1 | Petals and stamens caducous. Stamen fascicles, styles and ovary loculi 5. Broad-leaved shrubs, without black glands. |
1' | Petals and stamens persistent. Stamen fascicles 5-3 (i.e. 2 + 2 + 1) or stamens apparently afasciculate. Styles 3-5. Ovary loculi 1-4. ± Ericoid shrubs or shrublets or herbs, often with black glands on various parts of the plant. |
2 | Styles free or partially united. Anthers dorsifixed. Inflorescence up to 3 nodes long. Sect. Ascyreia CHOISY. |
2' | Styles completely united. Anthers apparently basifixed. Inflorescence up to 14 nodes long. Sect. Takasagoya (Y. KIMURA) N. ROBSON. |
3 | Styles free. Leaves laxly or scarcely reticulate beneath. |
3' | Styles united almost to the apex. Leaves densely reticulate beneath. |
4 | Sepals acute to subacute. Petals (20-)25-45 mm long. Branches erect or arching, not frondose. |
4' | Sepals rounded. Petals 9-18 mm long. Branches arching, sometimes frondose. |
5 | Capsule longitudinally vittate (scarcely so in H. beccarii subsp. steenisii). Placentation axile to parietal. Black glands usually present. Petals pale yellow (flavus) to golden yellow (aureus). Shrubs or herbs. |
5' | Capsule smooth, not vittate. Placentation parietal. Black glands absent. Petals usually apricot yellow (armeniacus) to orange (aurantiacus), sometimes red-tinged; small herbs with quadrangular stems. Sect. Brathys (MUTIS ex L.f.) CHOISY. |
6 | Plant an erect or ± straggling shrub or woody herb. Styles 3-5, equalling or shorter than the ovary. Placentation axile to parietal. Sect. Humifusoideum R. KELLER. |
6' | Plant a perennial or annual herb or, if suffrutescent, then styles 1.4-1.7 times as long as the ovary. Styles 3 (4). Placentation axile. |
7 | Flowers solitary, not in dichasial cymes nor with shoots in the axils of the uppermost leaf pair. |
7' | Flowers in regular or irregular dichasial cymes or, if solitary, then with shoots in the axils of the uppermost leaf pair. |
8 | Leaves cuneate at the base, linear to elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, rarely broader, with laminar pale glands almost always linear towards the leaf base. |
8' | Leaves rounded to cordate at the base, narrowly ovate or ovate-triangular or elliptic to subcircular, with laminar pale glands linear towards the leaf base only or wholly punctate. |
9 | Leaves spreading or ascending, 8-12 mm long, flat. Styles 2½-3 mm long. |
9' | Leaves imbricate, ± appressed, 2-9 mm long, flat or incurved. Styles 1½-2½ mm long. |
10 | Leaves flat, ovate-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic-oblong, with laminar glands mostly interrupted to punctate. Placentation axile. |
10' | Leaves incurved, narrowly elliptic or lanceolate-elliptic to linear with laminar glands mostly linear. Placentation parietal. |
11 | Flowers always solitary with shoots in the axils of the uppermost leaf pair; leaves with laminar pale glands linear, often with parallel rows of dots. Styles 3. |
11' | Flowers in regular or irregularly dichasial cymes; leaves with laminar pale glands linear or punctate, without parallel rows of dots. Styles 3-5. |
12 | Stem internodes 2-4(-6)-lined, at least when young. Stamen fascicles 3-5 or stamens not obviously in fascicles. Flowers solitary or with shoots in uppermost leaf axils. Suffrutescent or wiry herbs. Sect. Humifusoideum R. KELLER. |
12' | Stem internodes terete. Stamen fascicles 3. Flowers in dichasial or monochasial cymes. Tufted or straggling perennial or annual herbs. Sect. Hypericum. |
13 | Plant a suffrutescent herb with erect or ascending stems. Leaves sessile. Flowers 2-3 cm ø. |
13' | Plant a perennial herb with diffuse wiry branches. Leaves petioled. Flowers¾-1 cm Ø |
14 | Sepal apex rounded. Petiole absent or up to 0.7 mm long. Perennial. |
14' | Sepal apex acute. Petiole 1-3 mm long. Annual. |
15 | Petals c. 1.3 times as long as sepals. Sepals lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, acute or subacute. Stamens 30-50. Leaves mostly ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or narrowly oblong. Erect perennial or annual. |
15' | Petals c. 0.85—1(—1.3) times as long as sepals. Sepals narrowly oblong to elliptic or obovate, acute to rounded. Stamens 5-30. Leaves very variable in shape. Erect to prostrate annual (always?) |