1	"Leaves with a single tooth each side near the base and 3-lobed distally"	"Blepharis trifida"
1	"Leaves entire or with bristly or entire margins, not 3-lobed distally"	2
2	"Spikes with 4-many flowers, each flower subtencded by a bract"	3
2	"Spikes with 1 flower, each flower subtended by 4 pairs of bracts"	7
3	"Corollas 3-lobed; upper and lower calyx lobes subequal; lower pairs of filaments without appendages"	4
3	"Corollas 5-lobed; upper and lower calyx lobes distinctly unequal; lower pair of filaments branched at the top and and with a toothlike appendage"	5
4	"Leaves whitish sericeous, entire spikes with 8-14 flowers"	"Blepharis forgiarini"
4	"Leaves glabrous, toothed; spikes with 4 flowers"	"Blepharis diplodonta"
5	"Most corollas 27-35 mm long; leaves toothed from the base"	"Blepharis boranensis"
5	"Most corollas less than 27 mm long; leaves not toothed at the petiole-lik base"	6
6	"Fertile bracts with triangular tips 3-5 mm long and with 3-5 spines up to 2-4 mm long on each side; leaves 1.3-3.5 cm wide"	"Blepharis glinus"
6	"Fertile bracts with 5-28(-32) mm long tips and with (3-)4-8(-10) spines up to 3-8 mm long on each side; leaves mostly narrower"	"Blepharis edulis"
7	"Flowers with a pair of narrow bracteoles inside the inner pair of bracts"	8
7	"Flowers without bracteoles"	9
8	"Spikes persistent; corollas usually blue or purplish, 16-22 mm long"	"Blepharis hildebrandtii"
8	"Spikes falling off when mature; corollas yellowish with purplish veins, 12-16(-19) mm long"	"Blepharis ogadenensis"
9	"Bracts with 4-10  bristles on each side"	"Blepharis maderaspatensis"
9	"Bracts entire or with a single tooth on each side"	10
10	"Plants scandent shrubs up to 2 m tall; inner pair of bracts 15-17 mm long; corollas 30-35 mm long"	"Blepharis scandens"
10	"Plants swarf shrubs, up to 0.5 m tall; inner pairs of bracts 4-9 mm long; corollas 8-16 mm long"	11
11	"Stems with spine-tipped ultimate brnchlets"	"Blepharis spinescens"
11	"Stems without spine-tipped branchlets"	12
12	"Corollas 8-11 mm long, blue or bluish purple"	"Blepharis tande"
12	"Corollas about 16 mm long, sometimes with blue or bluish purple veins"	13
13	"Leaves with bulbous-based hairs; spikes with 2-3(-4) pairs of scalelike leaves below the 4 pairs of brcts; bracts puberulent and ciliate only near the top, the inner pair 8-9 mm long"	"Blepharis somaliensis"
13	"Leaves puberulent but the hairs not bulbous-based; spikes without scalelike leaves below the bracts; bracts puberulous all over, the inner pair about 7 mm long"	"Blepharis thulinii"