Lecture 6: Superrosids Flashcards
Are Fabaceae plants economically important
Yes: 2nd most important economically after Poaceae since it includes the bean family, hay, cover crops, peanut, soya bean, clover, etc.
What are the three largest plant families?
Orchidaceae
Asteraceae
Fabaceae
Fabaceae and N-fixing
Fabaceae have symbiotic associations with Rhizobium bacteria to fix nitrogen
- high in protein, good cover crops, presence or absence can impact ecosystems, community composition of plants
What is domestication syndrome? What are some examples?
Traits in common across many domestic plant
Example:
- uniform seed germination
- annual growth pattern
- decrease in bitterness, other toxic compounds
- larger edible part
- harder stems, firmly held grain
What are the 3 subfamilies of Fabaceae?
Caesalpinioideae
Mimosoideae
Faboideae
What are the stem/leaf characteristics of Fabaceae/Faboideae (subfamily of Fabaceae)?
Trees, shrubs, herbs, or vines with alternate, often pinnately compound leaves or trifoliate leaves
What are the floral characteristics of Fabaceae/Faboideae (subfamily of Fabaceae)?
Flowers perfect, papilionate: with 1 standard (banner) petal, 2 wing petals and a keel of 2 fused petals
Often with fused sepals
Stamens diadelphous (in two parts), forming tube around the ovary.
- Usually 9 fused and 1 free stamen
One simple pistil (i.e. made up of 1 carpel) with 1 or more seeds on marginal placenta
Superior ovary
Flowers often in racemes
What type of fruit does Fabaceae/Faboideae produce?
Legume fruits
Floral parts in Faboideae
- 1 Banner or standard petal
- Keel (2 fused petals)
- Wing (2 fused petals)
- Free stamen and fused stamens
- Pistil
- Calyx
What are common features of Rosaceae family?
Woody or herbaceous plants
Alternate leaves with stipules
- many have compound leaves
Perfect, radially symmetrical flowers
Hypanthium, either adnate or free from gynoecium
- nectaries at the top of hypanthium
Numerous stamens
Various fruit types (such as achene, drupelet, follicles, drupe, pome, etc.)
What is the pericarp?
All of the layers of the ovary tissue
Rhamnaaceae
Buckthorn family
Invasive species group
Not very commercially important
Rhamnus cathartica and Frangula alnus (both invasive)
What are some of Ulmus (genus of the Ulmaceae family) stem/leaf characteristics?
Trees with alternate leaves
Leaves with oblique bases
- double serrate, with a scratchy surface texture
- sometimes have uneven base to their leaf (or always?)
What are some of Ulmus (genus of the Ulmaceae family) floral characteristics?
Small perfect flowers in clusters
5-9 sepals, 5-9 stamens opposite them
Ovary of 2 fused carpels with a single ovule
Superior ovary
What kind of fruit does Ulmus genus produce?
Samara fruits
Is the Cannabaceae group commercially important?
Yes: cannabis, hops
What are the stem/leaf characteristics in Urticaceae (stinging nettle) family?
Herbaceous plants
Opposite toothed leaves
What are the floral characteristics in Urticaceae family?
Inflorescences of tiny, unisexual flowers
Often with stinging hairs containing formic acid
Monoecious or dioecious
Where are Urticaceae plants found?
Many species common in floodplains
Are Urticaceae plants commercially important
No, but is the stinging nettle family (has medicinal properties)
What are characteristics of the Cucurbitaceae (cucumber) family?
- Vines with alternate leaves and tendrils
- Monoecious
- Leaves palmately lobed
- Flowers unisexual
- Radial symmetry: 5 fused sepals, 5 fused petals, 5 stamens OR 3 fused carpels
- Inferior ovary
What type of fruit do we find in the Cucurbitaceae family?
Fruit a pepo or capsule
What order is the Cucurbitaceae family found in?
Cucurbitales
What are three families we have seen in the Rosales order?
Rosaceae
Urticaceae
Ulmaceae
