Portea Brongniart ex K. Koch, Ind. Sem. Hort. Berol. for 1856(App.): 7. 2857; Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. IV. 6: 368. 1857.
Desc from S&D
Herbs.
Leaves rosulate, lepidote;
blades ligulate, serrulate.
Scape central;
scape bracts brightly colored.
Inflorescence compound.
Flowers slenderly pedicellate, perfect, violet or blue.
Sepals more or less connate, strongly asymmetric, long-mucronate;
petals free, symmetric, exceeding the stamens and pistil, bearing 2 fimbriate scales at base; stamens of the second series highly adnate to the petals,
pollen with more than 5 pores;
ovary wholly inferior; placentae various; ovules numerous, long-caudate.
Fruit fleshy.
Type. Portea kermesina Brongniart ex K. Koch, Ind. Sem. Hort. Berol. for 1856 (App. 7): 1857; Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. IV. 6: 368. 1857.

Key to Species of Portea at Feb 2007
1. Plant long stoloniferous, only 30cm high, inflorescence dense, to 8cm long, basal branches ca 2 flowered => nana
1. Plant short stoloniferous => 2

2. Inflorescence dense; primary bracts large, erect, nearly concealing the branches; floral bracts ample, much exceeding the ovary. => 3
2. Inflorescence lax; primary bracts not concealing the branches; floral bracts very narrow, surpassed by the sepals. => 4

3. Leaf-spines 4 mm long; sepals more than half connate, their mucro 5 mm long, floral bracts sub-oblong, to 20mm long, ovary nearly glabrous => kermesina
3. Leaf spines 2.5mm long, sepals about half connate, their mucro 5mm long, floral bracts filiform, 3.5mm long, ovary dense lepidote => grandiflora
3. Leaf-spines 2 mm long; sepals connate 1-2 mm, short-mucronate. => pickelii now Canistropsis

4. Inflorescence corymbose, as broad as long; sepals short-connate. => leptantha
4. Inflorescence much longer than broad; sepals connate for about half their length. => 5

5. Floral bracts high-adnate to the pedicels and exceeding them. => filifera
5. Floral bracts slightly if at all adnate to the pedicels and much shorter than them. => 6

6. Inflorescence soon glabrous; pedicels 10-40 mm long, floral bracts narrow triangular, 5mm long, petals 3cm long. => petropolitana
6. Inflorescence soon glabrous, pedicels to 12 mm long, floral bracts filiform, 5mm long, petals 4.5cm long => alatisepala
6. Inflorescence white-furfuraceous; pedicels 6-10, rarely to 15 mm long. => 7

7. Inflorescence narrowly pyramidal; primary bracts gradually reduced upward, the lower ones exceeding the branches; pedicels 6-10(-15) mm long. => silveira
7. Inflorescence cylindric; upper primary bracts abruptly reduced, much shorter than the branches; pedicels not over 6 mm long. => fosteriana