Lecture 10 Asterids

Question 1

What are stem/leaf characteristics of Apocynum genus?

Answer 1

• Opposite or whorled simple leaves
• Milky (latex) sap with alkaloids, cardiac glycosides common in family

Question 2

What are floral characteristics of Apocynum genus?

Answer 2

• Perfect, radial, 5-merous flowers
• Synsepalous and sympetalous
• 5 epipetalous stamens alternate with petals
• Anthers connivent in cone over style
• 2 carpels: distinct
• Superior ovaries united at the tip only by common style and stigma

Question 3

What type of fruit does the Apocynum genus produce?

Answer 3

Paired follicles with many comose seeds

Question 4

What two genera do we review in the Apocynaceae (milkweed) family?

Answer 4

Apocynum and Asclepias

Question 5

What are stem/leaf characteristics of Asclepias genus?

Answer 5

• Opposite simple leaves
• Milky (latex) sap with alkaloids, cardiac glycosides common in family

Question 6

What are floral characteristics of Asclepias genus?

Answer 6

• Gynoecium and androecium fused
• Hoods and horns with nectar
• 5 sepals and 5 petals; sympetalous and synpetalous
• 2 separate carpels attached to common gynostegium

Question 7

What type of fruit does Asclepias produce?

Answer 7

2 follicles with many comose seeds
- all seeds fertilized by a single pollination event
- insect sticks its leg in the stigmatic slit and gathers the pollen

Question 8

What is the structure of the pollen sacs in Asclepias genus?

Answer 8

Pollinia attach to pollinator leg
Must be pulled out of the modified anther
Translator arms dry, pollinia change orientation, than foot must slip into the stigmatic slit on another flower

Question 9

Where is the Rubiaceae (coffee) family generally found?

Answer 9

Most are tropical (not a ton of species here)

Question 10

What are features of Cephalanthus?

Answer 10

• Erect shrubs with opposite leaves
• Flowers in dense heads (the inflorescence type is head or capitulum)
• 4 small fused sepals, 4 petals (no free petals), 4 stamens
• Epipetalous stamens
• Perfect flowers
• Tubular sympetalous corollas
• Inferior ovaries

Question 11

What type of fruit does Cephalanthus genus produce?

Answer 11

Fruit a schizocarp that splits into two nutlets

Question 12

Where is Cephalanthus genus found?

Answer 12

Marshes, swamps, floodplains

Question 13

What are the two genera we have seen in Rubiaceae family?

Answer 13

Cephalanthus and Galium

Question 14

What are stem/leaf characteristics of Galium?

Answer 14

• Weak-stemmed herbs, trailing habit
• Whorled leaves

Question 15

What are floral characteristics of Rubium

Answer 15

• 4-parted
• Corolla fused, rotate with short tube
• 4 epipetalous stamens
• perfect flowers
• Inferior ovary with 2 carpels

Question 16

What type of fruit does Galium produce?

Answer 16

1-seeded indehiscent fruit, nutlet

Question 17

What are stem/leaf characteristics of Araliaceae (ginseng) family?

Answer 17

• Herbaceous
• Alternate, compound or lobed leaves

Question 18

What are floral characteristics of Araliaceae family?

Answer 18

• Umbellate inflorescence
• Radial symmetry
• 5 separate, very small sepals
• Separate petals
• 5 stamens
• Inferior ovaries, usually 5 carpels, sometimes as few as 2
• Style # = carpel #

Question 19

What type of fruit does the Araliaceae family produce?

Answer 19

Capsule or drupe fruits

Question 20

Where is the Araliaceae (ginseng) family found?

Answer 20

Understory herbs of deciduous forests
Important for ginseng

Question 21

What happened to Panax quinquefolium (ginseng)?

Answer 21

Rhizome of plant used medicinally
Mainly been extirpated due to colonizers
Native to North America
Very sought after

Question 22

What kind of plants make up the Apiaceae family?

Answer 22

Several vegetables (carrots, celery, parsnip)
Some herbs/spices (dill, fennel, cumin, etc.)
Some very poisonous (poison hemlock)

Question 23

What are similarities between Araliaceae and Apiaceae?

Answer 23

• Alternate compound leaves
• 5-parted perianth
• Sepals tiny or obsolete
• 5 stamens
• Inferior ovaries
• Umbellate inflorescences

Question 24

What are major differences between Araliaceae and Apiaceae?

Answer 24

Araliaceae:
- simple umbels, or groupings of umbels, but not into compound umbel
- 2-5 carpels
- Drupe or capsule fruits

Apiaceae:
- compound umbels
- 2 carpels
- Schizocarp

Question 25

What is a characteristic trait of Apiaceae?

Answer 25

Compound umbels
Also fruit is a schizocarp

Question 26

What order are the Apiaceae and Araliaceae family a part of?

Answer 26

Apiales

Question 27

What are similarities between Adoxaceae (honeysuckle) family and Caprifoliaceae (elderberry) family?

Answer 27

• Shrubs or sub-shrubs with opposite leaves
• Leaves simple or pinnately compound
• Flowers axillary, in compound cymes, or paired
• Flowers perfect, 5-parted with 5 stamens
• Ovary inferior, 2-5- carpels
• Berry or drupe fruits (always fleshy fruit)

Question 28

What are differences between Caprifoliaceae and Adoxaceae?

Answer 28

Caprifoliaceae:
- long-tubular, regular or irregular corollas
- long styles
- capitate stigmas

Adoxaceae:
- short-tubular, regular corollas
- short styles
- flattened or lobed stigmas

Question 29

Where can Caprifoliaceae be found?

Answer 29

Western Canada
Quebec (Gaspe)
Boreal forest
Mesic to wet-mesic mixed or coniferous forests to tundra

Question 30

What are characteristics of the Viburnum genus?

Answer 30

• Sterile/normal flowers
• Understory of deciduous forests, moist to wet open woods, forest and swamp edges
• Buds that are not contained in protective bud scales are found in many Viburnum species
• Inferior ovary

Question 31

What is the largest plant family?

Answer 31

Asteraceae
Not very important in terms of food production, but tons of ornamental plants

Question 32

What are the three types of florets in the Asteraceae family?

Answer 32

Disk florets: perfect
- radially symmetric
- part of their corolla is forming a tube

Ray florets: female or sterile
- have a section of tubular corolla
- have a couple of petals on each side, some fused to make a strap-like corolla

Ligulate florets: perfect
- 5 bumps at tip

Question 33

What do sepals look like in Asteraceae family?

Answer 33

Sepals highly modified and forming a pappus around the base of each floret
- can be scales, hairs, bristles

The base of capitulum has ring(s) of bracts
- these are called involucral bracts, or specifically phyllaries

Question 34

What are the characteristics of the Asteraceae (sunflower) family?

Answer 34

• Head inflorescences: radiate, discoid, or ligulate subtended by an involucre of phyllaries (bracts)
• Flowers regular or irregular
• 5 fused petals; may be reduced to three
• Pappus formed from sepal tissue
• 5 stamens, anthers fused together, specialized pollen presentation system
• 2 fused carpels (2 stigmas) with a single seed that matures into an achene