The document describes the key characteristics of the Fabaceae family of flowering plants. It notes that Fabaceae includes trees, shrubs and herbs found worldwide in temperate and tropical areas. The leaves are usually alternate and compound. The flowers typically have 5 sepals and 5 overlapping petals in a distinctive pattern, with 10 stamens that are joined or separate. The pistil consists of a single style and ovary above multiple ovules. Economically important plants in this family include beans, peas, carob, and various trees.
2. The Annonaceae are woody trees, shrubs and vines
comprising about 130 genera and 2,300 species.
The leaves are simple, alternate, lack stipules, and generally
are distichously arranged in flat sprays.
The flowers are bisexual and actinomorphic, possessing 3
whorls of perianth with 3 segments in each whorl.
3. The elongated floral axis also bears many helically disposed
stamens and several to many simple pistils.
All of the floral parts are distinct. The stamens are very short,
consisting of the fertile central anther portion, a distal pad of fleshy
connective tissue, and a short fleshy basal portion.
The stamens are generally so tightly packed on the receptacle
that often only the fleshy connective tissue of each is exposed.
The pistils each have a superior ovary with one locule and 1-
many parietal ovules. Sectioned seeds reveal channels or partitions
in the ruminate endosperm.
The pistils generally remain distinct and develop into berry-like
fruits but sometimes they coalesce into multiple fruits like the
custard apple.
4. Cananga odorata
ylang ylang. Note the distichous leaves in the first photo.
The perianth consists of 3 whorls with 3 appendages in each whorl.
The outer appendages or sepals are small by comparison to the 2 inner whorls.
However, they are persistent and readily visible in the early fruiting stage
depicted in the 3rd photo.
In this species the pistils remain distinct and the cluster of fruit at the left in
the 4th photo was derived from a single flower.
5. Artabotrys hexapetalus
ylang ylang. Note three whorls of perianth, one of the inner
petals has been removed to reveal the numerous greenish stamens
and the yellowish pistils.
6. Polyalthia suberosa
The trimerous nature of the perianth is apparent.
The carpels of the apocarpous gynoecium remain distinct into the fruiting
stage in this species.
The section through a seed reveals ruminate or compartmentalized
endosperm and a small embryo.
8. Monodora myristica
Although the 3-merous condition of the perianth that is
typical for the family is seen in this species, the gynoecium
is exceptional in being syncarpous.
9. Description
The Malvaceae are herbs, shrubs, or trees
comprising about 75 genera and perhaps as
many as 1,500 species that are further
characterized by the presence of stellate
hairs and mucilaginous sap.
10. Leaf and Stem
Leaves are generally alternate, often
palmately lobed or compound and palmately
veined. The margin may be entire, but when
dentate a vein ends at the tip of each tooth
(malvoid teeth). Stipules are present. The
stems contain mucous canals and often also
mucous cavities. Hairs are common, and are
most typically stellate
11. The flowers are commonly borne in definite
or indefinite axillary inflorescences, which
are often reduced to a single flower, but may
also be auliflorous, oppositifolious or
terminal. They often bear supernumerary
bracts. They can be unisexual or bisexual
and are generally actinomorphic, often
associated with conspicuous bracts, forming
an epicalyx.
12. Calyx
They generally have five valvate sepals,
most frequently basally connate.
Corolla
Five imbricate petals.
Androecium
The stamens are five to numerous, connate
at least at their bases, but often forming a
tube around the pistils.
13. Gynoecium
The pistils are composed of two to many
connate carpels. The ovary is superior, with
axial placentation. Capitate or lobed stigma.
The flowers have nectaries made of many
tightly packed glandular hairs, usually
positioned on the sepals.
Fruits
Most often a loculicidal capsule, a
schizocarp or nut.
14. • Gossypium seed supplies commercial cotton, pulp
and oil. ‘Rosella fruit’ (Jamaica sorrel) is the fleshy
calyx and bracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa, while
‘ochra’ (‘okra’) is the young fruits of Hibiscus
esculentus. Some pot-herbs (Malva parviflora), and
many ornamentals.
15. • Distribution
The Zygophyllaceae is a family of flowering plants that
contains the bean-caper and caltrop. It includes around
285 species in 22 genera.
Habit
Trees, or shrubs (mostly, sometimes with short-shoots), or
herbs (often with jointed nodes); resinous, or not resinous.
‘Normal’ plants, or switch-plants (sometimes, more or
less); sometimes more or less phyllodineous (e.g.,
species in which the leaflets fall before the
photosynthesising petioles). Plants succulent, or non-
succulent.
17. • Leaves opposite (usually), or alternate (e.g. Viscainoa); when
alternate, spiral; ‘herbaceous’, or leathery, or fleshy, or modified into
spines; petiolate (mostly), or sessile (e.g. Augea); non-sheathing;
compound (nearly always), or simple (supposedly, e.g. in some
Zygophyllum and Fagonia species); pulvinate, or epulvinate;
usually unifoliolate, or bifoliolate, or ternate, or pinnate.
Leaflets pulvinate, or epulvinate. Lamina one-veined, or pinnately
veined; cross-venulate (small veins often terminating in dilated
tracheids). Leaves stipulate. Stipules free of one another; spiny
(often), or scaly, or leafy; persistent. Leaves without a persistent
basal meristem.
18. • Inflorescences terminal, or axillary, or leaf-
opposed; espatheate.
• Flowers ebracteate; ebracteolate; regular; (4–
)5(–6) merous; cyclic; tetracyclic, or
pentacyclic, or polycyclic. Floral receptacle
developing a gynophore, or with neither
androphore nor gynophore. Free hypanthium
absent.
• Hypogynous disk present (usually),
extrastaminal (usually), or intrastaminal; of
separate members, or annular.
19. • Androecial members unbranched; free of the
perianth; free of one another;
• Staminodes when present, 4, or 5; external to
the fertile stamens. Stamens (4–)5, or 10, or 15;
isomerous
• alternisepalous, or oppositisepalous (when the
outer whorl is staminodal); alternating with the
corolla members, or both alternating with and
opposite the corolla members.
• Anthers dorsifixed; versatile; dehiscing via
longitudinal slits;
20. Gynoecium (2–)5(–6) carpelled. Carpels
isomerous with the perianth
The pistil (2–)4–12 celled. Gynoecium
syncarpous; eu-syncarpous; superior.
Ovary (2–)5(–6) locular (but sometimes
these secondarily partitioned).
Styles 1; attenuate from the ovary;
Placentation axile.
21. Fruit when non-schizocarpic, a capsule
(usually), or capsular-indehiscent.
Seeds endospermic
22. Guaiacum officinale is the source of the
hardest, densest wood (lignum vitae).
Guaiacum, Zygophyllum, Tribulus and Larrea
species are cultivated in warm regions as
ornamentals.
23. Distribution
Rutaceae, family of flowering plants belonging
to the order Sapindales and consists of 160
genera and 1,700 species distributed
throughout the world, especially in warm
temperate and tropical regions. The largest
numbers are found in Africa and Australia, often
in semiarid woodlands.
24. • Habit
The Rutaceae are herbs, shrubs, and trees
with glandular punctate, commonly strongly
smelling herbage.
The common occurrence of spines and
winged petioles.
• Leaves
The leaves are alternate or opposite, simple
or palmately or pinnately compound, or
sometimes heathlike or reduced to spines;
stipules are absent.
26. The flowers are often sweet-scented, nearly
always bisexual, and are actinomorphic or
sometimes zygomorphic.
Calyx
The calyx consists of 3-5 distinct or basally
connate sepals
Corolla
It consists of 3-5 distinct or sometimes
connate petals or rarely the petals are
lacking.
27. Androecium
The androecium consists of distinct or
sometimes connate stamens that are
commonly obdiplostemonous, that is in two
whorls with the outer whorl opposite the
petals. However, sometimes there may be
(1)3-4 whorls or rarely up to 60 stamens.
28. The gynoecium consists of a single
compound pistil of commonly 2-5 or more,
often incompletely connate carpels that may
be united only basally or apically, either one
or an equal number of styles, and a superior
ovary with usually 2-5 or more locules, each
bearing 1-several axile ovules. Generally, an
intrastaminal nectary disk is situated
between the stamens and the ovary.
29. The fruit of Rutaceae are very variable:
berries, drupes, hesperidiums, samaras,
capsules and follicles all occur.
Seeds endospermic, or non-endospermic.
30. The family contains economically important
fruits. Citrus species include the lemon
(Citrus limon), sour orange (C. aurantium),
sweet orange (C. sinensis), lime (C.
aurantifolia), tangerine and mandarin orange
(C. reticulata), grapefruit (C. paradisi), and
citron (C. medica). All of these are grown for
their fruits. Other regionally important fruits
are the kumquat (Fortunella), bael (Aegle),
elephant apple (Limonia acidissima), and
Japanese pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitum).
31. • Distribution
• Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is
a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales. There
are about 140-150 genera with 1400-2000 species,
including maple, horse chestnut and lychee.
• Sapindaceae members occur in temperate to tropical
regions, many in laurel forest habitat, throughout the world.
Many are lactiferous, i.e. they contain milky sap, and many
contain mildly toxic saponins with soap-like qualities in
either the foliage and/or the seeds, or roots. The largest
genera are Serjania, Paullinia, Acer and Allophylus.
33. • Habit
Plants of this family have a variety of habits,
from trees to herbaceous plants or lianas.
• Leaves
Their leaves usually spirally alternate,
sometimes (in Acer, Aesculus, and a few other
genera) opposite. They are most often pinnately
compound, sometimes palmately, or just
palmate (Acer, Aesculus), with a petiole lacking
stipules, but having a swollen base.
34. The flowers are small, actinomorphic or
zygomorphic, and commonly functionally
unisexual, although a given individual may
bear seemingly bisexual flowers together
with either male or female flowers. The
perianth typically is biseriate, consisting of
calyx and corolla.
35. Calyx
The calyx comprises 4 or 5 distinct or
sometimes basally connate sepals.
Corolla
The corolla consists of 4 or 5 distinct petals
or sometimes is absent. The petals
commonly have basal appendages on the
inner side.
36. • Androecium
The stamens are distinct, often have hairy
filaments, and in quantity usually are equal to or
twice the number of calyx lobes.
• Gynoecium
The gynoecium consists of a single compound pistil
of usually 3 carpels, commonly an equal number of
styles or style lobes, and a superior ovary usually
with 3 locules, each containing 1 or 2 axile or axile-
apical ovules. Most species have an extrastaminal,
often asymmetrical nectary disk situated between
the stamens and corolla.
37. Fruit
The fruits are fleshy or dry. They may be
nuts, berries, drupes, schizocarps, capsules
(Bridgesia), or samaras (Acer).
Seed
Seeds non-endospermic.
38. Fruits:
‘Spanish lime’ (Melicoccus), litchi and
longan (Litchi spp.), pulusan and rambutan
(Nephelium spp.); Blighea with edible arils
(‘akee’).
39. • Distribution and Habit
The Fabaceae are the third largest family of
flowering plants, behind Orchidaceae and
Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400
species
The Fabaceae are mostly herbs but include
also shrubs and trees found in both temperate
and tropical areas.
40. • The Fabaceae comprise three subfamilies (with
distribution and some representative species):
• Mimosoideae: 80 genera and 3,200 species.
Mostly tropical and warm temperate Asia and
America. Mimosa, Acacia.
• Caesalpinioideae: 170 genera and 2,000 species,
cosmopolitan. Caesalpinia, Senna, Bauhinia,
Amherstia.
• Faboideae: 470 genera and 14,000 species.
Astragalus, Lupinus.
41. The leaves are usually alternate and compound.
Most often they are even- or odd-pinnately
compound (e.g. Caragana and Robinia
respectively), often trifoliate (e.g. Trifolium,
Medicago) and rarely palmately compound (e.g.
Lupinus), in the Mimosoideae and the
Caesalpinioideae commonly bipinnate (e.g. Acacia,
Mimosa). They always have stipules, which can be
leaf-like (e.g. Pisum), thorn-like (e.g. Robinia) or be
rather inconspicuous. Leaf margins are entire or,
occasionally, serrate. Both the leaves and the
leaflets often have wrinkled pulvini to permit nastic
movements. In some species, leaflets have evolved
into tendrils (e.g. Vicia).
42. The flowers are slightly to strongly perigynous,
zygomorphic, and commonly in racemes, spikes, or
heads. The perianth commonly consists of a calyx
and corolla of 5 segments each.
Papilionaceous corolla
The petals are overlapping (imbricate) in bud with
the posterior petal (called the banner or flag)
outermost (i.e., exterior) in position. The petals are
basically distinct except for variable connation of
the two lowermost ones called the keel petals. The
lateral petals are often called the wings.
44. Androecium
The androecium most commonly consists of 10
stamens in two groups (i.e., they are
diadelphous with 9 stamens in one bundle and
the 10th stamen more or less distinct).
Gynoecium
The pistil is simple, comprising a single style
and stigma, and a superior ovary with one
locule containing 2-many marginal ovules.
45. • In the Caesalpinioideae, the flowers are often
zygomorphic, as in Cercis, or nearly
symmetrical with five equal petals in Bauhinia.
The upper petal is the innermost one, unlike in
the Faboideae. Some species, like some in the
genus Senna, have asymmetric flowers, with
one of the lower petals larger than the opposing
one, and the style bent to one side. The calyx,
corolla, or stamens can be showy in this group.
47. In the Mimosoideae, the flowers are
actinomorphic and arranged in globose
inflorescences. The petals are small and the
stamens, which can be more than just ten,
have long coloured filaments, which are the
most showy part of the flower. All of the
flowers in an inflorescence open at once.
49. • In the Faboideae, the flowers are zygomorphic,
and have a specialized structure. The upper
petal, called the banner, is large and envelops
the rest of the petals in bud, often reflexing
when the flower blooms. The two adjacent
petals, the wings, surround the two bottom
petals. The two bottom petals are fused
together at the apex (remaining free at the
base), forming a boat-like structure called the
keel. The stamens are always ten in number,
and their filaments can be fused in various
configurations, often in a group of nine stamens
plus one separate stamen.
51. The ovary most typically develops into a
legume. A legume is a simple dry fruit that
usually dehisces (opens along a seam) on
two sides. A common name for this type of
fruit is a "pod", although that can also be
applied to a few other fruit types. A few
species have evolved samarae, loments,
follicles, indehiscent legumes, achenes,
drupes, and berries from the basic legume
fruit.
52. • Nitrogen fixation
Their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen reduces
fertilizer costs for farmers and gardeners who grow
legumes, and means that legumes can be used in a
crop rotation to replenish soil that has been
depleted of nitrogen. Legume seeds and foliage
have a comparatively higher protein content than
non-legume materials, due to the additional
nitrogen that legumes receive through the process.
Some legume species perform hydraulic lift, which
makes them ideal for intercropping
53. • These are cultivated for their seeds, and are also
called pulses. The seeds are used for human and
animal consumption or for the production of oils for
industrial uses. Grain legumes include both
herbaceous plants like beans, lentils, lupins, peas
and peanuts, and trees such as carob, mesquite
and tamarind.
54. Industrial farmed legumes include
Indigofera, cultivated for the production of
indigo, Acacia, for gum arabic, and Derris,
for the insecticide action of rotenone, a
compound it produces.
55. Various legume species are farmed for
timber production worldwide, including
numerous Acacia species, Dalbergia
species, and Castanospermum australe.
56. Distribution
Rosaceae (the rose family) are a medium-
sized family of flowering plants, including
about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name
is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among
the largest genera are Alchemilla (270),
Sorbus (260), Crataegus (260), Cotoneaster
(260), and Rubus (250)
58. Habit
The Rosaceae are trees, shrubs and herbs
Leaves
The leaves are generally arranged spirally, but
have an opposite arrangement in some species.
They can be simple or pinnately compound
(either odd- or even-pinnate). Compound leaves
appear in around 30 genera. The leaf margin is
most often serrate. Paired stipules are generally
present. The stipules are sometimes adnate to
the petiole. Glands or extrafloral nectaries may
be present on leaf margin or petiole. Spines may
be present on the midrib of leaflets and the
rachis of compound leaves.
59. Flower
The flowers are generally showy. They are
actinomorphic (i.e. radially symmetrical) and
almost always hermaphroditic. Rosaceae
generally have five sepals, five petals and
many spirally arranged stamens. The bases
of the sepals, petals, and stamens are fused
together to form a characteristic cup-like
structure called hypanthium. They can be
arranged in racemes, spikes, or heads,
solitary flowers are rare.
60. Fruit
They can be follicles, capsules, nuts,
achenes, drupes (Prunus) and accessory
fruits, like the pome of an apple, or the hip of
a rose. Many fruits of the family are edible.
61. Edible fruits from Malus spp. (apples), Prunus
spp. (apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, plums,
prune, sloe), Cydonia (quince), Pyrus (pear),
Eriobotrya (loquat), Rubus (blackberry,
boysenberry, loganberry, rasberry), Fragaria
(strawberry), Mespilus (medlar); nuts (Prunus
— almond); many ornamental trees and shrubs
or hedge-plants, e.g. Spiraea, Photinia, Kerria,
Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Crataegus, Sorbus,
Rhodotypos, Prunus, Rosa, Potentilla; and
some widely naturalized pests (e.g. from
Acaena, Crataegus, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha).
62. Distribution and Habit
Combretaceae is a family of flowering plants
in the order Myrtales. The family includes
about 600 species of trees, shrubs, and
lianas in 18 genera.
Leaves
The leaves are simple, alternate or opposite,
entire; stipules small or absent.
64. Flower
The flowers are bisexual or sometimes
unisexual, usually actinomorphic. The
perianth arises from near the summit of a
tubular epigynous zone
Calyx
calyx of usually 4 or 5 distinct to slightly
connate sepals
65. Corolla
corolla commonly of 4 or 5 distinct petals,
occasionally absent.
Androecium
The androecium of 4-10 stamens is adnate
to the epigynous zone, commonly in two
cycles, often strongly exserted.
66. Gynoecium
The gynoecium is a single compound pistil of
2-5 carpels; style and stigma 1; ovary
inferior, with 1 locule containing 2(-6) apical
ovules pendulous on long funiculi. The
nectary is usually a disk (often hairy) above
the ovary.
Fruit
The fruit is 1-seeded, often a flattened,
ribbed, or winged drupe.
67. Quisqualis indica
The leaf juice is sometimes used
to treat boils and ulcers.
Terminalia catappa
The strong, elastic timber is
used in construction, and the
roots, bark, leaves, and fruit are
used medicinally and for tanning
animal skins.
68. Distribution
The Cucurbitaceae are an important family
consisting of approximately 125 genera and
960 species, mainly in regions tropical and
subtropical.
Habit
Most of the plants in this family are annual
vines but there are also woody lianas, thorny
shrubs, and trees (Dendrosicyos).
70. Leaves
The leaves are alternate and usually palmately
5-lobed or divided; stipules are absent.
Flower
The flowers are actinomorphic and nearly
always unisexual.
71. Perianth
The perianth has a short to prolonged
epigynous zone that bears a calyx of 3-6
segments or lobes and 3-6 petals or more
frequently a 3-6-lobed sympetalous corolla.
Androecium
The androecium is highly variable, consisting
of basically 5 distinct to completely connate
stamens that frequently are twisted, folded or
reduced in number.
72. Gynoecium
The gynoecium consists of a single
compound pistil of 2-5 carpels, generally with
one style and as many style branches or
major stigma lobes as carpels, and an
inferior ovary with one locule and usually
numerous ovules on 2-5 parietal placentae
or 3 locules with numerous ovules on axile
placentae.
Fruit
The fruit is a type of berry called a pepo.
73. Many sources of important edible fruits, e.g.
Cucurbita, Cucumis, Lagenaria, Sechium
(melons, cucumbers, etc.), and some are
poisonous.
74. Distribution
The Apiaceae are mostly temberate and its
comprising about 300 genera and 3,000
species
Habit
mostly herbs
76. Leaves
The leaves are nearly always alternate and
pinnately or palmately compound or more
than once compound; stipules are generally
absent.
Flower
The flowers are typically small, mostly
bisexual, mostly actinomorphic except in a
few instances where pseudanthia are
produced and the peripheral flowers have
enlarged petals directed away from the center
of the inflorescence.
77. Calyx
The calyx is reduced to 5 tooth-like sepals
around the summit of the ovary or may even
be obsolete.
Corolla
The corolla consists of 5 distinct, typically
inflexed petals or rarely is lacking.
Androecium
The androecium comprises 5 distinct
stamens arising from an epigynous nectary
disk.
78. Gynoecium
The gynoecium consists of a single
compound pistil of 2 carpels, 2 styles borne
on an enlarged stylopodium, and an inferior
ovary with 2 locules, each containing a
single pendulous, apical-axile ovule.
Fruit
The fruit is a schizocarp.