| E1 | STAMENS & STYLE | Shorter than the petals. (see Fig. 3) | 7 |
| Longer than the petals. (see Fig. 3) | 2 | ||
| E2 | INFLORESCENCE | Compound. (see Fig. 2) | 4 |
| Simple. (see Fig. 1) | 3 | ||
| E3 | INFLORESCENCE | Wide (4 - 7 cm), swordshaped, many flowered | lampropoda |
| Thin (to 1 cm) almost roundish, few flowered. Flower yellow, sometimes also reddish. | 3A | ||
| Narrow, lance-like 10 - 24 cm long, petals yellow to yellowish green with appendage | 3B | ||
| E3A | LEAF | Spreading to all sides, long filiform towards the tip. | schiedeana |
| Strongly bent to one side, awllike towards the tip; almost succulent | schiedeana ssp. glabrior | ||
| E3B | LEAF BLADE | Grey-green, sparsely spotted, inflorescence erect, floral bracts purple | Vriesea triangularis |
| Grey-green, inflorescence pendulous. Floral bracts red 25 - 35 mm long | Vriesea incurva | ||
| Grey, inflorescence erect, floral bracts pink 45 mm long | Vriesea patula | ||
| E4 | FLOWER SPIKE | Arranged digitally, petals yellow | Vriesea patula |
| Arranged thickly on the main axis, short swordlike, almost roundish, bracts close together | 5 | ||
| Arranged laxly, petals cream, leaves grey | 4A | ||
| Arranged laxly, petals yellow, leaves grey-green | Vriesea lubbersii | ||
| E4A | LEAF | With coarse grey scales, 15-20 cm long. Plant freely offsetting | utriculata ssp. pringlei |
| With minute pale appressed scales, to 100cm long. Plant rarely offsetting. | utriculata ssp. utriculata | ||
| E5 | INFLORESCENCE | Erect. | 5A |
| Hanging, side-spikes at right angles, petals pale yellowish-green | alfredo-laui | ||
| Hanging, side-spikes almost parallel, petals yellow-green with appendage | Vriesea incurva | ||
| E5A | INFLORESCENCE | Thick, cone shaped, green with yellow petals | laui |
| Not cone shaped. | 5B | ||
| E5B | FLORAL BRACT | Densely grey scaled. scape to 55 cm long, spikes almost erect, Flower pale yellow green. | roseoscapa |
| Densely brown scaled, scape to 18 cm long, spikes at 45 to 70 degrees | mixtecorum | ||
| Not scaled or if any, at tip. | 6 | ||
| E6 | PRIMARY BRACT | 30 - 35 cm long. Petal yellow green | carlos-hankii |
| Up to 12 cm long. | 6A | ||
| E6A | FLORAL BRACT | Wholly yellow green.Leaf sheath pale lilac | kalmbacheri |
| Green with top portion red. Leaf sheath dark brown. | schusteri | ||
| E7 | INFLORESCENCE | Compound. | 29 |
| Simple or reduced to one flower. | 8 | ||
| E8 | INFLORESCENCE | More than one flowered. | 16 |
| One flowered. | 9 | ||
| E9 | PLANT | Like club moss. Flower sessile, yellow | bryoides (syn. coarctata) |
| Not like club moss. | 10 | ||
| E10 | PLANT | Long, filiform, hanging similar to beard moss | usneoides |
| Growing otherwise. | 11 | ||
| E11 | LEAF | Arranged distichously. | 13 |
| Spiralling. | 12 | ||
| E12 | LEAF | To 2 cm long. Flower stem short or missing. Inflorescence mostly 1 flower, yellowish to brownish | rectangula |
| 4 - 15 cm long. | 12A | ||
| E12A | PLANT | Short stemmed. | 12B |
| Stemless. Inflorescence 1 flowered. Flower golden yellow. Leaf 5 - 15 cm long. | aurea | ||
| E12B | BRACT | 2 many nerved flower stem bracts. Floral bracts smooth. Inflorescence mainly 1 - 2 flowered. Flower dirty brownish yellow. | funebris |
| 1 Floral bract, 7 -10 nerved. 1 flowered. | erecta | ||
| E13 | LEAF | Thin, awllike. | 13A |
| Thick, bent into crescent shape. | 14 | ||
| E13A | LEAF | Cross section round, leaf tip flat spatulate. Flower dirty brownish yellow. | mollis |
| Cross section NOT round, edges bent to form a groove, leaf tips long filiform. Flower yellow to brownish yellow | 13B | ||
| E13B | FLORAL BRACT | Almost round. Sepals stocky with strongly developed nerves. Petals lancelike. | capillaris |
| Broad triangular. Sepals slender with weakly developed nerves. Petals tongueshaped | virescens | ||
| E14 | LEAF BLADE | In cross section drawn together. | gilliesii |
| In cross section round. | 15 | ||
| E15 | SEPALS | Equally long, almost free. | myosura |
| Joined high at the back. | retorta | ||
| E16 | FLOWER | Arranged distichously on rhachis. | 19 |
| Arranged spirally. | 17 | ||
| E17 | FLORAL BRACT | Greenish yellow. | 18 |
| Pink. Flower pale yellow, scented. | jucunda | ||
| E18 | FLOWER | Strong yellow, scentless. | ixioides |
| Dirty yellowish brown, scented. | humilis (syn. aureobrunnea) |
||
| E19 | PLANT | Like club moss. | tricholepis |
| Not like club moss. | 20 | ||
| E20 | LEAF | Distichous. | 25 |
| Spirally arranged. | 21 | ||
| E21 | PLANT | Stemless. | 21A |
| Short stem. | 22 | ||
| E21A | LEAF BLADE | Very thin, setaceous 1-2mm wide. Flowers cream. | dexteri |
| Not setaceous. | 21B | ||
| E21B | LEAF BLADE | Long - to 60 cms. Petals cream to dirty yellow during day having opened as white during previous night - Luther |
cornuta |
| Short 25cm or less | 21C | ||
| E21C | PETAL | Yellow. Leaf blade 15mm wide, dense grey scaled | aurea |
| Yellow/orange. Leaf blade 3 - 5mm wide, wavy edges, darkgreen to dark reddish brown. | Racinaea crispa | ||
| E22 | LEAF | 26 cm long, 3 - 4 mm wide contrasting with almost black sheath | Vriesea plurifolia |
| 10 - 18 cm long. | 23 | ||
| To 5 cm long. | 24 | ||
| E23 | FLOWER | Laxly arranged on rhachis. | humilis |
| Densely imbricate on rhachis. | lotteae | ||
| E24 | LEAF | The small rosette almost erect, straight. Inflorescence 4 - 16 flowered. Flower yellowish green. | loliacea |
| The small rosette widened, stiff,bent. Inflorescence 1 - 2 flowered. Flower dirty yellow-brown. | funebris | ||
| E25 | LEAF BLADE | In cross section drawn together on the side. | gilliesii |
| In cross section round to triangular | 26 | ||
| E26 | LEAF | With large spreading scales. Flower golden yellow, strong scent | crocata |
| With appressed scales. | 27 | ||
| E27 | FLOWER | Greenish yellow to brownish yellow. Leaf thin, round, awllike straight. | 27A |
| Pale yellow. Leaf bent. | 28 | ||
| E27A | FLORAL BRACT | Almost round. Sepals stocky, strongly nerved. Petals lancelike | capillaris |
| Broad triangular. Sepals slender, weakly nerved. Petals tongue shaped | virescens | ||
| E28 | SEPALS | Equally long, almost free. | myosura |
| Fused high at the back. | retorta | ||
| E29 | STEM | With stem or short stem. | 30 |
| Stemless. | 31 | ||
| E30 | FLOWER | Arranged distichously on spike. | streptocarpa |
| Arranged spirally. | humilis | ||
| E31 | FLOWER | With asymmetrical sepals. (In Racinaea and flowers generally small) |
37 |
| With symmetrical sepals. | 32 | ||
| E32 | PLANT | Bulblike at base. Leaf thin, grasslike. Inflorescence mostly erect. Flower yellow. Petal thin. | disticha |
| Not bulblike at base. | 34 | ||
| E33 | Not used | ||
| E34 | FLORAL BRACT | Red | 35 |
| Other Colours | 36 | ||
| E35 | SPIKE | 2 cm wide. The bottom primary bract as long as the spike. | alfredo-laui |
| 1.4 cm wide. Primary bract always shorter than the spike. | rauschii | ||
| E36 | LEAF | Tongue like, greenish often purple or red spotted. Petals cream to dirty yellow during day having opened as white during previous night - Luther | venusta |
| narrow triangular, grey | 36A | ||
| E36A | FLOWER | Laxly arranged on the rhachis. Flower bract green. Flower yellow with brown blotches or pale yellow, scented with wide petal blade. | humilis |
| Densely arranged on rhachis. Floral bract green or orange. Flower cream, very small. | barthlottii | ||
| E37 | Arranged one way on the rhachis. | 42 | |
| Not arranged one way. | 38 | ||
| E38 | FLOWER | Laxly arranged on rhachis. | 40 |
| Densely arranged. | 39 | ||
| E39 | FLORAL BRACT | As long as the sepals or a bit longer | Racinaea spiculosa |
| Shorter than sepals. | Racinaea contorta | ||
| E40 | FLORAL BRACT & SEPALS | With dense rough scales. | Racinaea adpressa |
| Pale scales to naked. | 40A | ||
| E40A | LEAF SHEATH | With large spots. | 40B |
| Not spotted, or very slightly spotted | 41 | ||
| E40B | LEAF SHEATH | With large purple spots. Petals pale yellow. | Racinaea aerisincola |
| With dark wine-red spots. Petals yellow/orange. | Racinaea crispa was crispa v. tustii |
||
| E41 | FLOWER | Spreading from rhachis. Leaf sheaths not spotted. Petals very small, yellow | Racinaea ropalocarpa |
| Adjacent to rhachis. Leaf sheaths slightly spotted. Petals cream. | Racinaea pugiformis | ||
| E42 | FLOWER | Upward pointing. | Racinaea tetrantha |
| Downward pointing. | Racinaea pectinata |