Key D: Dicotyledon (Forbs) Families or Genera

1	Flower ‘daisy-like’ (central ‘eye’ and ray of flat ‘petals’)^a	2
1	Flower not ‘daisy-like’	3
2	Plant with succulent stems and leaves	Pigface Family (Aizoaceae)^b
2	Plant without succulent stems and leaves⁴	Daisy Family (Asteraceae)^d
3	Flowers in a compound head made up of many small individual flowers subtended (supported at the base) by a whorl or whorls of overlapping bracts	Daisy Family (Asteraceae)^d
3	Flowers not as above	4
4	Flower with obvious white or coloured petals or petal-like segments (even if minute and tubular)	5
4	Flower without obvious petals	32
5	Flower of ‘butterfly’ type (one large and broad ‘standard’ petal, two narrow lateral petals and one petal folded into the shape of a boat’s keel)	Pea Family (Fabaceae)^f
5	Flower not as above	6
6	Flowers clustered in a cylindrical spike	7
6	Flowers not clustered in a cylindrical spike	9
7	Flower spike slender, more or less drooping; flowers pink, pale pink or white; leaves flat, not fleshy (mainly inland)	*Knotweeds (Persicaria*) Dock Family (Polygonaceae**)
7	Flower spike broad and erect; flowers creamy white, white or pale yellow; leaves somewhat fleshy or succulent (mainly near coastal)	8
8	Flowers pale yellow or white in a dense, tall spike; leaves and stems bright yellow-green	*Salt Lawrencia (Lawrencia spicata*) Mallow family (Malvaceae**)
8	Flowers creamy white in a dense, short spike; leaves thick, semi-succulent and spoon-shaped	Coast Stackhousia (*Stackhousia spathulata) Stackhousia* Family (Stackhousiaceae)
9	Flower yellow or green	10
9	Flower not yellow or green	14
10	Plant with succulent stems and leaves; often climbing and sprawling over other vegetation	*Sea Spinaches (Tetragonia*) Pigface Family (Aizoaceae**)
10	Plant without succulent stems and leaves or if at all succulent, then not climbing and sprawling	11
11	Flower irregular (petals are not all the same size and shape)	*Goodenias (Goodenia*) Goodenia Family (Goodeniaceae**)
11	Flower regular (petals are all the same size and shape and arranged uniformly around a central axis)	12
12	Flower with more than 4 petals; fruit a compound head of achenes (single seeded fruits which do not split on drying)	*Buttercups (Ranunculus*) Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae**)
12	Flower with 4 petals; fruit not a compound head of achenes	13
13	Fruit a four-winged dry capsule; leaves flattened and divided into two oblong leaflets	*Twinleafs (Zygophyllum*) Twinleaf family (Zygophyllaceae**)
13	Fruit long and pod-like, internally divided lengthways into two compartments by a membrane to which the seeds are attached (siliqua); leaves toothed or lobed	Cress Family (Brassicaeae)^g
14	Flower to 13 mm long, pinkish-purple to white at the end of a long tube; fruit a cylindrical capsule opening into 4-parts from the tip down, exposing the long haired seeds	*Willow-herbs (Epilobium*) Willow-herb Family (Onagraceae**)
14	Flower and fruit not as above	15
15	Flower petals white, extending beyond a purplish or greyish veined, broad, inflated, bladder-like calyx	*Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris*) Chickweed Family (Caryophyllaceae**)
15	Flower without a bladder-like calyx	16
16	Leaves rather thick but not fleshy, often softly hairy, circular or ovoid (egg-shaped) and variously lobed and finely toothed, veined from a basal point (palmate), surface often undulating	17
16	Leaves not entirely as above	18
17	Often forming densely leafed, small bush-like plants to 50 cm tall; fruit a dry capsule, separating into 5-parts, each with a long-awned seed, the awns separating and curling as they mature (a child’s ‘tick-tock’)	Geraniums and Pelagoniums (*Geranium, Pelagonium) Geranium* Family (Geraniaceae)
17	Perennial plants to 4 m tall; fruit a dry capsule separating into 12-15 awnless parts and resembling tiny pumpkins when green	*Australian Hollyhock (Malva preissiana*) Mallow Family (Malvaceae**)
18	Flower irregular (petals are not all the same size and shape or arranged uniformly)	19
18	Flower regular (petals are all the same size and shape and arranged uniformly around a central axis)	21
19	Flower with broad lobes, purple, mauve or blue (sometimes pink), often with a yellow and white throat	Mazus and Monkey-flowers (*Mazus, Mimulus) Speedwell* Family (Scrophulariaceae)
19	Flower with narrow and pointed or rounded star-like lobes, white, pale-mauve or blue or blue-tinged	20
20	Flower fan-like (petals all to one side); leaves spoon-shaped, thick and fleshy to 10 cm long	*Swamp Weed (Selliera radicans*) Goodenia Family (Goodeniaceae**)
20	Flower with 3 petals (lobes) on one side and 2 on the other; leaves not thick or fleshy or if so, then not spoon-shaped and less than 4 cm long	*Lobelias (Lobelia*) Blue-bell Family (Campanulaceae**)
21	Flower⁹ pink or pinkish-white with loose hairs on the outer surface; prostrate, creeping plant forming a mat; leaves and stems covered in very short fine hairs	*Galenia (Galenia*) Pigface Family (Aizoaceae**)
21	Plant not entirely as above	22
22	Small semi-succulent, reddish-green plant with erect or trailing stems from 10-20 cm long and minute leaves, 1-3 mm wide and less than 20 mm long; minute flowers 1-2 mm	*Crassulas (Crassula*) Stonecrop Family (Crassulaceae**)
22	Plant not as above	23
23	Flower with 4 petals	24
23	Flower with 5 petals (sometimes deeply divided)	25
24	Flower white, 2-3 mm long, consisting of a tube with 4 deep lobes; leaves shiny, less than 2 cm long, pointed, arranged in whorls	*Asperulas (Asperula*) Coprosma Family (Rubiaceae**)
24	Flowers white, pink or lavender, 1-8 mm long, consisting of free petals; leaves dull, to 7 cm long and usually lobed	Cress Family (Brassicaceae)^g
25	Leaves and stems succulent or fleshy	26
25	Leaves and stems not succulent or fleshy	27
26	Petals free, alternate with sepals; flowers pink, lilac or white	*Sand-spurreys (Spergularia*) Chickweed Family (Caryophyllaceae**)ⁱ
26	Petals fused into a tube with lobes at the tip; flowers white or creamy white or occasionally creamy yellow	*Wilsonias (Wilsonia*) Morning Glory Family (Convolvulaceae**)
27	Flowers pink, red, orange or blue	28
27	Flowers white (or occasionally pink in Creeping Brookweed)	29
28	Erect plant to 45 cm tall with small stalkless leaves 1-3 cm long; flowers bright pink and star-like	*Spiked Centuary (Schenkia spicata*) Gentian Family (Gentianaceae**)
28	Low growing plant with creeping stems; flowers orange or blue (sometimes red or pink)	*Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis*) Primrose Family (Primulaceae**)
29	Petals shortly or deeply divided from the tip	*Chickweeds (Cerastium, Stellaria*) Chickweed Family (Caryophyllaceae**)
29	Petals undivided	30
30	Petals free	*Creeping Brookweed (Samolus repens*) Primrose Family (Primulaceae**)
30	Petals fused into a tube with free lobes at the tip	31
31	Perennial plant with a strong taproot and prostrate to erect stems; leaves bluish-green, undivided	*Rosinweed (Cressa australis*) Morning Glory Family (Convolvulaceae**)
31	Annual or perennial plants with prostrate to sprawling stems; leaves green to yellow-green, much divided	*Wild Celeries (Apium*) Parsley Family (Apiaceae**)
32	Flower-head consist of a green, cup-shaped receptacle containing four crescent-shaped glands with short horns and a female flower surrounded by male flowers with their yellow anthers (sand dunes and estuaries)	*Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias*) Spurge Family (Euphorbiaceae**)
32	Flower-head not as above	33
33	Flower-head globular, greenish-white; fruiting head globular, 20-25 mm dia. covered in 10 mm reddish-brown spines with a hooked tip; leaves dark shiny green, made up of 7-9 toothed leaflets	Bidgee-widgee (*Acaena novae-zelandiae) Rose* Family (Rosaceae)
33	Flowers, fruits and leaves not as above	34
34	Plants with a basal rosette of leaves and strong taproots	35
34	Plants without an obvious basal rosette of leaves; roots various	36
35	Flowers often arranged in whorls on loose spikes or panicles and consisting of 6 perianth segments, the inner 3 often enlarging and thickening in fruit and having marginal teeth; leaves both in a basal rosette and along the stems	*Docks (Rumex*) Dock Family (Polygonaceae**)
35	Flowers in a dense cylindrical spike; sepals and petals membranous, the latter forming a small tube with 4 lobes; leaves confined to a basal rosette (typical Flat Weeds)	*Plantains (Plantago*) Plantain Family (Plantaginaceae**)
36	Prostrate, scrambling or mat-forming plant, rooting at the stem nodes; flower-heads are white or brownish-white, near-globular clusters 4-8 mm dia. in the leaf axils; perianth segments are 2-3 mm long, pointed and stiff papery	Lesser Joyweed (*Alternanthera denticulata) Redroot* Family (Amaranthaceae)
36	Plants not entirely as above	37
37	Leaves absent or reduced to lobes indistinguishable from stems	*Beadworts (Sarcocornia*) Saltbush Family Chenopodiaceae**)
37	Leaves present	38
38	Leaves flat, fleshy or non-fleshy and rhombic, triangular, ovate or hastate (pointed tip with two pointed lobes at the base)	39
38	Leaves short, often cylindrical and succulent	40
39	Female flowers and ultimately fruits enclosed by a pair of thickened, often spongy or corky bracteoles (small bracts)	*Saltbushes (Atriplex*) Saltbush Family Chenopodiaceae**)
39	Female flowers without spongy or corky bracteoles	*Saltbushes (Chenopodium*) Saltbush Family Chenopodiaceae**)
40	Non-woody fruits surrounded by five succulent perianth lobes, subtended by a pair of bracteoles (small bracts)	*Seablites (Suaeda*) Saltbush Family Chenopodiaceae**)
40	Woody fruits surrounded by five dry perianth lobes, without any subtending bracteoles	*Bonefruits (Osteocarpum*) Saltbush Family Chenopodiaceae**)

If plants are young, they may not have yet developed their woody or tough character and as such, you may need to check Key C for Shrubs and Sub-shrubs.
^aFlower petals of the Daisy Family are actually individual flowers, whereas those in the Pigface Family are not true petals but sterile stamens or staminoides.
^bSee Key to Pigfaces for further determination of species in this group.
^cOne exception with semi-succulent leaves is Hardhead Daisy (Brachyscome lineariloba) from the Mallee but it usually has less than 10 ‘petals’, whereas flowers in the Pigface family have many more.
^dThe Daisy Family has many representatives in Salinity Indicator Plants, but a key to the separation of genera or species is complicated and rather specialist. However, one group (Tribe: Lactuceae) consists of plants with typical ‘daisy-like’ yellow flowers, a basal rosette of leaves and a milky juice (latex) exuded from broken stems and a Key for Yellow Daisy Flat Weeds has been developed.
^eThe Groundsels are in a genus (Senecio) of the Daisy Family in which there are species with (e.g. Variable Groundsel) and without (e.g. Annual Fireweed) typical ‘daisy-like’ ray petals. As a genus, their flower-heads are distinguished from other genera by being subtended by one main and very even whorl of bracts (although an outer or whorl or partial whorl of much smaller and more loosely arranged bracts is often present), rather than a series of overlapping whorls. Leaves are often (but not always) toothed or lobed.
^fSee Key to Common Annual Clovers to determine species in the genus Trifolium.
^gAlthough the Cress Family is rather large (Mustards, Rockets and Cresses), only a handful of species are likely to be encountered in coastal or wetland environments as most are weeds of cultivation or waste-land. The species included in Salinity Indicator Plants include those in the genera Brassica (Mediterranean Turnip), Cakile (Sea Rocket), Diplotaxis (Sand Rocket) and Hymenolobus (Oval Purse). All the species in the Family are distinguished by their four petals (most often yellow or white) and two-compartmentalised capsules.
^hThe ‘petals’ of Galenia are not true petals but perianth segments.
ⁱSee Key to Spergularia species for further detail.

Page top