Cucurbitaceae & apaiceae

PRESENTED BY,
SELVAM G I M.Sc BOTANY BHARTHIDASAN
UNIVERSITY TRICHY, TAMILNADU

 It is the science that finds, identifies, describes,
classifies & naming of plants.
 It is concerned with laws governing the classification
of plants.
 Taxonomy includes 2 greek words. Taxos-arrangement,
nomos-laws.
 Its defining group is based on the distinguishing
characteristics & giving names to those groups. i.e.
taxonomic hierarchy.

 The swedish botanist
‘’Carl Linnaeus’’is
regarded as the ‘’Father of
Taxonomy’’ as he
developed a system known
as ‘’Linneaen
Classification’’ for
categorization of plants &
its binomial nomenclature.

SYSTEMATIC POSITION:
DIVISION : Spermatophyta.
SUB-DIVISION : Phanerogams.
CLASS : Dicotyledons.
SUB-CLASS : Polypetalae.
SERIES : Thalamiflorae.
ORDER : Passiflorales.
FAMILY : Cucurbitaceae.

 Distribution:
 Includes 100 genera & 850 species, widely distributed in
tropical & sub-tropical regions of the world.
 In India 86 species only represented.
 The family cucurbitaceae also called as ‘’Cucurbits’’
popularly known as ‘’Gourd family’’.
 Utilized mainly as vegetables.
 The most importants are squash, pumpkin, gourds,
watermelons & cucumber.

 The plants are weak stemmed, tendril climbers.
 Leaves are simple, alternate, exstipulate,
palmately lobed.
 Inflorescence is racemose or solitary axillary
cyme.
 Flowers are unisexual, actinomorphic, epigynous
& incomplete.

 Calyx consists of 5 fused sepals,
gamosepalous, aestivation is imbricate or
valvate.
 Corolla consists of 5 united petals,
gamopetalous, aestivation is valvate or
imbricate,campanulate type.
 Stamens are usually 3 & inserted on the calyx
tube, anthers are free or connate.

 Gynoecium is tricarpellary, inferior, syncarpous
ovary, trilocular in female flowers.
 Each locule contains many anatropous ovules in
parietal placentation.
 Style is simple. Stigma is trilobed and papillose.
 Fruit is pepo.
 Seeds are dicotyledonous & ex-albuminous.

SYSTEMATICMIC POSITION:
SUB-DIVISION : Phanerogams.
SERIES : Thalamiflorae.
ORDER : Passiflorales.
FAMILY : Cucurbitaceae.
GENUS: Cucurbita
SPECIES: maxima

 Habitat: Tropical & sub-tropiical region.
 Habit: Annual or perennial herbs, mostly are
tendril climbers.
 Root: Tap root system.
 Stem: Herbaceous, usually climbing, glabarous. It
has tendrils.
 Leaves: Simple, alternate, exstipulate, petiolate,
palmately lobed, palmately reticulate venation.

 Inflorescence: solitary axillary cyme.
 Flowers: unisexual, regular, epigynus,
incomplete, actinomorphic.
 Calyx: 5 sepals, gamosepalous, green in colour
and campanulate.
 Corolla: 5 petals, united, gamopetalous, yellow or
white in colour.

 Stamens in male flowers: 3 to 5 stamens, united by variouc degrees,
anthers are very long, stamens are borne on calyx tube.
 Carpels in female flowers: 3 fused carpels, syncarpous inferior
ovary, parietal placentation.
 Fruits: Fleshy berry.
 Seeds: Non-endospermic seeds.
 Floral formula:
 Male flowers: Ebr, k₍₅₎,C₍₅₎,A₍₃₋₅₎,G₀
 Female flowers: Ebr, k₍₅₎,C₍₅₎,A ₀,G₃

 Vegetables: Immature fruits of several cucurbits are
eaten raw or cooked as vegetables.
 Fruits: Ripe fruits of some plants are eaten as desserts
or used to making refreshing juices.
 Medicines: Fruit pulp of pumpkin used as a poultice on
boils, burns & inflammations. Fruits of Momordica
charantia are used for stomach ache, rheumatism, liver
& spleen problems & diabetes.
 Fibrous pericarp of some fruits are taken from dried
fruits & used as bath sponge.

SUB-DIVISION : Angiosperms.
SERIES : Calyciflorae.
ORDER : Umbellales.
FAMILY : Apiaceae.

 Distribution:
 Temperate regions of the world.
 It includes 295 genera & 2,850 species.
 This family is commonly known as the ‘’Carrot
family’’.
 The common plants are Daucas carota (carrot),
Ferula asafoetida (asafoetida), Carum copticum
(omum), Cuminum cyminum (cumin) etc…

 Plants are annual or biennial herbs.
 Leaves are compound,alternate,exstipulate, with
sheathing leaf bases, aromatic, pinnately or
palmately dissected.
 Inflorescence: terminal or axillary.
 Flowers are bisexual, small, regular, bracteate,
epigynous & zygomorphic.

 Calyx consists of 5 sepals, polysepalous, valvate
aestivation.
 Corolla consists of 5 petals,, polysepalous, imbricate
aestivation.
 Androecium consists of 5 free stamens. They are bent
inwards in the bud.
 Gynoecium is bicarpellary, syncarpous. Ovary is
inferior, axile placentation.
 Fruit is schizocarp, which splits into 2 mericarps.

SUB-DIVISION : Angiosperms.
SERIES : Calyciflorae.
ORDER : Umbellales.
FAMILY : Apiaceae.
GENUS: Coriandrum
SPECIES: sativum

 Habitat: Tropical & sub-tropical regions.
 Habit: Annual herbs.
 Stem: Green, cylindrical & flexible in nature.
 Leaves: Pinnately compound leaf, presence of
dissected leaf, exstipulate, having sheathing leaf
bases, aromatic due to the presence of
schizogenous oil ducts.

 Inflorescence: Compound umbel.
 Flowers: Pedicellate, bracteate, hermaphrodite, complete,
epigynous, the outer flowers of the inflorescence are
zygomorphic, i.e., with large and unequal petals, whereas
the central flowers are actinomorphic with equal and small
petals.
 Calyx: 5 sepals, polysepalous, valvate aestivation, odd
sepal is posterior.
 Corolla: 5 petals, irregular, polysepalous, outer petals are
much exaggerated, they are in curved or forked, imbricate
aestivation.

 Androecium: 5 stamens that are alternate with
petals, stamens are free, dithecous anther &
introse, dorsifixed..
 Gynoecium: bicarpellary, syncarpous inferior
ovary, axile placentation, bilocular.
 Fruit: schizocarp.

 These are useful in medicines, culinary
purposes because of its essential oils & gums
found in the root, stem & fruit.
 Daucas carota- carrot is used as a vegetable.
 Carum copticum- omum fruits are used as
carminative.
 Coriander sativum- friuts are used as
condiment & spice. Their leaves are aromatic.

Cucurbitaceae & apaiceae

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