Polianthes, Linnaeus, 1753

Castro-Castro, Arturo, González-Gallegos, Jesús Guadalupe & Rodriguez, Aarón, 2015, A new species of Polianthes subgenus Bravoa (Asparagaceae, Agavoideae) from Jalisco, Mexico, Phytotaxa 201 (2), pp. 140-148 : 147

Key to the species of Polianthes subgenus Bravoa in Nueva Galicia, Mexico

1. Pedicels 0.3–1.5 cm long; perigone funnel-shaped and abruptly curved just above the ovary, almost white, white-pinkish, pink to orange-yellowish, fragrant, lobes perpendicular to perigone axis ................................................................................. P. multicolor

- Pedicels 1.5–5.5 cm long; perigone tubular or funnel-shaped and slightly curved just above the ovary, concolorous (red, pink, or yellow) or bicolor (tube red, orange, or pink with lobes greenish), odourless, lobes parallel to perigone axis ................................2

2. Flowers solitary at the nodes; lobes epinastic ................................................................................................................... P. howardii

- Flowers paired at the nodes; lobes homomorphic ............................................................................................................................ 3

3. Leaves (abaxially) pectinately hispidulous on nerves and margins with thick erect blunt gland-tipped hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long; exposed portions of sheaths, and to a lesser extent the lower stem, similarly pubescent .............................................. P. graminifolia

- Leaves (as well as the rest of the plant) glabrous, at most with marginal papillae, or scattered papillae along the nerves ..............4

4. Perigone tubular not curved ...............................................................................................................................................................5

- Perigone funnel-shaped, slightly curved just above the ovary.......................................................................................................... 6

5. Leaves oblong-obovate, prostrate or slightly elevated from the ground, (6–) 8–12 cm × 0.6–2.2(–4.5) cm, semi-succulent; per igone bicolor (tube orange and lobes greenish); imbricate and erect lobes in anthesis; stigma exserted the length of the lobes or more .... ............................................................................................................................................................................................... P. cernua

- Leaves linear, erect, (12–)25–30(–48) cm × (0.4–)1.5–2.5(–3.7) cm, chartaceous; perigone concolor, red; extended and free lobes in anthesis; stigma included (occasionally slightly exserted, but no more than half the length of the lobes) ..................................... ................................................................................................................................................................ P. geminiflora var. clivicola

6. Leaves in a basal rosette at flowering time; inflorescence axis without branching ........................... P. geminiflora var. geminiflora

- Leaves not grouped in a basal rosette at flowering time; inflorescence axis generally branching. .......................... P. zapopanensis