LoranthaceaeViscaceae the mistletoe familyies 67851000 cosmopolitan, most abundant in tropical to su

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Loranthaceae/Viscaceae -- the mistletoe
family(ies) (67-85/1000 cosmopolitan, most
abundant in tropical to subtropical regions)
Plants flowering, synoecious, monoecious, or
dioecious hemiparasitic on woody hosts or
root-parasitic, with roots modified into
haustoria mostly green and photosynthetic Habit
herbs, shrubs, woody vines or trees Leaves
opposite and decussate, simple, entire,
parallel-veined, leathery to somewhat succulent,
or absent exstipulate Inflorescences various,
indeterminate Flowers actinomorphicor
zygomorphic perfect or imperfect
epigynous Calyx 4-6 (3-4) sepals, minute,
connate, sometimes reduced to unlobed rim Corolla
3-9 (0) petals, distinct or connate Androecium
3-9 (3-4) stamens, opposite and free from or
adnate to petals Gynoecium inferior 1 pistil of
3-4 connate carpels 1 locule with 2 ovules not
differentiated from basal placenta OR 4-12
ovules, free-central or basal placentation
style short or sessile stigma Fruit berry with
viscous layer surrounding the seed(s), drupe, or
samara Floral formula T 3-4 G 3-4 / T
3-4 A 3-4 OR Ca 4-6 Co 3-9 A 3-9 G
3-4
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Euphorbiaceae -- the spurge family (320/7500 pan
tropical, poorly represented in temperate areas)
Plants flowering, monoecious or dioecious, often
with milky sap Habit herbs, shrubs, trees, vines,
or stem succulents Leaves alternate or opposite,
simple to variously compound usually
stipulate Inflorescence determinate, sometimes
very condensed and forming a cyathium, or flower
solitary Special floral characters imperfect
flowers, typically apetalous Calyx 4-5 (0)
sepals, distinct or connate Corolla 0 (4-5)
petals, distinct or basally connate can be
adnate to stamens Androecium 1-many stamens,
distinct or variously connate Gynoecium superior
1 pistil of usually 3 connate carpels, 1
locule/carpel 1-2 ovules/locule, axile
placentation styles as many as carpels or often
forked Fruit schizocarpic capsule (rarely a
drupe, berry, pod, or samara) Floral formula
Ca4-5 (0) Co 0 (4-5) G 3 // Ca4-5 (0)
Co 0 (4-5) A 1-many
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Salicaceae -- the willow family (2/340
Cosmopolitan, absent in Australia and Malaysia,
common in moist habitats) Genera Salix, Populus
(willows, aspens, cottonwoods)
Plants flowering, dioecious, commonly associated
with riparian habitats, can form clonal
groves Habit trees and shrubs Leaves alternate,
simple, often serrate stipulate Inflorescences
indeterminate, arranged in catkins Flowers
actinomorphic, imperfect, hypogynous each
subtended by a bract Perianth absent or reduced
to a disc or glands Androecium 2-many stamens,
distinct to filaments basally connate Gynoecium
superior 1 pistil of 2-4 connate carpels 1
locule many ovules, basal or parietal
placentation, 1 style or 2-4 stigmas
sessile Fruit capsule, seeds bearing long tufts
of hair Floral formula A 2-? OR
G 2-4
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Fabaceae (Leguminosae) -- the legume family
(690-800/14,000- 20,000 cosmopolitan)
Plants flowering, usually synoecious roots often
with nitrogen-fixing bacterial nodules Habit
herbs, shrubs, trees (rarely lianas e.g.
Bauhinia) Leaves alternate usually pinnate to
bipinnately compound (simple, palmate,
trifoliate) stipulate pulvinus at petiole
and/or petiolule base Inflorescences various,
indeterminate Flowers actinomorphic or
zygomorphic, usually perfect slight hypanthium
may be present to make flower perigynous
typically showy corolla specialized in Faboideae
with banner, keel, and wings Calyx 5 sepals,
connate Corolla 5 (0-1) petals, distinct or the 2
anterior petals variously connate Androecium 1-
many stamens, distinct or connate as 9 1
diadelphous or all stamens in a single tube
monadelphous Gynoecium superior 1 carpel 1
locule 1- many ovules, marginal placentation 1
style with 1 stigma Fruit legume, or
legume-derived loment or indehiscent pod Floral
formula Ca 5 Co 5 A 1- ? G 1
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Family FabaceaeSubfamily Mimosoideae

• Distribution Mostly tropical
• Leaves mostly bipinnate
• Floral symmetry actinomorphic
• Androecium 10-many usually distinct
• Examples Acacia, Cercidium, Mimosa, Prosopis

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Family FabaceaeSubfamily Caesalpinioideae

• Distribution Mostly tropical
• Leaves pinnate or bipinnate
• Floral symmetry actinomorphic to zygomorphic
• Androecium ? 10 stamens, distinct or connate
• Examples Caesalpinia, Cassia

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Family FabaceaeSubfamily Papilionoideae (or
Faboideae)

• Distribution tropical and temperate
• Leaves pinnately or palmately compound
• Floral symmetry strongly zygomorphic
• Androecium 10 stamens, usually diadelphous 9
  1
• Examples Lupinus, Pisum, Robinia, Phaseolus

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Rosaceae -- the rose family (100/3000
Cosmopolitan, most common in temperate
\subtropical N. Hemisphere)

• Plants flowering, synoecious usually armed
• Habit trees and shrubs, rarely herbs
• Leaves alternate simple or compound, distinctive
  serrations on margin stipulate
• Inflorescences variable determinate or
  indeterminate
• Flower actinomorphic, perfect, perigynous to
  hypogynous hypanthium well developed, nectary
  disk around the rim of the hypanthium, perianth
  whorls in 5s with numerous exserted stamens
• Calyx 5 (4-many) sepals, basally connate
• Corolla 5 (4-many) petals, distinct
• Androecium 10-many stamens, distinct or basally
  connate
• Gynoecium covers nearly all possible variation
  (see subfamily descriptions), however, apocarpy
  is common in many members
• Fruit drupe, pome, aggregate of follicles,
  achenes or drupes

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Family RosaceaeSubfamily Spiraeoideae

• Habit woody
• Leaves simple considered exstipulate
• Ovary position superior, perigynous
• Gynoecium mostly apocarpous 2-many ovules/carpel
• Fruit aggregate of follicles (rarely a capsule)
• Examples Spiraea, Physocarpus

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Family RosaceaeSubfamily Rosoideae

• Habit herbs/shrubs
• Leaves compound stipulate
• Ovary position superior, perigynous
• Gynoecium apocarpous 1-2 ovules/carpel
• Fruit aggregate of achenes or drupes
• Examples Cercocarpus, Fragria, Potentilla,
  Rubus, Rosa

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Family RosaceaeSubfamily Prunoideae

• Habit woody
• Leaves simple stipulate
• Ovary position superior, perigynous
• Gynoecium apocarpous (1 carpel, rarely 2-5
  distinct) 1-2 ovules/carpel
• Fruit drupe
• Examples only Prunus

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Family RosaceaeSubfamily Maloideae

• Habit woody
• Leaves simple stipulate
• Ovary position inferior, epigynous
• Gynoecium synocarpous (2-5 carpels) 1-2 (many)
  ovules/carpel
• Fruit pome
• Examples Amelanchier, Crataegus, Malus, Pyrus,
  Pyracanthus, Sorbus

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Moraceae -- the mulberry or fig family (53/1,400
primarily tropical, although Morus and Maclura
are common in temperates)
Plants flowering, monoecious often with milky
latex Habit shrubs or trees (herbs) Leaves
alternate, simple, stipulate with caducous
stipules that leave a circular scar (in
Ficus) Inflorescences variable, ranging from
spike-like or raceme-like (Morus) to the
inside-out syconium (Ficus) Flowers
actinomorphic, imperfect, hypogynous to
epigynous sometimes on a fleshy
receptacle Perianth (2) 4 (6) tepals distinct
inconspicuous usually free or adnate to
ovary Androecium (2) 4 (6) stamens, distinct and
opposite to tepals Gynoecium superior to
inferior 1 pistil of 2 connate carpels 1 locule
with 1 ovule, apical placentation 2
styles Fruit achene or drupelet, often coalescent
into a dense multiple fruit with accessory
tissues Floral formula Ca 4 A 4 AND
Ca 4 G 2
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Moraceae -- comments
Some Genera Morus (mulberry) Maclura
(osage-orange) Ficus (fig), Artocarpus
(breadfruit, jackfruit) Notes Ficus (800 spp.)
is a very large genus with milky latex, a variety
of habits, and some tasty syconiums (the fig
fruit). A must see is the inflorescence of the
genus Dorstenia to get an idea of a
transformation series from the mulberry- type
(spike) to the Dorstenia-type to the fig-type
(syconium) inflorescence. Read WK article about
the special pollination syndrome that is
associated with the inflorescence of figs. It is
interesting to know that although the ancient
Romans did not know about the wasps and this
pollination syndrome, they noticed that if they
planted new fig trees too far away from
established figs, they were not able to get fruit
set on those newly planted, isolated fig trees!!