Polianthes Linnaeus 1753
Creators: name: Castro-Castro, Arturo
name: González-Bernal, Marco Antonio
name: Aguilar, Edmi Itzel Rojas-
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asparagales
Asparagaceae
Polianthes

description: Identification key to the species of Polianthes subgenus Polianthes
1. Perigone tube 1.3–2.8 cm long...........................................................................................................................................................2
2. Flowers sessile....................................................................................................................................................................................3
3. Leaves ovate to lanceolate, usually prostrate on the ground .......................................................................................... P. platyphylla
3. Leaves linear, ascending............................................................................................................................................. P. venustuliflora
2. Flowers pedicellate.............................................................................................................................................................................4
4. Flowers yellowish green at anthesis, white to light brown at senescence, scentless; tubular perigone; pedicels (0.15–)0.22–0.26(– 0.6) cm during anthesis....................................................................................................................................................... P. montana
4. Flowers cream to almost white, pink with white lines, yellowish-pink, pinkish, almost red, orange, or yellowish, scented; funnelshaped perigone; pedicels 0.35–1.6 cm during anthesis.................................................................................................. P. multicolor
1. Perigone tube (2.5–) 3–10 cm long .....................................................................................................................................................5
5. Flowering portion of the inflorescence short and crowded; flowers solitary, greenish yellow in anthesis...................... P. densiflora
5. Flowering portion of the inflorescence long and lax; flowers geminate, white in anthesis ...............................................................6
6. Cultivated plants; perigone tube 2.5–3.5(–4) cm long ....................................................................................................... P. tuberosa
6. Wild plants; perigone tube 3–10 cm long...........................................................................................................................................7
7. Perigone apex oblique; style exserted in anthesis ............................................................................................................... P. nelsonii
7. Perigone apex symmetrical; style included in anthesis ......................................................................................................................8
8. Inflorescence (44–) 84–160 cm long...................................................................................................................................................9
9. Leaves 2–6, linear; inflorescence spike-like, 94–160 cm long; perigone with a nectary located in the second third of the floral tube; filaments 2–10 mm long.............................................................................................................................................. P. alboaustralis
9. Leaves (1–)3–4; ensiform; inflorescence racemose, (44–) 84–122 cm long; perigone without a nectary on the floral tube; filaments 6.5–9.7 mm long......................................................................................................................................................... P. aarodriguezii
8. Inflorescence (14–) 30–70 cm long...................................................................................................................................................10
10. Perigone lobes ovate, 5–6 mm long; leaves (0.8–) 1.2–1.5 cm wide.................................................................................. P. palustris
10. Perigone lobes oblong-elliptic, (5–) 10–20 mm long; leaves usually less than 1 cm wide...............................................................11
11. Perigone tube 3–7 cm long; lobes 10–15 mm long; anthers (5–) 7–9.5 mm long .......................................................... P. sessiliflora
11. Perigone tube 6–10 cm long; lobes 15–20 mm long; anthers 10–14 mm long ................................................................ P. longiflora
description: Published as part of Castro-Castro, Arturo, González-Bernal, Marco Antonio & Aguilar, Edmi Itzel Rojas-, 2023, New insights on Polianthes montana (Asparagaceae, Agavoideae) and the description of P. aarodriguezii a new species, both from Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico, pp. 61-71 in Phytotaxa 583 (1) on page 70, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.583.1.6, http://zenodo.org/record/7609177