‘Spot’ characters are features that occur in relatively few families, thus rendering their identification simpler than tracing them through the actual key. Note that the appearance of a family name under a particular character does not mean that all members of that family show the feature in question.

Plants totally parasitic, without chlorophyll

51 Rafflesiaceae, 157 Cynomoriaceae, 168a Monotropaceae, 206 Orobanchaceae, 239a Burmanniaceae.

Plants clearly parasitic on the above-ground parts of other plants, with chlorophyll (excluding hemi-parasites)

14 Santalaceae, 15 Loranthaceae, 15a Viscaceae, 36 Lauraceae, 189 Convolvulaceae, 192 Lennoaceae.

Plants with bulbs

229 Liliaceae, 229k Hyacinthaceae, 229l Alliaceae, 232 Amaryllidaceae

Plants trapping insects by means of sticky hairs, pitchers or traps borne on stems or leaves, the remains of the insects usually digested

Pitchers: 63 Sarraceniaceae, 64 Nepenthaceae, 75 Cephalota-ceae. Active traps: 65 Droseraceae, 207 Lentibulariaceae. Sticky hairs: 22 Caryophyllaceae, 65 Droseraceae, 79 Byblidaceae, 80 Roridulaceae, 207 Lentibulariaceae.

Plants climbing by means of tendrils (coiling, often spring-like, much branched or bearing adhesive discs)

64 Nepenthaceae, 66a Fumariaceae, 84 Fabaceae, 107 Sapindaceae, 121 Vitaceae, 134 Passifloraceae, 144 Cucurbitaceae, 187a Cobaeaceae, 201 Bignoniaceae, 219 Compositae, 229 Liliaceae, 229s Smilacaceae.

Sap coloured or milky, not watery and translucent

Woody: 9 Eucommiaceae, 10 Moraceae, 94 Euphorbiaceae, 106 Aceraceae, 136 Bixaceae, 136a Cochlospermaceae, 158 Alangiaceae, 175 Sapotaceae. Herbaceous: 66 Papaveraceae, 94 Euphorbiaceae, 184 Apocynaceae, 185 Asclepiadaceae, 189 Convolvulaceae, 221a Limnocharitaceae, 248 Araceae.