BRASSICACEAE

Brassicaceae(Crusiferae) Mustard family
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs (Rarely under shrubs) with watery sap,(pungent juice)containing glucosinolates (mustard oils) and with myoresin cells.Hairs simple branches stellate or peltate.
Vegetative characters :
Leaves : alternate or in basal rosettes,radical or cauline,simple often dissected, rarely pinnately compound sometimes bearing bulbils in axils or leaf surface. Stipules absent.
Inflorescence : Typically racemose, corumbose raceme or flat topped corymb.
Flowers : ebracteate, rarely bracteate.bisexual actinomorphic rarely zygomorphic hypogynous.
Calyx : with 4 sepals free in two whorls.Sepals of lateral pair sometimes saccate at base green or petalloid.
Corolla : 4 petals cruciform, clawed.
Androecium : stamens 6 free tetradinamous(2 short 4 long) dehiscence longitudinal.Nectaries often at base of stamens, pollen grains tricolpate.
Gynoecium : Two united carpels (thus single pistil) syncarpous unilocular.Ovary superior.Gynophore distinct.Style 1 stigmas 2.
Fruit : Siliqua or silicula
Pollination : by insects and dispersal of seeds by wind.
Examples:
Family contributes to many food plants
Radish (Raphenous sativus)
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var : capitata)
Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var : botrytis)
Brussels sprouts

Turnip

Brassiaca campestris : seeds yield mustard oil used for cooking

Brassica nigra : black variety seeds used as condiment.

Common ornamentals include: stock(Mathiola) candy tuft(Iberis amara) alyssum(Alyssum) wall flower(Erysimum) and street alyssum(Lobularia)

BOMBACACEAE

Pseudobombax ellipticum

Pseudobombax ellipticum

Pachira insignis

Bombax insignis

Pachira aquatica

Pachira aquatica

Bombax insignis

  












  

Bombacaceae family was earlier included in Malvaceae family.
Even today some consider it as a subfamily of Malvaceae.
Habit: Tall tree with trunks and spreading branches.
Leaves: alternate simple or palmately compound stipulate
Flowers:showy bisexual,regular,hypogynous.
Calyx:Sepals 5,united,valvate.
Corolla:Patals 5,free,imbricate.
Androecium:stamens 5 to many,distinct or monadelphous,staminodes often,anthers 1-,2 or more celled.Pollen grains smooth.
Gynoecium:Carpels 2-5.Ovary superior.2-5 locular,placentation axile.
Fruit:capsule with a wooly or pithy pericarp.
Examples:
Bombax ceiba:Red silk cotton tree.Ceiba pentandra, Kapok:White silk cotton tree.
Chorisia speciosa.Delhi Sawar
Adansonia digitata:Baobab tree
Pseudobombax ellipticum: Shaving brush tree

BIGNONIACEAE

 

BIGNONIACEAE (Trumpet Creeper Family)Mostly tropical.Around 40 species in India mostly in western and southern India and some in Himalayas.
Vegetative characters:Plant type trees,shrubs,woody climbers with tendrils or roots
Stem in climbers:abnormal secondary growth.
The Leaves :Opposite..rarely whorled or alternate
More frequently pinnately compound terminal leaflet often modified to tendril.
Stipules absent.Flowers and Inflorescence:
Inflorescence:Dichasial cyme.
Bracts and bracteoles present.
Flowers :Showy,perfect,hermaphrodite,zygomorphic and hypogynous.
Calyx: gamosepalous,Campanulate.
Corolla :Gamopetalous,Bell or funnel shaped. % subequal lobes or bilabiate-Upper lip 2lobes;Lower lip 3lobes.
Stamens : 4 didynamous 5th reduced to staminode.Epipetalous.
Gynoecium :Bicarpellary and syncarpous with a superior ovarywhich is bilocular.
Style terminal,simple,and stigma is two lipped.
Nectar disc :cushion like or annular at the base of the ovary.
Fruit : Two valved:loculicidal or septicidal capsule fleshy and indehiscent in Kigelia.
Seeds : Compressed discoid.
Pollination :Showy flowers nectar:-insect pollination.
Seed dispersal :Seeds mostly winged:-Wind dispersal.


Examples.
Spathodia campanulata.Jacaranda mimosaefoliaKigellia pinnataHeterophragmaTabebuiaTecomaPyrostegiaCampsisRadermachera xylocarpa.

ASTERACEAE

Chromolaena odorata [Eupatorium odoratum].

Tridax


ASTERACEAE( COMPOSITAE)
One of the largest families.The number of species all over the world around 13000...form more than 10% of the total number of species of flowering plants.
Vegetative characters:Annual or perennial.Mostly herbs,a small proportion shrubby, few are trees or woody climbers.Few species produce stem tubers or rhizomes, many species have a milky sap.Roots and stems commonly contain oil passages.
Leaves : alternate,rarely opposite or whorled,simple or pinnately or palmately lobed divided or compound and exstipulate.
Flowers and Inflorescence:The primary Inflorescence is Racemose head or capitulum.Primary heads often arranged into large inflorescence such as raceme corymb or compound heads.Each head is subtended by an involucre of green or membranous bracts. The number of flowers (florets) in a head varies from few to many but sometimes as in Echinops the heads are reduced to a single flower.The shape of the receptacle may vary from flat,concave,convex conelike.
The flowers are mostly bisexual,sometimes unisexual or neutral. In some all florets are alike while in some the central florets are actinomorphic while parietal are zygomorphic.
Flowers are pentamerous and epigynous.
The Calyx is sometimes altogether absent or represented by scarious five lobed rim at the top of the ovary.Usually it is represented by the pappus or hairs or bristles.
The corolla is of five fused petals.It may be tubular or ligulate
The stamens are five.The filaments are free but anthers are connate into a tube around the style.The stamens are usually included in the corolla tube.
The gynoecium is bicarpellary and syncarpous. The ovary is inferior and unilocular.The style is mostly bifid.
Fruits and seeds: The fruit is an achene often compressed and crowned by pappus of hairs plumes barbs or scales sometimes.The seeds are nonendospermic and with straight embryo.
Small flowers are attractive due to formation of heads and due to ray florets.Nectar is secreted by disc and collects in corolla tube. All of these favours insect pollination. Seeds are adapted for wind dispersal. Some fruits have hooks for animal distribution.
Examples:
The family provides some food,dye and oil yielding and medicinal plants,besides a large number of ornamental garden plants.
Lactuca sativa : cultivated as a salad crop.
Helianthus annus(Sunflower)सूर्यफुल
Carthamus tinctorius(Safflower) Important oil seed crop
Helianthus tuberosus: and Cyanara scoliamus :The roots are used as food
Tagetes minuta (Stinking Roger) and T.patula (French Marigold)Yield a strong aromatic essential oil.used as an antiseptic.
Tanacteum vulgare :(Tansy) essential oil used in rheumatism gout and in chronic ulcers
Taraxacum officinale:(Common Dandalion) drug Taraxacum from tuber useful as laxative and hepatic stimulant.
Spilanthus paniculata: flower heads are chewed to relieve toothache.
Calendula officinalis: The dried ligulate florets form the drug calendula used in sprains and bruises.
Chrysanthemum : A few species yield insecticide Pyrethrum.
The pollen of Ambrosia artemisifolia and Parthenium hysterophorus cause hay fever and skin allergies respectively.
Ornamentals:
Helianthus
Tagetus(Marigold) T.erecta(African marigold) T. patula (French Marigold)
Dahlia Chrysanthemum Cosmos Zinnia Coreopsis Aster Gaillardia Dimorphotheca
Calendula(Pot Marigold)
Centaurea (Sweet sultan)

APIACEAE

APIACEAE (UMBELLIFERAE)

The earlier name Umbelliferae derives from the inflorescence which is in the form of a compound
"umbel".
Most abundant in north temperate zone.In India mostly in temperate and alpine Himalayas but some are also cultivated in warmer parts.
The common examples are Coriander(coriandrum sativum). Carrot ( Daucus carota) Fennel(Foeniculum vulgare) and Brahmi (Centella asiatica)
Vegetative characters:
Mostly Herbs biennial or perennial or sometimes annual. Species of Centella are small prostrate herbs rooting at the nodes, but mostly they are with stout erect stems with hollow internodes. Species of Angelica attain a height of upto four meters.
The stems are usually furrowed.
The plants usually have aromatic smell due to presence of essential oil or resin in all organs.
The leaves are alternate,rarely simple(Centella) but generally the are pinnately compound or decompound. Stipules are generally absent.The petioles is often swollen and sheathing at the base.
Flowers and Inflorescence:
As the name of the family suggests, the umbel inflorescence is the characteristic of the family
Most commonly it is a compound umbel.The primary umbel is surrounded at its base by an involucre of bracts. The flowers are small,actinomorphic,hermaphrodite or sometimes unisexual or polygamous,pentamerous and epigynous.The calyx is represented usually by five inconspicuous teeth or a narrow circular ridge at the top of the ovary. The corolla is of five distinct petals alternating with the sepals. The petals are inflexed and fall off soon.The androecium is of five distinct stamens alternating with the petals.They arise from epigynous disc. The filaments are inflexed and the anthers are basi or dorsifixed,dithecous,introrse and opening lengthwise.
Thje gynoecium is bicarpellary and syncarpous with witha an inferior bilocular ovary.Epigynous disc is prolonged in to two styles.
Fruits and seeds:Fruit is a schizocarp.The seed has a hard oily endosperm and a small embryo.
Pollination and dispersal:Aggregation of small flowers into dense inflorescence amkes it conspicuous for insects and aids pollination.Open nectar situation:so accessible to even short tongued insects.Smell of ethereal oils and resins:marked influence on bees.
Mericarps of the seeds :marked by ridges and bristles:-dispersal by birds and animals.
Examples:
Chiefly vegetables , condiments,volatile oils and ornamentals.
Daucus carota L. (Carrot,गाजर)fleshy tap roots used as vegetable.
Apium graveolens L. (Celery)again a vegetable
Pastinaca sativa(Parsnip)Thickened tap root as vegetable
The seeds of many species are used as spice and condiments for culinary purposes and in confectionary
Coriandrum sativum (Coriander, कोथींबींर)
Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel, saunf बडीशेप)
Cuminum cyminum (Cumin,जीरा)
Ferula asafoetida .The dried latex obtained after making incisions in living root stocks and roots is the source of Asafoetida (हींग) of commerce. It is used as condiment for flavoring curries etc.
Centella asiatica Syn.Hydrocotyl asiatica( ब्राह्मी) Diuretic and medicinal properties,insecticidal also.
Some species of Pimpinella ,Heracleum and Angelica are grown as ornamentals.

ANACARDIACEAE

ANACARDIACEAE (Mango or Cashew nut family)
Mostly in tropical areas while some in temperate regions.

Common examples are
Mango :Mangifera indica
Cashew nut :Anacardium occidentale

Pistachio nut :Pistacia vera
Sumac :Rhus sp.
Moi:Lannea coromandelica

Semecarpus anacardium ( बीब्बा)

Buchanania lanzan (Chironji)

Vegetative Characters: Shrubs or trees, often with milky and acrid juice.Bark is usually resinous.
Leaves alternate,sometimes opposite (Bouea), exstipulate,simple or 1-3 foliate or pinnately compound.
Flowers and Inflorescence:
Inflorescences are various but usually the numerous small flowers are arranged in axillary and terminal pannicles.Flowers are bracteate,actinomorphic,unisexual or polygynous or less frequently hermaphrodite(e.g.Buchnania) and hypogynous or rarely perigynous. Calyx: 3-5 sepals-Various degrres of fusion.Corolla : 3-5 petals-free or adnate to the discs.v Rarely petals are absent as in Pistacias. Androecium shows much variation. Stamens are twice or as many as petals or rarely more. In Spondias and Buchnanias 10 fertile stamens in two alternate whorls. In anacardium two whorls with all or few fertile stamens.In several species of Rhus only one whorl of 5 stamens is seen. In Mangifera 1-5 stamens present of these only one is fertile.
Nectariferous disc is usually present between stamens and petal- flat/cup shaped/annular; entire or lobed. Absent in Pistacia.
The number of carpels varies from 1-5. The gynoecium has frequently three fused carpels with unilocular ovary with single pendulous ovule. Styles three :free or curvate with simple or capitate stigmas.
Fruit : usually a drupe with resinous mesocarp.
Pollination and seed dispersal :
Large inflorescence of small flowers,secretye nectar in abundance and accessible to insects with small proboscis. In Rhus pollination is by flies.
Most of the members of the family are dispersed by birds and a few such as Parishia and sweitonia which have winged fruits are modified for wind dispersal. Mangifera with its luscious fruits is dispersed by human agency or by animals.
Examples:
Mangifera indica(Mango):widely cultivated in tropical asia for its prized dessert fruit with aromatic flesh.Unripe fruits are used for pickles.
Anacardium occidentale (Cashew nut): Native of tropical America and naturalized in Asia.The kernels are eaten raw or fried. Fruit juice is fermented and made into wine (FENI) The gum posseses insecticidal properties.
Pistacia vera (Pistachio nut) : Found in Afganistan. The nuts are edible and used in sweet-meats and cofectionary and icecreams.
Semecarpus anacardium (Bibba, Marking nut,Dhobis-nut) : Pericarp of the fruit is largely used for dyeing textiles. A blank ink obtained from the nuts is used for marking clothes.
Lannea coromandelica (Moi) : syn. Odina woodier......often pronounced as Oh-Diana Oh- Dear is found throughout hotter parts of India.Yellowish white gum obtained from the bark is used in calico printing.
Rhus parviflora :Fruits sold in the market under the name of Tatri are used as tamarinds.
Many species provide useful timber.
Buchanania lanzan: Chironji-a dry fruit

ARACEAE

ARACEAE or Arum Family
This family is a from Monocot.
Members are all herbs long been cultivated by man and used as vegetables.
Vegetative characters:Mostly perennial, terrestrial and tuberous herbs and climbing shrubs rooting on trees.Others are true epiphytes without connection with the soil. Some like Acorus and Lasia are marsh plants and Pistia is a floating aquatic herb.
In plants without aerial stems underground stems are developed in the form of root stocks,tubers or corms.The aerial stem when present shows monopodial branching as in Pothos,but usually it is sympodial.
The roots are adventitious.Two types of aerial roots: climbing and absorbent.
The Leaves are basal(e.g. Arisaema) or cauline and alternate(e.g.Pothos) and simple or sometimes compound as in (e.g. Arisaema).There is only a single leaf in some species of Arisaema. The leaves have a petiole,often large usually parallel veined and with membranous sheathing bases.
The plants are with milky or watery bitter sap.The crystals of calcium oxalate are usually present in the plant tissues.
Inflorescence and flowers:
Simple spadix enclosed by a herbaceous spathe-often large and bright.
The male flowers are generally at the top of the spadix and the female below.
The flowers are small ,ebracteate,bi or unisexual.actinomorphic and hypo or epigynous.Peiranth when present is of 4 to 6 segments in two equal series.Androecium has 2,4,or6 stamens opposite the perianth segments. The gynoecium is of one or more syncarpous carpels.
The fruit is usually a berry.The seeds are with copious endosperm.
The flowers are mostly pollinated with insects visiting them.
Examples and importance:
The corms and tubers are used as vegetables while some are grown for ornament for hte foliage.
Colocasia esculenta (AALU in Marathi)(syn.C. antiquorium)TARO :Cultivated for edible tubers.
Alocasia: use similar to above.
Amorphophallus campanulatus:(Suran In Marathi,Yam, Blume)again a vegetable.
Anthurium andreanum : Popular in flower arrangement.
Caladium: A garden plant.
Pistia stratiotes: a smallfloating herbgrown in aquaria and warm water gardens.