, fruit, or flowers dotted with glands or droplets of resin. (Use a strong lens and examine more than one leaf, fruit, or flower--pigment, insect damage, or disease may at first appear to be glands. Glands are usually most obvious on the undersurfaces of leaves.) ...................................................................................................................................14
13. Foliage, fruit, or flowers not gland- or resin-dotted (glandular hairs may be present) .......19
14(13) Corolla incomplete, consisting of only 1 petal; shrubs ......................................10. Amorpha
14. Corolla complete: papilionaceous or of 5 free petals; herbs ..............................................15
15(14) Stamens 5; corolla of 5 free petals, not papilionaceous .........................................11. Dalea
15. Stamens more than 5, usually 9 or 10; corolla papilionaceous ...........................................16
16(15) Flowers white, purplish, or reddish-brown, never yellow; banner petal clawed ...................17
16. Flowers predominantly yellow when fresh; banner not clawed ............................................18
17(16) Legume glandular, smooth, not cross-wrinkled; fruit enclosed by the calyx except for the beak; pericarp thin and papery .....................................................................13. Pediomelum
17. Legume eglandular, cross-wrinkled; fruit exserted beyond the calyx; pericarp thick and leathery
..............................................................................................................15. Orbexilum
18(16) Stamens diadelphous; leaves 3-foliolate; leaf undersurfaces dotted with droplets of yellow resin ................................................................................................................26. Rhynchosia
18. Stamens monadelphous; leaves 5- to 7-foliolate; leaves dotted with dark glands ..................
. ...................................................................................................................................11. Dalea
19(13) Plants twining, trailing, or climbing ........................................................................................20
19. Plants erect or sprawling, but not twining or climbing ...........................................................29
20(19) Terminal leaflet of each leaf replaced by tendrils or bristles ................................................21
20. Terminal leaflet of each leaf present ....................................................................................22
21(20) Leaflets more than 2 per leaf; wings adnate to the keel, at least at the base .........16. Vicia
21. Leaflets usually only 2 per leaf; wings free of the keel ......................................17. Lathyrus
22(20) Plants woody vines .................................................................................................................23
22. Plants herbs and herbaceous vines .......................................................................................24
23(22) Leaflets 3 ...............................................................................................................18. Pueraria
23. Leaflets 5 or more .................................................................................................19. Wisteria
24(22) Corolla 1.5 cm long or longer .................................................................................................25
24. Corolla less than 1.5 cm long ................................................................................................26
25(24) Corolla less than 4 cm long; banner petal spurred; plants usually twining ..............................
. .......................................................................................................................20. Centrosema
25. Corolla 4 cm long or more; banner not spurred; plants rarely twining .................21. Clitoria
26(24) Leaflets 5 to 7 per leaf ...............................................................................................22. Apios
26. Leaflets only 3 per leaf ...........................................................................................................27
27(26) Keels narrow and strongly recurved or sickle-shaped, pointing back into the flower; flowers borne singly or in clusters at the tips of long peduncles ..............23. Strophostyles
27. Keels broader, not recurved; flowers borne in racemes on axillary peduncles ...................28
28(27) Leaflets lanceolate-ovate with acuminate tips; flowers yellow or purple; stipules present .....
...................................................................................................................................24. Vigna
28. Leaflets ovate-elliptic with rounded or obtuse tips; flowers pink or rose when fresh; stipules small, early deciduous
..........................................................................................25. Galactia
29(19) Flowers bright red, papilionaceous but appearing tubular, 3 cm or more long .......................
. ............................................................................................................................12. Erythrina
29. Flowers not as above .............................................................................................................30
30(29) Corolla of one petal only (actually the banner) .................................................10. Amorpha
30. Corolla of more than one petal ..............................................................................................31
31(30) Flowers with all petals free; corolla not papilionaceous .......................................................32
31. Flowers papilionaceous: banner, wing, and keel present ...................................................34
32(31) Flowers greenish; trees .........................................................................................4. Gleditsia
32. Flowers yellow to orange; shrubs or herbs ............................................................................33
33(32) Leaflets more than 5 mm wide; legume indehiscent or tardily dehiscent, never elastically dehiscent or the valves twisting .................................................................................2. Senna
33. Leaflets less than 5 mm wide; legume elastically dehiscent, the valves twisting after dehiscence
....................................................................................................3. Chamaecrista
34(31) Leaflets 5 or more per leaf .....................................................................................................35
34. Leaflets fewer than 5 per leaf .................................................................................................42
35(34) Plants trees or shrubs; leaves odd-pinnately compound .....................................................36
35. Plants herbs; if somewhat shrubby, then leaves even-pinnate ............................................37
36(35) Stamens distinct; fruit fleshy or woody, constricted between the seeds ............27. Sophora
36. Stamens monadelphous or diadelphous; fruit not fleshy or woody .....................28. Robinia
37(35) Ovary and fruit stipitate; leaves paripinnate ..........................................................................38
37. Ovary sessile; leaves imparipinnate .......................................................................................39
38(37) Fruit not inflated, usually with more than 2 seeds; flowers yellow ....................29. Sesbania
38. Fruit inflated, mostly 2-seeded, flowers tinged with red-orange ......................30. Glottidium
39(37) Stamens monadelphous: nine stamens united and the tenth attached to them in the middle but free at both ends; legumes flattened; leaves with strong pinnate venation visible beneath ...................................................................................................31. Tephrosia
39. Stamens diadelphous; leaves not strongly reticulate beneath .............................................40
40(39) Corolla reddish-brown, often drying beige or pink ...........................................32. Indigofera
40. Corolla cream, lavender, or purple, often drying purple or lavender ...................................41
41(40) Keel blunt, rounded or acute ...........................................................................33. Astragalus
41. Keel with a sharp, erect or up-turned point .......................................................34. Oxytropis
42(34) Corolla 3 cm long or longer ....................................................................................21. Clitoria
42. Corolla less than 3 cm long ...................................................................................................43
43(42) Leaflets serrate or serrulate; fruit a 1- to several-seeded legume, not much flattened ......44
43. Leaflets entire or bristle-tipped; fruit a much-flattened loment or one-seeded segment .....46
44(43) Flowers in racemes 4 to 8 times as long as wide ..............................................35. Melilotus
44. Flowers in umbels or racemes less than 3 times as long as wide .......................................45
45(44) Legumes curved or coiled, often with prickly edges .........................................36. Medicago
45. Legume oblong, neither curved nor prickly ........................................................37. Trifolium
46(43) Corolla orange-yellow; stamens monadelphous ........................................39. Stylosanthes
46. Corolla cream, white, purple, pink, etc., never orange-yellow; stamens diadelphous....... 47
47(46) Fruit an uncinate-pubescent loment with 1 to several articles, the lower margin indented more deeply than the upper; leaflets usually stipellate
................................40. Desmodium
47. Fruit an ovate-rounded, flat, 1-seeded article; pubescence of legumes various, but never uncinate; leaflets estipellate
............................................................................41. Lespedeza
48(4) Plants trees and shrubs, usually taller than 1.5 m ................................................................49
48. Plants herbs and subshrubs, usually less than 1.5 m tall ....................................................54
49(48) Primary leaflets only 1 or 2 pairs per leaf ..............................................................................50
49. Primary leaflets more than 2 pairs on at least some leaves ................................................51
50(49) Secondary leaflets more than 1 cm long ...........................................................42. Prosopis
50. Secondary leaflets much less than 1 cm long ................................................5. Parkinsonia
51(49) Stamens 7 to 9 cm long, showy .......................................................................6. Caesalpinia
51. Stamens less than 7 cm long, showy or inconspicuous .......................................................52
52(51) Flowers in open panicles or racemes ...................................................................4. Gleditsia
52. Flowers in dense heads or clusters .......................................................................................53
53(52) Plants trees; flowers pink; filaments fused at the base ...........................................43. Albizia
53. Plants shrubs or small trees; flowers cream, white, yellow, or orange; filaments free ............
..................................................................................................................................44. Acacia
54(48) Stamens more than 10 per flower; flowers cream or white ...................................44. Acacia
54. Stamens 10 or fewer per flower; flower color various ..........................................................55
55(54) Flowers yellow; ovary and fruit stipitate; roots orange .......................................45. Neptunia
55. Flowers pink or white; ovary and fruit sessile; roots not orange ............................................56
56(55) Flowers bright pink when fresh .............................................................................46. Mimosa
56. Flowers white to cream .................................................................................47. Desmanthus
1. CERCIS L. Redbud, Judas Tree
Six species in temperate N.A.; we have the one TX species.
1. C. canadensis L. Deciduous, unarmed tree 5 to 10(13) m tall. Leaves simple, cordate to reniform, entire, palmately veined, 5 to 10 cm long, 6 to 15 cm wide, long-petiolate; stipules not persistent. Flowers pedicellate, in sessile, umbel-like clusters on old wood, often directly on the trunk and branches, as or before leaves appear, rose pink to purple-pink, some white-flowered cultivars occasionally persist in old landscapes. Floral cup 1 to 2 mm long; sepals united below into a tube 2 to 3 mm. long; the free lobes of the calyx broadly triangular, 0.4 to 0.6 mm long, the entire calyx broadly campanulate, basally oblique, purplish, persistent; corolla to 9 mm long, appearing papilionaceous but the banner positioned inside the wings, petals clawed; stamens 10, free. Legume stipitate, oblong to broadly linear, 4 to 10 cm long and 8 to 18 mm broad, blunt or tapering to both ends, greatly flattened and with a thin wing or margin along the upper suture, thin-walled, distinctly veined, dark brown, tardily dehiscent and often persisting on the tree through winter; seeds several to many.
Our plants are probably all var. canadensis with the leaves usually cordate and acute, dull green on both surfaces. Sandy, forested areas in E. and N. Cen. TX. The species as a whole found in the E. 1/2 of the U.S., the Great Plains, TX, OK, and CA. Readily persists and naturalizes. Spring.
After the elms, generally our first tree to bloom each spring. According to tradition, this is the tree from which Judas hanged himself, staining the flowers
with his blood, hence the common names.
2. SENNA Mill. Senna
Annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, or--in the tropics--trees. Leaves once even-pinnate, leaves spirally arranged (cf. distichous in Chamaecrista), leaflets 2 to 20 pairs, variously shaped, sometimes asymmetric at the base; petioles with 1 or more glands. Stipules caducous or persistent. Flowers in axillary racemes or terminal panicles, peduncles ebracteolate. Sepals 5, obtuse to acute or acuminate, subequal to unequal. Corolla yellow or orange-ish, rarely white, petals 5, subequal or one larger than the others. Stamens 10, poricidally dehiscent, irregularly arranged, sometimes subequal, but commonly the uppermost 3 greatly reduced and staminodial and the 3 lowermost with enlarged anthers; anther cells glabrous. Gynoecium sometimes enantiostylous (with the style pointing to one side and all the anthers to the other), ovary pubescent or puberulent. Legume usually linear, erect to pendent, tardily and inelastically dehiscent, sometimes indehiscent. Seeds several to many.
This large genus has 15 TX species, 3 of which we have. These plants have long been treated with Chamaecrista as part of the larger genus Cassia, and are
now separated on the basis of stamen morphology, absence of bracts on the peduncle, the indehiscence of the legume, and other characters. Some species
are toxic to livestock (Correll & Johnston 1970; GPFA 1986).
1. Leaflets 2 or 3 pairs per leaf, obovate, apex rounded or apiculate; legume 12 to 20 cm long ..................................................................................................................1. S. obtusifolia
1. Leaflets 4 or more pairs per leaf, elliptic or oblong to ovate, acute, acuminate, or obtuse; legume 10 cm long or less .......................................................................................................2
2(1) Plant an odorless perennial; leaflets 6 to 10 pairs per leaf, broadly acute to obtuse; legume flat, with conspicuous cross-septa ..................................................2. S. marilandica
2. Plant a malodorous annual; leaflets 4 to 6 pairs per leaf, acute to acuminate; legume plump, without distinct cross-septa
.............................................................3. S. occidentalis
1. S. obtusifolia (L.) Irwin & Barneby Sickle-pod. Malodorous annual herb 1 to 5 dm tall, usually widely spreading with numerous ascending branches.
Leaflets (2)3 pairs, 2 to 7 cm long, 1 to 3 cm wide, the terminal pair the largest, obovate, broadly rounded apically, apiculate, basally more or less
symmetrical, cuneate, glabrous or the undersurface or margins pubescent; petiolar gland 1, slender, ca. 2 mm long, appressed to the rachis between the two
lowest leaflets; stipules linear-falcate, 1 to 1.5 cm long, tardily deciduous. Flowers 1 to 3 (several) on short axillary peduncles; pedicels to 2 cm long (to ca.
35 mm long in fruit). Sepals unequal, oblong or oval, obtuse, 5 to 10 mm long, 2 to 5 mm wide, membranous; petals yellow, 8 to 15(17) mm long, usually
wilting by midday; stamens 10, the 3(4) uppermost reduced and staminodial, the 3 lowest with enlarged anthers; ovary glabrous to pubescent. Legume
linear, usually strongly down-curved, more or less tetragonal, (10)16 to 20 cm long, 3 to 5.5 mm wide; seeds numerous, transverse, dark brown, lustrous,
with a linear aureole 0.3 to 0.5 mm long. Disturbed ground, sandy soil. E. TX W. to Gonzalez and Dallas Co; E. U.S., PA, IN, and MO, S. through TN,
VA, GA, FL, and AL; S. through the American tropics, also Old World tropics. July-Sept. or Oct. [Cassia obtusifolia L.].
2. S. marilandica (L.) Link Maryland Senna. Perennial herb from a woody rootstock; stems (5)7 to 20 dm tall, usually simple, glabrous or very slightly
pubescent, sometimes glaucous. Leaflets usually 6 to 10 pairs, 3 to 6 cm long, 1 to 2 cm wide, subequal, oblong to elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, broadly
acute to obtuse, mucronate, basally asymmetrical, glabrous, glaucous beneath; petiolar gland at or just above the pulvinus at the base of the leaf,
ovoid-conic, sessile or short-stipitate; stipules linear-lanceolate, caducous. Flowers in short, dense, few- to many-flowered axillary racemes or terminal
panicles; floral bracts caducous. Sepals subequal, ovate, obtuse, 4 to 6(8) mm long, light yellow, glabrous, margins minutely ciliate; petals yellow, obovate
or elliptic, 9 to 11 mm long, subequal; stamens 10, the 3 upper reduced and sterile, the others fertile, the 3 lowest with larger anthers and filaments, anthers
brownish. Ovary appressed-pubescent. Legume linear, usually down-curved, flattened, 7 to 11 cm long, 8 to 11 mm wide, margins undulate, impressed
and conspicuously septate between the seeds, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, black at maturity; seeds transverse, ovate, 4 to 5 mm long, 2 to 3.5 mm wide,
black and lustrous. Mostly in sandy open woods, fields, and creek margins. E. TX W. to Johnson and Washington Cos.; E. U.S., PA and IA W. to NE, S.
to KY, TN, VA, and FL, W. again to TX. Aug.-Sept. [Cassia marilandica L., C. medsgeri Shafer, Ditremexa medsgeri (Shafer) Britt. & Rose;
D.marilandica (L.) Britt. & Rose].
3. S. occidentalis (L.) Link Coffee Senna, Bricho. Erect, taprooted, malodorous annual herb; stems 1 to 2 dm tall, sulcate, usually with a few to several ascending branches. Leaflets 4 to 6 pairs per leaf, lanceolate to ovate, acuminate, basally asymmetrical, 2 to 9 cm long, 1 to 2.5 cm wide, the terminal pair the largest, somewhat glaucous below; petiolar gland borne on the pulvinus or 3 to 5 mm from base of petiole, sessile, globose or conical; stipules linear-lanceolate, acuminate, caducous. Flowers axillary, solitary or in few-flowered, bracteate racemes. Sepals oblong, obtuse, 6 to 9 mm long, subequal; petals yellow to yellow-orange, wilting by midday, broadly ovate or elliptic, 10 to 20 mm long; stamens 10, the upper 3(4) sterile, reduced, fertile stamens often of 2 different sizes, the lower ones with elongate filaments; ovary pubescent on the faces. Legume linear, slightly to strongly curved, usually erect, 8 to 12(14) cm long, (5)7 to 10 mm wide, beaked, flat at first and becoming plump at maturity, elevated over the seeds but not septate, dark brown medially, the margins paler; seeds many, transverse, ovoid, flattened, 4 to 5 mm long, dull brown. Disturbed places, roadsides, etc. Gulf Coast inland to Cherokee, Robertson, Travis, and Comal Cos.; SE. U.S., TN and VA S. to GA, FL, AL, MS, and TX; also tropics of the Old and New World, often weedy. [Cassia occidentalis L.;Ditremexa occidentalis (L.) Britt. & Wils.].
The seeds have been used as a passable substitute for coffee and in folk medicines and have antibiotic properties (Mabberley 1987).
3. CHAMAECRISTA L.
Annual or perennial herbs, stems erect (most of ours) to prostrate. Leaves distichous, once even-pinnate, leaflets 2 to 20 or more pairs per leaf, sometimes asymmetrical. Petiole bearing one or more glands or glandless. Stipules caducous or persistent. Flowers generally 1 to several in axillary clusters or racemes; pedicels each with 2 small bractlets. Sepals generally 5, obtuse or acute to acuminate,subequal to unequal. Corolla yellow to orange-ish, rarely white, petals usually 5, subequal or one larger than the others. Stamens 5 or 10, if 10 subequal and sometimes in 2 cycles, but not of two different forms (cf. Senna), anthers poricidally dehiscent, anther cells ciliolate. Gynoecium sometimes enantiostylous (style exserted to one side and the stamens to the other), ovary glabrous to pubescent or puberulent. Legume generally linear, elastically dehiscent, the valves twisting upon separation; seeds several to many.
Five species in TX and 2 here. These plants were long treated with Senna as part of the larger genus Cassia, but are now separated on the basis of stamen
morphology, presence of floral bracts, legume dehiscence, and other characters. Some species contain toxins (Mabberley 1987).
1. Stamens 5; petals less than 8 mm long; pedicels 1 to 4 mm long ..........................1. C. nictitans
subsp. nictitans var. nictitans
1. Stamens 10; petals 10 mm long or longer; pedicels 5 to 10 mm long ...............2. C. fasciculata
1. C. nictitans (L.) Moench subsp. nictitansa var. nictitans Sensitive Pea, Sensitive Plant, Sensitive Partridge Pea. Taprooted annual herb; stems 1 to
5 dm tall, usually branched an spreading, slender, puberulent with incurved trichomes. Leaves somewhat touch-sensitive; leaflets mostly (7)8 to 20(22)
pairs per leaf, oblong or linear-oblong, mucronate, obtuse to rounded, (6)7 to 15(16) mm long, 2 to 3.5 mm wide, glabrous, the margins ciliate, midvein
dividing leaflet blade asymmetrically; petiolar gland stipitate or subsessile, umbrella-shaped, discoid, or cupulate, 0.4 to 0.8 mm long, located between the
lowest pair of leaflets; stipules linear-lanceolate, acuminate, striate, ciliate, 4 to 8 mm long, persistent. Flowers rather inconspicuous, 1 to 3 in
supra-axillary clusters or racemes; pedicels 1 to 4 mm long, puberulent. Sepals lanceolate, acuminate, pubescent, 3 to 4 mm long; petals yellow, wilting by
midday, unequal, ranging from 3 to 8 mm long in a single flower, the lowermost about twice as long as the other four; stamens 5, unequal, anthers pinkish
to rose when fresh; ovary pubescent. Legume linear to oblong, flattened, erect, (2)2.5 to 5 cm long, 3.5 to 5(6) mm wide, sparsely to densely
appressed-pubescent to villous or glabrate, elastically dehiscent, the valves twisting after dehiscence; seeds 5 to 10, oblique or quadrate (squarish), 3 to 3.5
mm long, black, lustrous, with faint rows of pits. Sandy open woods and disturbed areas. NE. TX W. to Grayson and Tarrant Cos., S. to Bastrop and
Jefferson Cos.; most of E. 1/2 U.S., NY, MA, OH, and IL, SE. to KS, S. to FL and TX. Sept.-Oct.(Nov.) [Cassianictitans L. var. nictitans, etc.].
2. C. fasciculata (Michx.) Greene Partridge Pea. Annual; stems variously decumbent and mat-forming to erect, erect forms 1 to 6 dm tall, glabrous to hirsute or villous. Leaflets somewhat touch-sensitive, 5 to 20 pairs per leaf, linear-oblong, mucronate, glabrous to pubescent; petiolar gland solitary, sessile to short-stipitate, truncate, to about 1.5 mm in diameter, located below the lowest pair of leaflets; stipules linear, attenuate, striate, ciliolate, 5 to 10 mm long, persistent. Flowers in short 1- to 7-flowered axillary or supra-axillary racemes or fascicles, usually one flower open at a time; pedicels usually 1 to 2 cm long. Sepals lanceolate, acuminate, 10 to 15 mm long, glabrous to hirsute; petals obovate, yellow (rarely white), often the upper 4 each with a red spot at the base, wilting by midday, the lowermost the longest and incurved, ca 1