Group D: Leaves compound and alternate
KEY TO GENERA
1. Leaves twice-pinnately compound, sometimes seemingly once-compound and paired because petiole very short or rarely apparently absent; leaflets many, most 2-7(10) mm 2
2. Twigs without amber glands; stipules very narrowly triangular or very narrowly conic, often spines to 12 X 1.3 mm at base.......... Acacia
2. Twigs with abundant amber glands; stipules lanceolate to triangular or ovate-triangular, flat, 3-7-4.6 X 2.2-2.7 mm at base ................Caesalpinia
1. Leaves sometimes twice-pinnately compound, usually otherwise, rarely palmately compound; leaflets 3 to many, mostly averaging over 8 mm ...............................................3
3. Leaves more than once-compound 4
4. Stems with prickles, spines, or thorns ........................................................ 5
5. Stems with thorns .................................................................... Gleditsia
5. Stems with prickles or spines…………….... Aralia
4. Stems without prickles, spines, or thorns................................................... 6
6. Leaflet margin indistinctly crenate, apex mostly blunt or rounded to notched....................... Gleditsia
6. Leaflet margin various, apex slightly obtuse to acute or acuminate 7
7. Leaflets 2-5 mm across; no terminal leaflet, evenpinnate …....…. Leucaena
7. Leaflets 9-37 mm across; terminal leaflet present, oddpinnate.......... 8
8. Leaflets entire ........................................ Nandina
8. Leaflets serrate to crenate or cut or lobed ...... Rhus
3. Leaves once-compound, uncommonly a few twice on some leaves but not all.........9
9. Stems and/or leaves armed with prickles, spines, or thorns, these sometimes sparse ............................................ 10
10. Margin of leaflets with stiff spines ........................................ Mahonia
10. Margin of leaflets lacking spines ....................................................... 11
11. Branches armed with thorns; branches, twigs, and/or leaves lacking spines and prickles ............................................ Gleditsia
11. Branches not armed with thorns; branches, twigs, and/or leaves armed with spines or prickles........................... 12
12. Leaves palmately compound; rachis absent 13
13. Aboveground stems living only 2 years. Stipules present ........ Rubus
13. Aboveground stems perennial. Stipules absent.............Eleutherococcus
12. Leaves pinnately compound; rachis present, ending at a joint near base of terminal leaflet........ 14
14. Stipules and stipule scars absent..........Zanthoxylum
14. Stipules present or falling and leaving a scar, occurring on basal edges of petiole or on the twig near base of petiole in which case they may be a pair of spines......................... 15
15. Margin of leaflets entire, sometimes 3-lobed….......... Erythrina
15. Margin of leaflets crenate to serrate ........16
16. Aboveground stems living only 2 years; stipules attached to twig near base of petiole...... Rubus
16. Aboveground stems perennial; stipules attached to twig and basal portion of petiole, free portion as small as 2 mm in one species.............. Rosa
9. Stems and leaves unarmed........................................ 17
17. Aboveground stems living only 2 years....... Rubus
17. Aboveground stems perennial..................... 18
18. Leaves with 3 leaflets, sometimes some with only one........... 19
19. Twigs prominently 5-sided, axillary buds in a notch between summit of a pair of twig ridges and the twig.........Cytisus
19. Twigs terete or nearly so, axillary buds not in such a notch............ 20
20. Main stems ascending to erect, to 30 cm; summit of leaflets with 3, rarely to 5, teeth; edges entire....... Sibbaldiopsis
20. Main stems erect to arching, over 30 cm; no leaflets with teeth restricted to summit......................... 21
21. Terminal leaflet stalked..............22
22. Lateral leaflets symmetrical........Lespedeza
22. Lateral leaflets asymmetrical ( CAN BE POISONOUS TO TOUCH )..... Toxicodendron
21. Terminal leaflet sessile (tapered base sometimes stalklike) .................... Rhus
18. Most or all leaves with more than 3 leaflets............. 23
23. Leaflets 5 or mostly so, palmately arranged…......... Parthenocissus
23. Leaflets other than 5 or, if 5, pinnately arranged................ 24
24. No terminal leaflet (occasionally one leaflet of the terminal pair missing, leaving one leaflet on end)........ 25
25. Basal half of leaflets with sides of equal width................................ 26
26. Leaflets (2)4-6..................................... Senna
26. Leaflets 12-50 .....................................Sesbania
25. Basal half of most leaflets with one side wider than the other ................................ 27
27. Apex of leaflets rounded to notched..................................... Gleditsia
27. Apex of leaflets acute to acuminate................................... Pistacia
24. Terminal leaflet present........................................................ 28
28. Leaflets 3-5(7); margin narrowly cleft to serrate-cleft .............................. Xanthorhiza
28. Leaflets (5)7-45; margin entire, crenate, serrate, dentate, or broadly lobed............ 29
29. Leaf rachis winged or sharply 2-ridged, these sometimes quite narrow and barely visible................................. 30
30. Twigs glabrous or nearly so......................... Schinus
30. Twigs densely and minutely hairy................... Rhus
29. Leaf rachis wingless and not sharply ridged................................ 31
31. Leaflets 5(7) (Rare form of POISON IVY )......Toxicodendron
31. Leaflets (5)7-45.................................... 32
32. Leaflets with margin prominently toothed.......... Rhus
32. Leaflets with margin entire to finely crenate………………………….33
33. Apex of leaflets acuminate or some acute ( CAN BE POISONOUS TO TOUCH )....... Toxicodendron
33. Apex of leaflets rounded to acute, often mucronate................ 34
34. Underside of leaflets bearing minute appressed hairs with 2 opposite arms, arrangement of hairs varying from mostly parallel with midvein to hairs on some parts parallel with laterals ........... Indigofera
34. Underside of leaflets glabrous or with erect to spreading hairs of various sorts, none bearing appressed hairs with 2 opposite arms....... Amorpha