Virtual Guide to the Flora of Mongolia

                           herb     (i) Herbaceous, erect plant, up to 2m high, mostly with a leafy shoot; if perennial, shoots die to the ground each season, shoots are not woody [example: Artemisia pectinata]
                           shrub, subshrub or semishrub     (i) Shrub, multi-stemmed, mostly (0.2) 0.5 - 5 m high, shoots woody up to the tip [example: Caragana leucophloea]
                           tree     (i) Woody plant with a clear main trunk, at least 2-3 m tall [example: Ulmus pumila]

                 odor     (i) Plant with an obvious scent
                 abundant milky juice (latex)     (i) Shoots and often leaves contain white or yellowish latex [example: Asclepiadaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lactuca tatarica]
                 abundant resin     (i) Translucent pale to dark amber-colored, hardening with time and becoming opaque [example: Pinus]
                 plant sticky to the touch     (i) Surface of leaves and/or shoot covered with sticky glands [example: Lychnis viscaria, Drosera rotundifolia]

            < 10 cm
            10 cm - 25 cm
            25 cm - 60 cm
            60 cm - 1 m
            1 m - 3 m
            > 3 m

                 terrestrial     (i) Plant grows on dry land [example: Orostachys spinosa]
                 water or swamp plant

                 with green leaves     (i) Plant with green leaves
                 without green leaves     (i) Plant at flowering time (some geophytes) or over its whole life (many parasites) with reduced leaves without chlorophyll [example: Colchicum, Cuscuta, a lot of parasites]

                                     opposite, opposite-decussate     (i) Two leaves per node [example: Lamiaceae, e.g. Phlomis]
                           whorled or fascicled     (i) Three or more leaves per node or leaves crowded. [example: Galium, Nitraria]
                                     alternate     (i) One leaf per node; distiche: arranged in two vertical rows, equitant [example: Phragmites]
                           basal rosette     (i) Leaves positioned at the base of the stem; stem often without leaves, no visible internodes (but flowers often on erect stems, and these may have few leaves) [example: Limonium, Potentilla, Plantago; also used in Liliales with basaly crouwded leaves (Tofieldia, Zigadenus etc.)]
                 others ?     (i) Not as above (soll gelöscht werden)

                           simple     (i) Non-divided leaf, but margin may be incised nearly to the ground
                 compound     (i) Composed of several similar parts

                           elliptic (including ovate and obovate)     (i) Elliptic: broadest at the middle and narrower at the two equal ends; ovate: egg-shaped, attached at the broad end; obovate: attached at the narrower end [example: Limosella aquatica]
                           lanceolate     (i) Lance-shaped; much longer than wide, with the widest point in the middle or below
                           round to orbicular     (i) Leaf at least as broad as long [example: Pyrola rotundifolia, Caltha]
                           cordate     (i) Heart shaped [example: Cortusa]
                           sagittate     (i) Arrow-shaped [example: Rumex]
                           linear incl.grasslike or oblong     (i) Leaves more than two times longer than broad with more or less parallel margins; see character: stipule for ligula [example: Dracocephalum ruyschiana, Poaceae, Scutellaria scordifolia, Pinus]
                           filiform     (i) Leaves thread-like, at least more than ten times longer than broad [example: Potamogeton pectinatus, P. filiformis]
                                     peltate     (i) Leaf with with petiole attached to the lower surface of the blade [example: Menispermum dauricum]
                           scales     (i) Short, broad and more or less adjacent to axis [example: Hypopitys, Orobanche, Ephedra]
                 heterophyllous     (i) Different kind of leaves on the same plant [example: Sagittaria, Ranunculus aquaticus]

                           rounded     (i) With a round apex [example: Trifolium]
                           obtuse     (i) Sides coming together at the apex at an angle greater than 90 degrees [example: Fallopia convolvulus]
                           emarginate     (i) With a notch at the apex [example: Potentilla bifurca]
                           acuminate     (i) Gradually tapering to a (sharp) point [example: Populus laurifolia?]
                                     aristate     (i) Bearing a more or less distinctive bristle as appearing as continuation of the main vein at the tip [example: Galium verum]

                           serrate / dentate / crenulate     (i) Margin saw-like or rounded teethed [example: Betula, Lophanthus (crenulate)]
                           lobed     (i) Curved division, be aware of deeply lobed leaves than compare with palmatisected (character: leaf division) [example: Crataegus, Dryas, Rubus humulifolius]
                           entire     (i) Plain margin, not toothed [example: Iris]
                           spinose     (i) Margin with spines [example: Carduus, Cirsium]
                           ciliate     (i) With a fringe of hairs [example: Saxifraga spinulosa]

                           with     (i) Leaves with petiole (stalk)
                           without     (i) Leaves without petiole (stalk), sessile [example: Poaceae, Iris]

                           parallel     (i) Most veins arranged parallel to the length of leaf, mostly no pronounced main vein (usually in elongate to linear leaves) [example: Most Monocotyledonae, Plantago, Veratrum, a lot of Caryophyllaceae looks like that.]
                                               pinnate     (i) One main vein, several side veins, sometimes inconspicuous [example: Cicerbita]
                           palmate     (i) Several nearly equal main veins united at the point where the petiole inserts [example: Malva ]

                 not attractive, wind-pollinated or some water plants     (i) Small, colourless or green flowers [example: Betula, grasslike plants: Carex, Setaria, Juncus]
                 attractive, animal-pollinated     (i) attractive and coloured flowers, mostly large, attracting surely animals [example: Trollius, Rosa, Chamaerhodos]

                 colourless     (i) Dry membranous
                 greenish     (i) petals absent or not distinctly different from colours of leaves, only stigmas (white) or anthers (yellow) may differ in color [example: Chenopodium, Triglochin]
                 white     (i) Most plants of the population white [example: Pleurospermum, Maianthemum]
                 yellow to orange     (i) Pale to golden yellow [example: Ranunculus, Crepis]
                 pink     (i) Between red and white [example: Centaurium]
                 red     (i) Reddish (also orange) to deep red [example: Lilium, Rhododendrum]
                 purple to violet     (i) All colors between purple and violet, often changing with flower age [example: Pulmonaria]
                 blue     (i) Bluish colours with mixture to red to deep blue [example: Myosotis, Dracocephalum]

                           absent or strongly reduced     (i) No perianth leaves ensheathing stamen and/or carpels [example: Callitriche]
                           simple, similar     (i) Only one type of perianth leaves (tepals) [example: Tulipa]
                                     double, different     (i) Two types of perianth leaves, differently coloured (sepals: outer periant leaves, usually greenish, and petals: inner perianth leaves, usually coloured) [example: Parnassia]

            < 5 mm     (i) [example: Aruncus]
            5 mm - 10 mm     (i) [example: Stellaria]
            10 mm - 20 mm     (i) [example: Potentilla]
            20 mm - 40 mm     (i) [example: Aquilegia]
            > 40 mm     (i) [example: Incarvillea, Cypripedium]

            < 10 mm
            10 mm - 20 mm
            21 mm - 30 mm
            31 mm - 40 mm
            41 mm - 50 mm
            > 50 mm

                           radiary, regular (actinomorphic)     (i) More than two axis of symmetry [example: Saxifraga: 5; Iris: 3]
                                               zygomorphic     (i) One axis of symmetry, monosymmetrical flowers [example: Pedicularis, Nepeta, Viola]

                           simple (flat) - Do not confuse with inflorescences as in some Asteraceae     (i) Petals spread out, flower appearing flat [example: Mollugo, Trientalis, Pulsatilla, Saxifraga]
                           tubular to funnel-shaped     (i) Petals form a tube, are often partially united to a cylindrical corolla, often surrounded by a calyx
                           campanulate     (i) Petals united to a bell-shaped corolla
                           bilabiate     (i) Petals froming two lips, flower usually zygomorphic [example: Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae p.p.]
                                               papilionaceous     (i) Butterfly-like flower is structured: standard, 2 wings and keel [example: Most Fabaceae (Astragalus), Polygala]
                 Hypanthium developed     (i) Cup-shaped extension of the floral axis developed (receptacle accrescent) [example: Saxifragaceae, Rosaceae p.p., Lythraceae]

                 none or reduced     (i) But green sepals may exist [example: Thalictrum]
                 3     (i) [example: Iris]
                 4     (i) [example: Galium]
                 5     (i) [example: Potentilla]
                 6     (i) [example: Allium, Lilium, Dactylorhiza]
                 >6     (i) [example: Halerpestes, Trientalis]

                 no spur     (i) Flower without appendage [example: Peganum]
                                     one     (i) One leaf with a spur [example: Linaria, Delphinium]
                 more than one     (i) More than one leaf with a spur [example: Aquilegia, Halenia]

                 1     (i) [example: Orchis]
                 2     (i) [example: Cypripedium]
                 3     (i) [example: Poa, Iris]
                 4     (i) Extremely rare, may be absent [example: Plantago]
                 5     (i) [example: Peucedanum]
                 6     (i) [example: Veratrum, Smelowskia, Juncus]
                 7-9     (i) [example: Trientalis, Sedum]
                 10     (i) [example: Silene]
                 > 10     (i) [example: Nymphaea, Callianthemum, Rosa]