Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Escuela de Biología
Claves dicotómicas
Carlos O. Morales
Octubre de 2019
Claves dicotómicas
Elaboración y uso en el estudio taxonómico
de las plantas vasculares
1.Hojas compuestas
4.Hojas con estipelas ---------------------------- D
4.Hojas sin estipelas
5.Raquis foliar alado --------------------- E
5.Raquis foliar cilíndrico ----------------- F
Claves dicotómicas
2. Tallo trígono, hojas con vaina cerrada. Plantas herbáceas ----------------------- Cyperaceae
2. Tallo más o menos cilíndrico, hojas sin vaina. Plantas leñosas o herbáceas ------------- 3
3. Hojas aromáticas, con numerosas glándulas cerosas amarillas. Arbustos leñosos -----
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myricaceae
3. Hojas no aromáticas ni glandulíferas. Hierbas, arbustos o árboles --------------------------- 4
4. Plantas leñosas con estípulas caducas; hojas alternas, agrupadas distalmente en las
ramas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fagaceae
4. Plantas herbáceas (o arbustivas no leñosas), sin estípulas; hojas alternas u opuestas,
generalmente suculentas, formando rosetas basales o creciendo a lo largo de los tallos
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crassulaceae
Claves dicotómicas
1 Higos solitarios …
2 Higos sésiles …
2 Higos pedunculados …
3 Láminas foliares … (largo x ancho)
3 Láminas foliares …
etc.
1 Higos pareados (raro 3 o +) …
10 Higos sésiles …
10 Higos pedunculados …
etc.
Géneros de Dracaenaceae – Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica
1 Arbustos o arbolitos, con tallo aéreo ± leñoso, a veces
ramificado; hojas extendidas, fláccidas, ± coriáceas; fr. con
pericarpo grueso, carnoso, las semillas no carnosas; nativos
o cultivados ………………………………………….. Dracaena
1a. Staminode 1; flower composed of 6 coloured parts (3 petals, 1 style, 1 stamen, 1 staminode); leaves
basally provided with a pulvinus, lower side mostly lanuginose. - S Mexico and tropical South America
except for the Amazon Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ………………………...8. C. paniculata
b. Staminodes 2 or more; flower composed of 7 or 8 or more coloured parts; leaves without a pulvinus . 2
2a. Petals reflexed; flowers greenish to purplish white, or yellow . . . . . . . . . ……………………. 3
b. Petals not reflexed; flowers red, orange, or yellow ………………………………………….……. 5
3a. Flowers greenish to purplish white; capsule 5-10.5 cm long, seeds 8-10 mm long. - Bolivia and Peru,
2000–2800 m . . . . . . . . ………………………………………………………………………... 7. C. liliiflora
b. Flowers yellow; capsule 3-6 cm long, seeds 5–7 mm diameter . . . . . . . . . ……………………………... 4
4a. Flowers 10-14 cm long; staminodes 1.5-6.5 cm wide; sepals acute. - SE USA …………..
. . . . . . . . . . . . . …………………………………………………………………………... 2. C. flaccida
b. Flowers 3-4 cm long; staminodes 0.5-1 cm wide; sepals obtuse. - SE Brazil . . . . . . . . . . ….
……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9. C. pedunculata
5a. Flowers pendent, reddish purple, 10–14 cm long; leaves often lanuginose below.
- Peru, 1800-2850 m . . . . . . . …………………………………………………………... 5. C. iridiflora
b. Flowers erect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …………………………… 6
6a. Leaves glaucous, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, apex very gradually narrowed; flowers
generally yellow; rhizomes long‑creeping; plants bordering streams. – All over the Neotropics . .
. . . . . . . . ………………………………………………………………………………. 3. C. glauca
b. Leaves not glaucous, generally ovate to elliptic, apex acute to obtuse, often acuminat flowers
never purely yellow, but of all kinds of colours between red and yellow; rhizomes short,
tuberous
. . . . . . . . . ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
7a. Pedicels below the ovary densely tuberculate, 0.5-1 cm long, to 2 cm in fruit; lower
side of leaves more or less lanuginose. - Peru and Bolivia, 1400-2800 m . 1. C. bangii
b. Pedicels smooth, never tuberculate . . . . . . . . . . . …………………………………… 8
8a. Lower side of leaves glabrous; free part of one of the staminodes recurved. -
Throughout the Neotropics . . . . . ……………………………………… 4. C. indica
b. Lower side of leaves more or less lanuginose; free part of all staminodes erect
or patent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …… 9
9a. Pedicels 0-0.5 cm long, to 1 cm in fruit; flowers orange, 4–7.5 cm long;
floral tube curved, free part of staminodes erect; seeds (narrowly) ellipsoid. -
Northern and western South America and Greater Antilles, 750-2000 m …….
…………………………………………………………………… 6. C. jaegeriana
b. Pedicels 0.5-3 cm long, to 5 cm in fruit; flowers orange to red, 5.5–9 cm
long; floral tube straight, free part of staminodes apically patent; seeds
subglobose. - Andean South America, and Central America including
Mexico, 500–2000 m . . . . . . . . . ………………………. 10. C. tuerckheimii
Pennington. T. D. 1981. Meliaceae. Flora
neotropica; monograph 28
Cedrela
1. Calyx regularly and deeply lobed to middle or below, sepals sometimes free ± to base; secondary nerves on lower
surface of lamina numerous, closely and evenly spaced.
2. Leaflets with thick petiolules 3-8 mm long, lamina with conspicuous reddish hairs along midrib beneath
and tufts of hairs in axils of secondary nerves; apex short acuminate or acute; base cordate or broadly rounded.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. C. montana
2. Leaflets with slender petiolules 8-15 mm long, lamina generally glabrous beneath; apex narrowly
acuminate, extended into a filiform thread; base rounded, subacute or more rarely decurrent.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. C. lilloi
1. Calyx cupular with 5 short, regular or irregular teeth, sometimes with one or two longitudinal splits; secondary nerves
on lower surface of lamina widely and irregularly spaced.
3. Leaflet-lamina generally glabrous beneath, sometimes with scattered hairs along midrib and secondary
nerves; terminal cymules of inflorescence open, lax; petals greenish-white; capsule 2-4 cm long.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………... 5. C. odorata
3. Leaflet-lamina generally with varying amounts of indumentum, either hirsute, pilose, tomentose, or villous;
terminal cymules of inflorescence crowded and congested; petals with a pinkish tinge outside; capsule 3.5-15 cm
long.
4. Leaflets numerous, 11-18(-24) pairs, usually drying dark brown beneath; trees of lowland forest to
800 m alt. ………………………………………………………………………………………… 1. C. fissilis
4. Leaflets usually 5-9 pairs, drying dark green; trees of upland forest mostly above 1000 m alt.
5. Capsule erect, 3.5-5 cm long, valves very thinly woody, 1 mm thick; inflorescence as long as or
longer than leaves; leaflets ovate or oblong-ovate. …………………………………. 4. C. oaxacensis
5. Capsule pendulous or nodding, 5-15 cm long, valves woody from 2-8 mm thick; inflorescence
half as long as leaves or very much shorter.
6. Capsule large 8.0-15 cm long, valves 7-8 mm thick; inflorescence little-branched, much
shorter than leaves, normally borne on old wood; flowering when leafless; leaflets elliptic or
oblong-elliptic. ……………………………………………………………………. 6. C. salvadorensis
6. Capsule 6-10 cm long, valves 2-3 mm thick; inflorescence to ½ as long as leaves, terminal
or subterminal; flowering with leaves; leaflets lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate. ………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7. C. tonduzii
TEBBITT, M.C. 2003. Taxonomy of
Begonia longifolia Blume (Begoniaceae)
and related species. Brittonia 55: 19-29. 2003.
Key to taxa in the Begonia longifolia
species complex