Description of Important Families Homework Help
Family Fabaceae
Subfamily of Leguminosae
Vegetative characters - Trees, shrubs, herbs
Root - Root with root nodules
Stem - Erect, or climber
Leaves - Alternate, simple or pinnately compound, leaf base, pulvinate, stipulate, reticulate venation
Floral characters
Inflorescence: Racemose
Flower: Bisexual, zygomorphic
Calyx: Five sepals, gamosepalous, imbricate aestivation
Corolla: Five petals, polypetalous, vexillary aestivation
Androecium: Ten, diadelphous, dithecous anther
Gynoecium: monocarpellary, superior ovary, single style, unilocular with many ovules
Fruit: legume
Seed: One too many, non-endospermic
Economic importance: Plants belonging to this family are the main sources of pulses (Soya bean, Celera beans), edible oil (soya bean, groundnut), dye (Indigofera), fodder and fibers (Sesbania), ornamentals (lupin, sweet pea), medicine.
A. Flowering twig
B. Flower
C. Petals
D. Reproductive parts
E. L.S Carpel
Family Solanaceae Also known as the ‘Potato family’
Vegetative characters: Plants, herbs, shrubs, and small trees
Stem: Herbaceous, aerial, erect, cylindrical, branched, hairy, underground stem in potato (Solanum tuberosum)
Leaves: Alternate, simple or pinnately compound rarely, exstipulate, reticulate venation
Floral characters
Inflorescence: Solitary, axillary or cymose
Flower: Bisexual, actinomorphic
Calyx: Five sepals, gamosepalous, valvate aestivation
Corolla: Five petals, polypetalous, valvate aestivation
Androecium: Five stamens, epipetalous
Gynoecium: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, superior ovary, bilocular, the placenta is swollen with many ovules
Fruits: Berry or capsule
Seeds: Many, endosperms
Economic importance
The main source of food (E.g tomato, brinjal, potato), spicy (Chilly), medicine (Belladonna), fumigatory (tobacco), and ornamentals (petunia)
Flowering twig B. Flower C. L.S of flower D. Stamens E. Carpel
Family Liliaceae
Commonly called the ‘Lily family’. Representative of monocotyledonous plants
Vegetative characters: Perennial herbs with underground bulbs/corns/rhizomes
Leaves: Basal, alternate, exstipulate with parallel venation
Floral characters
Inflorescence: Solitary/cymose
Flower: Bisexual, actinomorphic
Perianth: Six tepals, often united into tubes, valvate aestivation
Androecium: Six stamens
Gynoecium: Tricarpellary, syncarpous, superior ovary, trilocular with many ovules, axile placentation
Fruit Mostly capsule, rarely a berry
Seed Endospermous
Economic importance
The main source of ornamentals (tulip, lily), medicine (Aloe vera), vegetables (Asparagus), and Colchicine.
A. Plant B. Inflorescence C. Flower