1.

+

Synflorescence or capitula totally enveloped or half enclosed or      subtended by yellowish, red or purple membranous uppermost leaves of involucel. Leaves always undivided or undissected.

2

–

Synflorescence or capitula not enveloped or half enclosed and subtended by coloured uppermost leaves of involucel. Leaves undivided or undissected to pinnatisect.

 5

2.

+

Uppermost stem leaves membranous, usually more than 3 cm wide, pale-yellow,  connivant and enveloping laxly corymbiform synflorescence.  Corolla 9 – 13 mm long.

1. S. obvallata

–

Uppermost stem leaves and bracts yellowish or greenish with  purple, pale-rose tinge, usually less than 3 cm wide. Corolla  15 – 20 mm long.

3

3.

+

Capitula 3-5 (-8) in corymbiform synflorescence, lower half by uppermost, irregularly dentate cauline leaves of synflorescence.

2. S. schultzii

–

Capitula solitary, subtended and surrounded in lower half of involucre by aggregated, entire, coloured leaves.

 4

4.

+

Radical and cauline leaves narrowly linear, 4 – 18 cm long, 1 – 4 mm  broad. Involucre campanulate with black  phyllaries. Receptacular bristles 4.2 – 6 mm long. Corolla purple. Cypselas straw-coloured, black spotted.

3. S. hookeri

–

Leaves narrowly elliptic to ovate elliptic, 3 – 7 cm long, 0.8 – 2  cm broad. Involucre narrowly campanulate to obconic with silky hairy phyllaries. Receptacular bristles (1.3–) 1.5 – 2 mm long. Corolla purplish red. Cypselas straw-coloured but not black  spotted.

4. S. bracteata

5.

+

Stem usually widened or expanded towards apices, becoming club-shaped and hollow. Capitula usually borne in densely congested or rarely an interrupted spike-like or corymb-like synflorescence, densely surrounded by cottony long  hairs of subtending leaves or subtended by uppermost leaves.

 6

–

Stem not widened or expanded towards apices, not becoming club-shaped or hollow. Capitula borne in corymbose, paniculate or raceme-like synflorescence or solitary terminal on  stem or branches, not surrounded by dense cottony long hairs or uppermost leaves.

14

6.

+

Plants shortly stemmed, always monocarpic. Caudex simple, bearing a single terminal rosette.

 7

–

Plants usually with a well-developed stem, monocarpic or polycarpic, sometimes almost stemless then always polycarpic.           

9

7.

+

Leaves fleshy becoming leathery and rigid on drying, glabrous on abaxial side, sparsely arachnoid on adaxial side. Phyllaries purplish red, glabrous. Corolla bluish purple.

5. S. thomsonii

–

Leaves not fleshy, whitish lanate-densely sericeous on abaxial side. Phyllaries not purplish red, villous-lanate. Corolla rose purple to purplish red.

 8

8.

+

Leaves densely lanate with yellowish brown or whitish matted hairs on adaxial side. Outer phyllaries apically densely yellowish brown and lanate. Receptacle without bristles. Pappus uniseriate, yellowish brown.

6. S. depsangensis

–

Leaves white and densely sericeous to lanate on adaxial side. Outer phyllaries apically purple and villous. Receptacle bristles 1-2 mm long. Pappus biseriate, outer dirtly white.

7. S. aster

9.

+

Synflorescence concealed in lanate indumentum at anthesis, 7–10 cm broad. Capitula densely aggregated on flat or convex stem apex, surrounded by much exceeding lanate bracts.

8. S. gossipiphora

–

Synflorescence not concealed in lanate indumentum at anthesis, 2–4 (–7) cm broad. Capitula exposed on stem apex, not exceeded by densely lanate bracts.

 10

10.

+

Leaves fan shaped, rhombic or ovoid. Cypselas black – dark brown.

9. S. medusa

–

Leaves not as above, linear oblong, narrowly obovate to spathulate. Cypselas brown – pale brown.

11

11.

+

Pappus dull dark brown, mouse gray or blackish.

                12

–

Pappus white, dirty white or straw coloured, light brown or brown.

13

12.

+

Rosette and lower stem leaves green, glabrescent with elongated green petioles, entire or obtusely sinuate-dentate margins. Outer pappus bristles reflexed and appressed on the cypsela.

10. S. inversa

–

Rosette and lower stem leaves whitish, densely tomentose, with purple petioles and shallowly crenate margins. Outer pappus bristles not reflexed but usually erect.     

11. S. gnaphalodes

13.

+

Plants stemless or short stemmed, usually < 10 cm tall. Upper stem leaves surrounding the capitula, elliptic, with obtuse or rounded apices, neither reflexed nor purplish or dark violet.

12. S. glacialis

–

Plants usually with distinct, erect, usually > 10 cm tall flowering stem. Upper stem leaves linear with acute apices, densely lanate on both sides, uppermost leaves surrounding the capitula usually reflexed, purplish and dark violet.

13. S. simpsoniana

14.

+

Shrublets, virgately much branched from the base.

15

–

Perennial herbs or rarely subshrubs, never virgately branched.

16

15.

+

Leaves monomorphic, not punctate glandular, all narrowly linear and revolute margined, 1 – 2 mm wide, lower ones fasciled, upper erect to patent. Capitula solitary at apices of shoots. Inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate, 6.5 – 8 mm long, 2.5 – 3 mm broad. Cypselas glabrous.

14. S. leptophylla

–

Leaves dimorphic, punctate glandular on both sides, lower oblanceolate or elliptic-linear, 2.5 – 5 mm wide, uppermost linear, 2 – 3 mm wide. Capitula many, terminal at the apices of shoots and branchlets also in paniculate synflo-rescence. Inner phyllaries linear-oblong, 10 – 12 mm long, 1 – 1.5 mm broad. Cypselas glandulose.

15. S. chondrilloides

16.

+

Leaves linear-subulate, 1-2 (-3) mm wide.

17

–

Leaves of various shapes but not linear-subulate, 5 mm or more wide.

18

17.

+

Leaves discolorous. Receptacular bristles absent. Corolla purple. Inner bristles of pappus 10-13 mm long.

26. S. graminifolia

–

Leaves concolorous. Receptacular bristles brown, ca 1 mm long. Corolla purplish red. Inner bristles of pappus 7-8 mm long.

18. S. subulata

18.

+

Leaves densely covered with stipitate glands on both sides.

16. S. schlagintweitii

–

Leaves eglandular or if glands present then glands sessile.

19

19.

+

Sessile glands present at least on one side of the leaves.

20

–

Leaves completely eglandular.

21

20.

+

Leaves with winged petiole, undivided, sessile glands present on both sides. Phyllaries 3–4–seriate. Corolla mauve or reddish purple. Cypselas pale brown with minute pale glands.

19. S. elliptica

–

Leaves with unwinged petiole, lyrately pinnately dissected with large terminal lobe, sessile glands present dorsally. Phyllaries 5–7–seriate. Corolla pale purple. Cypsela reddish brown, glabrous.

20. S. salsa

21.

+

Leaves concolorous, green on both sides.

22

–

Leaves discolorous, green above, greyish-white below.

25

22.

+

Plants upto 100 (–110) cm tall. Capitula 10–20 in terminal corymbs like synflorescence.

21. S. candolleana

–

Plants small upto 50 cm tall. Capitula solitary terminal or 1–3 in the middle of leaf rosettes.

 23

23.

+

Plants upto 50 cm tall. Cypselas 5-6 mm long.

25. S. roylei

–

Plants upto 6 cm tall. Cypselas 2.5-4 mm.

24

24.

+

Leaves leathery, unlobed, dentate to serrate on margins, densely beset with stout rigid brown multicellular hairs on the veins beneath. Involucre cylindrical or oblong. Phyllaries pale green, purplish black at apices and margins. Corolla blue.

17. S. atkinsonii

–

Leaves not leathery, mostly lobed. No such hairs present. Involucre campanulate. Phyllaries purplish or reddish purple. Corolla purplish-red.

22. S. andryaloides

25.

+

Capitula 10-20 in terminal corymb-like synflorescence.

21. S. candolleana

–

Capitula solitary terminal, rarely 2.

26

26.

+

Leaves unlobed, upto 8 (–10) mm broad, ± revolute margined.

23. S. stenophylla

–

Leaves pinnately lobed-pinnatisect, more than 10 mm broad, not revolute margined.

27

27.

+

Stem unbranched, upto 50 cm tall. Phyllaries blackish or very dark green.

27. S. taraxacifolia

–

Stem either very short (2–3) cm or upto 30 cm, branched. Phyllaries neither blackish nor very dark green.

 28

28.

+

Corolla purplish red. Phyllaries glabrous.

24. S. leontodontoides

–

Corolla purple, blue. Phyllaries densely to sparsely hairy.

29

29.

+

Plants with distinct stem, upto 30 cm tall. Petioles winged. Phyllaries greenish not purplish red.

28. S. falconeri

–

Plant almost stemless. Petioles not winged. Phyllaries purplish red.

29. S. stoliczkae