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Morphology of flowering plants 3!

 Basic symbols to learn to derive floral formula:

This family is also known as the potato family.
Vegetative characters:

Roots: Tap root system is found.

Leaf: Leaves are simple, entire, lobed, exstipulate, and petiolate. Leaves show alternate or terminal phyllotaxy in the vegetative regions. And in the region of inflorescence, leaves appear to be opposite or whorled

Stem: The stem is aerial, erect, and mostly herbaceous.

FLORAL CHARACTERS:

Inflorescence: It is usually cymose type.

Flower: The flowers appear to be solitary and axillary as in Datura.

Calyx: The calyx consists of 5 sepals that are fused (gamosepalous). The aestivation is valvate. The calyx in some plants (Solanum) is persistent and much enlarged in fruit.

Corolla: The corolla consists of 5 petals. Corolla is gamopetalous and funnel-shaped (Datura), campanulate (physalis), and rotate (Solanum). The aestivation is valvate or twisted.

Androecium: Stamens are five in number, epipetalous on the corolla tube, and alternate with the lobes. They are usually unequal in height. In some zygomorphic forms, there are only four stamens (Salpiglossis) or two fertile stamens and the remaining are staminodes (Schizanthus).

Gynoecium: The gynoecium consists of a carpellary and syncarpous ovary which is oblique in position due to the tilting of the posterior carpel to the right and the anterior carpel to the left at an angle of 45 degrees.

Fruit: The fruit is mostly berry sometimes enclosed within an inflated bladder-like calyx (Physalis) or is a capsule

Seeds: Endospermic seed.


A floral formula is a symbolic representation of different floral parts, their numbers, arrangement pattern, and how they are related. The general floral formula of the Solanaceae family is as follows:
% ⚥ K(5)C(5)A5G(2)
NOTE: Epipetalous condition is seen here.


The family Solanaceae contributes several important food, drug, and ornamental plants to the human race. Hence this family is considered as economically important.
As food:
1. Potato = Solanum tuberosum - edible part underground stem-tuber

2. Tomato = Lycopersicon esculentum/Solanum lycopersicum

3. Brinjal (Egg plant) = Solanum melongena

4. Makoi = Solanum nigrum

5. Chilli Capsicum annuum (used as a spice)

As Medicinal plants:
  1. Atropa belladonna: Used in the manufacturing of drugs belladonna. Atropine is used to dilate the pupil of the eye.
  2. Nicotine and anabasin alkaloid: Used as an insecticide.
  3. Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha)- Used as a nerve tonic.
  4. Stramonium- Obtained from the seeds of Datura.
  5. Solanum nigrum- The fruits are laxative.
As Fumigatory:
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

FABACEAE FAMILY: Some basic symbols needed to derive the floral formula:




This family is also known as Papilionoidae, a sub-family of the family Leguminosae.

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERS:
  1. Stem: Erect or cylinder shaped.
  2. Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound or simple, leaf base pulvinate; stipulate; reticulate venation.
FLORAL CHARACTERS:
  1. Infloroscence: Racemose.
  2. Flower: Bisexual, Zygomorphic.
  3. Calyx: 5 Sepals, gamosepalous, valvate/ imbricate aestivation.
  4. Corolla: 5 petals, polypetalous, papilionaceous- a posterior standard, two lateral wings, two anterior ones; vexillary aestivation.
  5. Androecium: 10, diadelphous, anther dithecous
  6. Gynoecium: Ovary superior, monocarpellary, unilocular with many ovules, single style.
  7. Fruit: Legume, seed: one to many; non-endospermic
  8. Floral formula: % ⚥ K(5) C1+2+(2) A(9)+1 G1.
  9. Economic importance: a. Sources of pulses. b. Edible oil. c. Dye (Indigofera) d. Fibers ( Sunhemp) e. Fodder (Sesbania) f. Ornamental( Lupin, sweet pea)
FLORAL DIAGRAM FOR FABACEAE:

Important list of members of the Fabaceae family:
As food:
  1. Arhar- Cajanus cajan/ Cajanus indicus.
  2. Chana- Cicer arietinum
  3. Pea- Pisum sativum
  4. Mung- Phaseolus radiates/Vigna radiates
  5. French bean or Kidney beans- Vigna vulgaris/Phaseolus vulgaris
  6. Soyabean- Glycine max (G. soja)
  7. Mungphali- Arachis hypogea
  8. Sem- Dolichos lablab
As Fodder:
  1. Berseem- Trifolium
  2. Dhaincha- Sesbania
As Fibres:
  1. Sunhemp- Crotalaria juncea (bast fibers)
As timber:
  1. Shisham- Dalbergia sissoo
As dyes:
  1. Neel- Indigofera tinctoria
As Medicinal plants:
  1. Mulaithi- Glycyrrhiza glabra
As Ornamental plants:
  1. Sweet pea- Lathyrus odoratus.
  2. Lupin- Lupinus albus
As edible oil:
  1. Soyabean, groundnut.

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