Identification of West Virginia Members of the Dentaria Complex [D. diphylla Michx., D. heterophylla Nutt., and D. laciniata Muhl. ex Willd. (Brassicaceae)] Using Above-Ground Vegetative Characters

Long-term herb layer studies require nondestructive sampling, with species identified by above-ground characters. The purpose of this study was to determine the above-ground vegetative characters that best differentiate West Virginia members of Dentaria diphylla, D. heterophylla, and D. laciniata. Eleven morphological characters were measured on West Virginia herbarium specimens and data were subjected to canonical discriminant analysis and analysis of variance. Results showed that species fell into three distinct groups with length and width of basal and cauline leaflets as the most important characters for identification. Dentaria laciniata was identified by its lack of basal leaves and its long, narrow cauline leaflets. The basal leaflets of D. diphylla were similar to but larger than its cauline leaflets whereas the basal leaflets of D. heterophylla were much wider than its cauline leaflets. This study confirmed that these West Virginia members of the Dentaria complex may be identified using above-ground characters, and we provide a key to West Virginia Dentaria species using these characters.