Orchidaceae the orchid family 83520,00030,000 mostly tropics but also in temperate latitudes

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Orchidaceae -- the orchid family
(835/20,000-30,000 mostly tropics but also in
temperate latitudes)
Lilianae II
Plants flowering, synoecious stems often
modified into fleshy pseudobulbs adventitious
roots (with a velamen in epiphytes) Habit herbs,
terrestrial often epiphytic succulence Leaves
alternate or all basal simple, entire leaf
bases with distinctive closed sheath
surrounding stem parallel venation Inflorescenc
es spikes, racemes, panicles or solitary,
terminal or axillary Flowers perfect epigynous,
highly zygomorphic, flower is turned upside down
(resupinate) as it develops so the labellum is
on the bottom Calyx 3 sepals distinct or connate
often petaloid Corolla 3 petals distinct or
connate, with the third petal (lip or labellum)
usually elaborated in some way Androecium 1 or 2
stamens, adnate to stigma and style forming a
column anther(s) with pollinia, pollinia
covered by cap-like rostellum Gynoecium inferior
1 pistil of 3 connate carpels 1 locule with many
many extremely teeny tiny ovules, parietal
placentation 1 massive style, adnate to
androecium forming column, stigmatic surfaces
variously positioned Fruit capsule with tiny,
nonendospermous seeds Floral formula Ca 3 Co
3 A 1-2 G 3
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Orchidaceae -- comments
Lilianae II
Notable Genera Many ornamentals such as
Cattleya, Dendrobium,and Epidendrum including
temperate species such as Cypripedium and
Paphiopedilum (lady-slipper orchids). Vanilla is
extracted from fermented capsules of Vanilla
planifolia. The androecium and parts of the
gynoecium in this family have been highly
modified in such a way that many, many pollen
grains are delivered as a single package to the
stigmatic surface usually by a pollinator. This
means that if a flower is pollinated, then all
the teeny, tiny ovules that have formed in the
ovary will be fertilized. You can think of this
as a sweepstakes pollination strategy (all or
nothing!). The aerial roots in many epiphytic
orchids have a special layer on the outside
called velamen. This non-living layer (a multiple
epidermis) seals in moisture and acts as
protective layer for the roots.
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Arecaceae (Palmae) -- the palm family (200,
3000 Tropical and warm temperate, a few cool
temperate or montane species)
Commelinanae
Plants flowering, synoecious, monoecious or
dioecious Habit shrubs, woody vines and trees
usually unbranched Leaves alternate, often
forming dense terminal rosettes simple to
compound, plicate (folded like a fan) in bud
sheathing estipulate usually long-petiolate and
very large Inflorescences spikes, racemes, heads,
cymes or large panicles basally subtended one or
more spathes Flowers actinmorphic perfect,
imperfect hypogynous sessile, small hypanthium
sometimes present Calyx 3 (2-4) sepals distinct
or connate Corolla 3 (2-4) petals distinct or
connate often sepaloid in appearance Androecium
6 (3 or 7-many) stamens distinct or filaments
connate adnate to corolla or
hypanthium Gynoecium superior 3 (1-10)
carpels, distinct or connate 1-3 locules and 1
basal or apical ovule/locule OR 1 locule and 1
basal or marginal ovule/locule 1-3 styles,
sometimes basally connate or stigmas
sessile Fruit usually a one-seeded drupe or
berry, sometimes coalescent into fleshy
syncarp Floral formula Ca 3 Co 3 A 6 G
3 or 3
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Arecaceae (Palmae) -- comments
Aracanae
An extremely large and diverse monocot family
with many important agricultural and ornamental
species including Cocos nucifera (coconut),
Elaeis guineensis (oil palm), Phoenix dactylifera
(date palm), Calamus spp. (rattan), Washingtonia
(fan palms), and Roystonea (royal palm). Note
that palm trees look woody, but they lack the
taper of dicot tree (they are the same thickness
at the base as at the top). Wood in the palm
family is produced by a primary thickening
meristem (adds more primary growth near the
apex), not by a vascular cambium as you would
find in a dicot with true secondary growth!
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Bromeliaceae -- the bromeliad family
(45-54/1,500-2,000 tropical to subtropical,
almost entirely New World)
Commelinanae I
Plants flowering, synoecious Habit herbs (rarely
shrubs or trees) usually acaulescent often
epiphytic, with some members tank-epiphytes Leave
s alternate, often in dense basal rosette
simple, basally sheathing somewhat succulent
often with spiny margins parallel venation with
no midrib covered with distinctive peltate or
shielded hygroscopic trichomes Inflorescences
spikes, racemes, or panicles Flowers
actinomorphic to zygomorphic, usually perfect,
hypogynous to epigynous subtended by brightly
colored petaloid bracts Calyx 3 sepals distinct
or connate green or petaloid Corolla 3 petals
distinct or connate Androecium 6 stamens distinct
or filaments connate at base free or adnate to
petals Gynoecium superior to inferior 1 pistil
of 3 connate carpels 3 locules many
ovules/locule, axile placentation 1 style with
3 stigmas, often spirally twisted Fruit capsule
or berry, sometimes a multiple fruit (e.g.
pineapple) Floral formula Ca 3 Co 3 A 6
G 3 or 3
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Bromeliaceae -- comments
Commelinanae I
Some Genera Guzmania, Tillandsia, Ananus,
Pitcairnia Products Ananus comosus (pineapple)
is a multiple fruit that lacks seeds because it
is a sterile triploid. Tillandsia usneoides
(spanish-moss) is dried and used as packing
material or upholstery stuffing. Various members
are grown as ornamentals, and fiber for cordage
is harvested from leaves of many genera.
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Zingiberaceae -- the ginger family (50/1000
pantropical)
Commelinanae I
Plants flowering, synoecious, distinctive
petiolate, ligulate leaves with pinnate parallel
venation (1o vein pinnate, 2o veins parallel),
aromatic with ethereal oil cells Habit herbs with
tuberous rhizomes Leaves alternate, simple,
entire, large with a prominent midrib basal open
sheaths overlap to form a pseudostem Inflorescenc
es spikes or racemes with conspicuous spirally
arranged primary bracts, terminal Flowers
zygomorphic, perfect, epigynous, showy, subtended
by bracts Calyx 3 equal or unequal sepals,
connate (synsepalous) Corolla 3 unequal petals,
connate (sympetalous) with median petal larger
than lateral petals Androecium 1 fertile stamen,
the rest reduced to 4 or 2 petaloid staminodes
fertile stamen wrapped around the style basally
adnate to corolla Gynoecium inferior 1 pistil of
3 connate carpels 1-3 locules numerous ovules,
various placentation 1 weak style enveloped by
grooved filament and the two pollen sacs with
stigma protruding beyond the anther Fruit berry,
usually a fleshy capsule Floral formula Ca 3
Co 3 A 1 5 or 2 G 3
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Commelinaceae -- the spiderwort family
(42-50/500-700 cosmopolitan)
Commelinanae I
Plants flowering, synoecious with mucilaginous
sap Habit herbs succulent stems somewhat
jointed with swollen nodes or acaulescent Leaves
alternate simpleentire leaf bases with closed
sheath surrounding stem parallel
venation Inflorescences basically a panicle or
1-many scorpioid cymes (i.e. a thyrse in the
literature), each subtended by one or more
boat-shaped spathes sometimes appearing
umbelliform because the main axis is reduced to
only 1-2 scorpoid cymes fused back to
back Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic
perfect hypogynous stamen filaments sometimes
ornamented with long trichomes flowers colorful
Calyx 3 sepals distinct or connate Corolla 3
petals distinct (connate) Androecium 6 (1-3)
stamens, distinct (rarely filaments connate)
often 1 or more reduced to staminodes Gynoecium
superior 1 pistil of 3 (2) connate carpels 3
(2) locules 1-few ovules, axile placentation 1
style, undivided or trifid Fruit capsule (rarely
a berry) Floral formula Ca 3 Co 3 A 3 3
G 3
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Commelinaceae -- comments
Commelinanae I
Genera Tradescantia (spiderwort), Zebrina
(wandering jew), Commelina (dayflower), Rhoeo
(boat-flower, oyster-plant), Gibasis (brides
veil), Geogenanthus (the seersucker plant),
Setcreasea (purple heart), Callisia. Comments
An important ornamental family, this family is a
hardy houseplant, and in some mild areas, has
escaped to become a weed. The flowers in this
family are insect pollinated, but do not produce
nectar. The pollen is the reward, and since a lot
of pollen has to be produced to supply enough for
both pollination and the pollinator, it is
believed that this family may be part of a trend
that culminated in wind-pollination.
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Typhaceae -- the cat-tail family (2/13
cosmopolitan along freshwater shores)
Commelinanae I
Plants flowering, monoecious, form large clonal
colonies Habit semi-aquatic herbs (rooted in
shallow water) Leaves alternate and mostly basal,
simple, entire, linear parallel-veined,
sheathing at base (grass-like) Inflorescences a
long-peduncled double spadix, terminal spadix
being staminate and the lower pistillate, often
subtended by a bract (spathe) Flowers
actinomorphic, imperfect, hypogynous, each flower
sometimes subtended by bracts Perianth 3-4
sepaloid/bract-like tepals OR numerous bristles
or scales distinct Androecium 1-6 stamens
filaments distinct or variously basally
connate Gynoecium superior 1 pistil of 2 connate
carpels 1 locule 1 ovule/locule, axile
placentation 1 style with decurrent
stigma Fruit wind dispersed achene or one seeded
follicle, dehiscent after dispersal Floral
formula T 0-4 A 2-5 OR T 0-4 G 2
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Iridaceae -- the iris family (60-88/1,500
cosmopolitan, most diverse in Africa)
Lilianae I
Plants flowering, synoecious, often scapose Habit
herbs or sometimes shrub-like Leaves alternate or
basal simple, entire leaf bases usually
equitant parallel venation Inflorescences cymes,
umbels, spikes, panicles or solitary flowers
often enclosed or subtended by 1 or more
spathes Flowers perfect and showy, actinomorphic
or zygomorphic, hypanthium usually
well- developed some genera have petaloid
stigmas that are situated above a sepal in such a
way that the stamen is between the stigma and
sepal Calyx 3 sepals distinct or connate
sometimes resembling the petals (then
tepals) Corolla 3 petals distinct or connate
sometimes resembling the sepals (then
tepals) Androecium 3 stamens distinct or
filaments sometimes connate adnate to
hypanthium anthers basifixed Gynoecium inferior
(rarely superior) 1 pistil of 3 connate carpels
3 locules many ovules/locule, axile
placentation style 1, undivided or three-lobed,
free or adnate to hypanthium, stigmas sometimes
petaloid Fruit capsule Floral formula Ca 3 Co
3 A 3 G 3