Instructions

All keys are entirely dichotomous, i.e. at every step you have to decide between two options.
To select an option, click on the corresponding statement (text on the blue background).
At every step of identification you can either go back for one step or start again from the very beginning by clicking the according buttons (‘go back’ or ‘start again’).
When the identification process is finished, the page of the according species will be displayed. On this page the follwing information is presented:
- Synonyms
- Description (including morphology and chemistry)
- Ecological and distributional data
- Illustrations (if available)
- Distribution maps (if available)
Illustrations can be enlarged by clicking the picture.
Distribution maps can sometimes be enlarged by clicking the map.
The list of keys where this particular species is included is presented at the right upper corner of each species page. You can go to the beginning of each key by clicking the name of the key.
At every step of identification and also at each species page you can go directly to other pages of close species (species treated in this particular identification key or species of the same genus) and compare the taxa of your interest. You can do this by clicking the corresponding epithet below the heading ‘Species pages available’.
At every step of identification and at each species page you can find additional literature sources by clicking the authors’ names below the heading ‘Literature’. You can also contact the authors of the interactive keys using e-mail by clicking the button ‘Contact’.