Families of Angiosperms

Part-II: Families of Angiosperms Descriptive studies of Angiospermic Family: Dicotyledonous Families: Ranunculaceae (Buttercups or Crowfoot Family) Magnoliaceae (Magnolia Family) Lamiaceae (Labiatae) (Mint Family) Rubiaceae (Madder Family) Acanthaceae (Acanthus Family) Apocynaceae (Dogbane Family) Rosaceae (Rose Family) Monocotyledons Families: Poaceae (Gramineae) (Grass Family) Orchidaceae (Orchid Family) Musaceae (Banana Family) A Descriptive Study of Dicotyledonous Families: 1. Ranunculaceae (Buttercups or Crowfoot Family): (a) Classification: Bentham & Hooker: Dicotyledons, Polypetalae, Thalami Florae, Ranales, Ranunculaceae Engler and Prantl: Dicotyledoneae, Archichlamydeae, Ranales, Ranunculaceae Hutchinson: Dicotyledons, Herbaceae, Ranales, Ranunculaceae APG IV: Eudicots, Ranunculales, Ranunculaceae (b) Important Characters: Herbs, leaves exstipulate, sheathing leaf base, leaf blade incised, flowers hypogynous, bisexual, petals 5 and nectary gland at base, carpels indehiscent, free, and spirally arranged, ovary superior, fruit is follicle or achene. (c) Description: Habitat: Found on temperate region herbs or sometimes woody or climbers, rarely trees. Root: Taproot, adventitious or tuberous (Ranunculus spp.) Stem: Herbaceous, sometimes climber, underground rhizome or tuberous (Ranunculus spp.) Leaves: Usually simple, alternate, or opposite (Clematis), stipules absent, sessile (Delphinium), unicostate or multicostate reticulate venation. Inflorescence: Solitary, terminal, axillary (Clematis), raceme or panicle. Flowers: Actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual, unisexual in Caltha, trimerous (Delphinium), perigynous in Clematis, polypetalous, hypogynous. Sepals: Usually 5, free in Clematis, three, petaloid, imbricate or valvate aestivation. Corolla: Petals 5 or many (Helleborus), polypetalous, variously coloured, caducous or wanting, nectarines present at the base of petals or spurs present in Delphinium. Androecium: Stamens numerous, free, spirally arranged on the thalamus, anthers often extrorse, dithecous. Gynoecium: Polycarpellary, one in Delphinium, 3 to 5 in Aconitum, apocarpous, rarely syncarpous, ovary superior, pentalocular, placentation marginal, rarely axile, style one, sometimes feathery, stigma one. Fruit: Aggregate, achenes or berries, follicles, follicle or septicidal capsule or berry (Actaea), dehiscent drupes, rarely a true berry (simple pod). Seed: Sin-small, oily, endospermic. Floral Formula: $\oplus$ ⚥ P5, A∞, G∞ 2. Magnoliaceae (Magnolia Family): (a) Classification: Bentham and Hooker: Dicotyledons, Polypetalae, Thalami Florae, Ranales, Magnoliaceae. Hutchinson: Dicotyledons, Lignosae, Magnoliae, Magnoliaceae. APG IV: Magnoliids, Magnoliales, Magnoliaceae. (b) Important Characters: Trees and shrubs, alternate simple leaves, stipules enclose young buds, stipules caducous, leaves exstipulate, scars at the base of the nodes, inflorescence large, solitary. Flowers large, bisexual, large perianth, usually trimerous, calyx and corolla undifferentiated, carpels numerous, arranged spirally on elongated thalamus, stamens and carpels numerous, apocarpous, free fruit on an antrior of follicles or berries, some fruits samaras. (c) Description of the Family: Habitat: Trees and shrubs or sometimes climbers, nodes swollen, oil cells present in stems and leaves. Root: Taproot system, branched. Stem: Erect, woody, branched, cylindrical. Leaves: Evergreen or deciduous, alternate, simple, spiracle reticulate, dissected margin pinnatifid or on entire, pinnately veined or reticulately veined, stipules large, and leaving scars at the nodes (caducous), leaves among shaped. Inflorescence: Solitary, terminal, axillary. Flowers: Bracteate (spathaceous bract), large and sometimes 25 cm in diameter (magnolia), complete, regular, actinomorphic, bisexual, trimerous, hypogynous. Perianth: Sepals 6 to 12, free, equino-phyllous, petaloid, whorls of three. Sepals: 6 to 12, free, petal-like, white, yellow, green. Corolla: Petals 6 to 12, free, petal-like, white, yellow, green. (d) Den droid forem) The plant body appears as 'tree like inders microscope mucilage often seen at the bare. Ex: Dino bryon (e) filamentous cells antrangeel one upon the other in definite Siegeere en uni seriale Row en branched. foreming filkment. filaments may be breanchey on e.f on branched filaments: cells arranged one above the others without any branching points. Ex! - Spirogyra, Zygnema, Nostoc, Ulothrix. 2.2 Branches filaments: Filaments with branching often dichotomous breanching Ex:- Bulbochaete 1-3 Psuedo branched: Appear like branchcol andere microsupe. Actually breanching I due to the close association of on branched thdivisual Filamen Ex: Scytonema. d) Heteroterro freichous form (Hetero-different, trithas-toi chome one fring ( There are presence of morce than one type of filament. Plant body consist of a prustrate system tem from which an erect System develops (also called as primary projecting system). Branches may give rise to primary projecting System, secondary projecting system, secondary 1, secondary proficiting system sometimes even tertiary projecting System. Ex', Chlorophyceae: Draparaldia, Phaeophyceae-Ectocarpus (g) Siphonous forms These are erongated plant body without septation. many nuclei present in a common protoplastry couled Coured as Coveno cytil Condition. usuas septation branched Filaments-MOLE covectirely fores the thang multicellular plants lacking. → Ex: Cockiom, Botrydium. They are made op of alten aggregation of numerous, interwinter, he (h) psevdoparenchymatous: These are of two types: Uniaxias & multi arial type. (a) uniaxian: close juxta position of the polbranch System of a Single main axial thread which foren the thallus. →plant bocly consists of a che main preud opanenchymatours asis and all offers are side branchey. Androecium: Stamens numerous (50-200), including centripetally, free, spirally arranged, all fertile, usually laminar. The stamens often more or less strap-shaped, anther adnate, bithecous, dehiscing longitudinally, extrorse, filaments free monadelphous. Gynoecium: Carpels numerous, free, ovary superior, arranged spirally on a cone-shaped thalamus (gynophore), rarely carpels fused as a syncarp; placentation marginal. Fruit: An aggregate of berries or follicles, sometimes a samara as in Liriodendron or united into fleshy syncarp as in Annona; arillate seeds. Seed: Large with abundant oily endosperm, and bright or orange testa which makes them highly decorative. Floral Formula: ⊕ ⚥ P3+3 A∞ G∞ or P3 G1 3. Lamiaceae (Labiatae) - Mint Family: (a) Classification: Bentham and Hooker: Gamopetalae, Bicarpellatae, Lamiales, Lamiaceae Engler and Prantl: Sympetalae, Tubiflorae, Lamiaceae Hutchinson: Herbaceae, Lamiales, Lamiaceae (b) Important Characters: Plants and aromatic, small due to presence of essential oils, stem 4-angled, inflorescence verticillaster or with cymose tetrach, clusters of bracts, zygomorphic, tubular, bilabiate, hypogynous, tetractylous or didynamous, gynobasic style, ovary deeply 4-lobed due to false septum, ovules 2, ovule placentation axile, fruit is of 4 nutlets. The family contains 261 genera and 6900 species. (c) Description of the Family: Habit: Aromatic herbs or shrubs, store habit in Hyptis, climbing in American species & evolution. Root: Taproot, branched, sometimes adventitious (Mentha). Stem: Aerial, herbaceous, rarely woody, stem 4-angled, often with prominent lines, sometimes with spines (Ajuga), or suckers (Mentha), sometimes green and assimilatory, usually with glandular hairs, glandular hairs and glandular dots present. Leaves: Opposite, decussate, rarely whorled, simple, petiolate or sessile, exstipulate, rarely aromatic, entire, pinnatifid, unicostate, reticulate venation. Inflorescence: Verticillaster consisting of axils of condense bract, dichasial cymes and auxiliary flowers are sometimes in verticellate cymes, rarely spike or panicle. Flowers: Bracteate, ebracteate (Salvia), pedicellate or sessile, complete, zygomorphic, rarely actinomorphic (Mentha), bisexual, rarely unisexual, pentamerous, hypogynous, often bilabiate. Calyx: 5 petals, united, often bilabiate 4/1, sometimes 3/2 (Salvia), upper lip sometimes absent (Hyptis), rarely corolla 4-10 lobed (Prostanthera). Androecium: Stamens 2 (Salvia) to 4 (Ocimum), epipetalous, usually didynamous, inserted in corolla tube, sometimes with two fertile anthers (Thymus), (Lamium macranthum), sometimes with a staminode (Scutellaria). Filament free dehiscence (longitudinal, pollen brush). Anthers free or connate. Gynoecium: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovary superior, basal on a disc hypogynous, deeply 4-lobed (ovary bicollocur), bilocular, later becomes tetralocular by formation of false septum, axile placentation, style gynobasic, style one, stigma bilobed. Fruit: A schizocarp (carcerulus) splitting into 4 nutlets or a drupe or indehiscent (4-seeded pod). Endosperm: Absent or minute. Floral Formula: ⊕ ⚥ K(5), C(5), A4(2)+2, G2 (superior) 4. Rubiaceae - Madder Family: (a) Classification: Bentham & Hooker: Gamopetalae, Inferae, Rubiales, Rubiaceae. Hutchinson: Lignosae, Rubiales, Rubiaceae. APG IV: Asterids, Euasterids I, Gentianales. (b) Important Characters: Trees and shrubs, leaves opposite or in whorls, often interpetiolar stipules, inflorescence cymose, inferior ovary, flowers 4-5 merous, epipetalous stamens, fruit a capsule or berry. There are nearly 660 genera and 11,000 species, worldwide distribution and especially the woody climbers. (c) Description of Family: Habit: Trees, shrubs, rarely herbs (Galium). Sometimes epiphytes (Rubia) with myrmecophytes. Epiphytic as myrmecodia with large swellings on root giving shelter to ants. Root: Taproot system, branched. Stem: Erect, branched, woody or twining climbers, sometimes herbaceous, cylindrical or angular, hollow or smooth. Leaves: Opposite, decussate or whorled, simple, with interpetiolar stipules, which are often large and leaf-like (Pentagonia), connate to sheath forming border (Rubia), often turning blackish and collecting in the leaf axils. Inflorescence: Cymose, sometimes terminal or axillary. Flowers: Regular, complete, actinomorphic, epigynous, pentamerous, bisexual, rarely unisexual, epigynous, bracteate, or ebracteate. Sepals: 4-5, gamosepalous, persistent. Petals: 4-5, gamopetalous, valvate or contorted. Androecium: Stamens 4-5, epipetalous, inserted in the corolla tube. Gynoecium: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovary inferior, 1-5 celled, axile placentation. Fruit: Capsule or berry, seeds endospermic. Calyx: Sepals 4-5, gamosepalous, superior; sometimes one sepal modified into colored bract-like structure as in Mussaenda, valvate. Corolla: Petals 4-5, rarely 8-10, gamopetalous, lobed; superior; tubular, funnel, salver, tubular, valvate & twisted to imbricate, aestivation. Androecium: Stamens 4-5, rarely many (Gardenia), epipetalous, inserted alternately, introrse, dehiscent by longitudinal pollen grooves. Gynoecium: Carpels 2-5 (rarely one), syncarpous, ovary inferior, rarely superior (Pagamea), axile or parietal placentation, bicarpellary, bilocular with one to many anatropous ovules in each locule, axile placentation, style one, sometimes bifid or multifid, stigma simple or lobed. Fruit: Capsule (mostly), berry. Seed: Endospermic, sometimes winged, embryo curved or straight. Pollination: Entomophilous (by ants). Floral Formula: ⊕ ⚥ K(5), C(5), A4(2)+2, G2 (superior) 6. Acanthaceae (Acanthus Family): (a) Classification: Bentham & Hooker: Gamopetalae, Bicarpellatae, Personales, Acanthaceae. Hutchinson: Herbaceae, Personales, Acanthaceae. APG IV: Asterids, Euasterids I, Lamiales. (b) Important Characters: There are nearly 221 genera and 3,850 species in this family, distributed worldwide, mostly in the tropics and subtropics. (c) Description of the Family: Habit: Trees or shrubs, sometimes straggling or climbing (Strobilanthes), or lianas, sometimes aquatic herbs (Ecartha), sometimes spiny, sometimes xerophytes with secondary growth, often with trichomes, glandular or bristle, often perennial. Root: Taproot system. Stem: Aerial, erect, underground, herbaceous or woody, branched, cylindrical, solid or hollow, climbing or twining, trichomes. Leaves: Opposite, decussate, simple, entire or stipulate, inflorescence variable, flowers solitary, in spikes, racemes, or cymes. Flowers: Bracteate, ebracteate, pedicellate or sessile, bisexual, zygomorphic, actinomorphic, complete, hypogynous, nectariferous disc present below the ovary. Calyx: 4-5 sepals, gamosepalous, inferior, valvate, hairy, thorny. Corolla: Petals 5, gamopetalous, usually bilabiate, sometimes nearly regular, variously colored, inflorescence. Androecium: Stamens 2-4, epipetalous, didynamous or tetradynamous, filaments long, inserted into the corolla tube, anthers dithecous. Gynoecium: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, superior, ovary bilocular with axile placentation, ovules few or many in each locule, style simple or bifid. Fruit: Capsule or drupe, seed endospermic.