Transcript No Slide Title

Monocots I
Orchidaceae -- the orchid family (835/20,000-30,000; mostly tropics but also in
temperate latitudes)
Habit herbs, terrestrial, often epiphytic ± succulence: stems often modified into fleshy
pseudobulbs; adventitious roots
Leaves alternate or all basal (opposite, whorled); simple; leaf bases with distinctive closed
sheath surrounding stem; parallel venation
Inflorescences spikes, racemes, panicles, or flowers solitary
Special floral characters flowers highly zygomorphic, flower is turned upside down
(resupinate) as it develops so the labellum is on the bottom
Calyx 3 sepals distinct or connate; often petaloid
Corolla 3 petals distinct or connate, with the third petal (lip or labellum) usually elaborated
in some way
Androecium 1 or 2 (3) stamens, adnate to stigma and style forming a column; anther(s) with
pollinia, pollinia covered by cap-like rostellum
Gynoecium 3 carpels, connate; inferior with 1 locule with many many extremely teeny tiny
parietal ovules (rarely 3 locules and many many extremely teeny tiny axile ovules);
style 1, massive, adnate to androecium forming column, stigmatic surfaces variously
positioned
Fruit= capsule with tiny, nonendospermous seeds
(Floral formula: Ca
3
Co
3
A
1-2
G
3
)
Monocots I
Orchidaceae -- comments
Notable Genera: Many ornamentals such as Cattleya,
Dendrobium,and Epidendrum; including temperate species such as
Cypripedium and Paphiopedilum (lady-slipper orchids). Vanilla is
extracted from fermented capules of Vanilla planifolia.
Comments: The androecium and parts of the gynoecium in this
family have been highly modified in such a way that many, many,
many, many pollen grains are delivered as a single package to the
stigmatic surface; usually by a pollinator. This means that if a flower
is pollinated, then all the teeny, tiny ovules that have formed in the
ovary will be fertilized. You can think of this as an all-or-nothing
pollination strategy.
The aerial roots in many epiphytic orchids have a special layer on the
outside called velamen. This non-living layer, which is a multiple
epidermis, seals in moisture and acts as protective layer for the roots.
Monocots I
Iridaceae -- the iris family (60-88/1,500; cosmopolitan, most diverse in Africa)
Habit herbs or sometimes shrub-like
Leaves alternate or basal; simple, entire; leaf bases usually equitant; parallel venation
Inflorescences cymes, umbels, spikes, panicles, or flowers solitary; flowers often enclosed
or subtended by 1 or more spathes (i.e. bracts)
Special floral characters flowers perfect and showy, regular or irregular, hypanthium
usually well-developed; some genera have petaloid stigmas that are situated above a
sepal in such a way that the stamen is between the stigma and sepal
Calyx 3 sepals distinct or connate; sometimes resembling the petals
Corolla 3 petals distinct or connate; if unable to distinguish from sepals, the perianth has
tepals
Androecium 3 stamens distinct or filaments sometimes connate; ± adnate to hypanthium;
anthers basifixed
Gynoecium 3 carpels, connate; inferior (rarely superior) with 3 locules and many axile
ovules; style 1, undivided or three-lobed, free or adnate to hypanthium, stigmas
sometimes petaloid
Fruit= capsule
(Floral formula: Ca
3
Co
3
A
3
G
3
)
Monocots I
Iridaceae -- comments
Some Genera: Iris, Gladiolus, Sisyrinchium, Freesia, Crocus
Many important ornamentals in this family!! If you want to see
beautiful arrangements, try visiting an iris show. Iris fanciers
have bred an impressive array of colors, shapes and sizes in their
favorite flowers.
Products: Saffron dye and spice from Crocus sativa (do you
know which part?) and orris root from rhizomes of Iris spp.
Some members of this family are also important for the perfume
industry.
Comments: The basifixed anthers and inferior ovary of this
family are two features that can help you distinguish them from
members of the Liliaceae (which have versatile anthers and
usually have a superior ovary).
ß-family Monocots I
Araceae -- the arum family (110/1800-2450; cosmopoliton, mostly in tropics and
subtropics)
Habit herbs, shrubs or vines; terrestrial or often semi-epiphytic; vining members may be ±
woody; adventitious roots especially evident
Leaves alternate; simple to pinnately or palmately lobed or compound; blades with pinnate
venation and usually long petiole that is sheathing to some degree; sometimes a
bladeless deciduous sheathing leaf (prophyll) basally encloses each foliage leaf
Inflorescences fleshy spike, the spadix, surrounded or subtended by a conspicuous spathe
Special floral characters flowers small
Perianth 0, 4 or 6 tepals distinct or connate
Androecium 1, 2, 4 or 8 stamens distinct or connate; filaments short or anthers sessile
Gynoecium 1-many carpels, connate; superior or inferior (sunken into flesh of spadix) with
1-many locules and 1-many axile, parietal, marginal, basal or apical ovules; style 1,
short or stigma sessile
Fruit= berry
(Floral formula: T
0 or 4-6
A
4-10
G
2-4
)
ß-family Monocots I
Bromeliaceae -- the bromeliad family (45-54/1,500-2,000; tropical to
subtropical, almost entirely New World)
Habit herbs (rarely shrubs or trees); usually acaulescent; often epiphytic, with some
members tank-epiphytes
Leaves alternate, often in dense basal rosette; simple, basally sheathing; somewhat
succulent; often with spiny margins; parallel venation; covered with distinctive peltate
or shielded hygroscopic trichomes
Inflorescences spikes, racemes, or panicles
Special floral characters flowers subtended by brightly colored petaloid bracts
Calyx 3 sepals distinct or connate; green or petaloid
Corolla 3 petals distinct or connate
Androecium 6 stamens distinct or filaments connate at base; free or ± adnate to petals
Gynoecium 3 carpels, connate; superior to inferior with 3 locules and many axile ovules;
style 1, undivided
Fruit= capsule or berry, sometimes a multiple fruit (e.g. pineapple)
(Floral formula: Ca
3
Co
3
A
6
G
4
OR
Ca
3
Co
3
A
6
G
3
)
ß-family Monocots I
Bromeliaceae -- comments
Some Genera: Guzmania, Tillandsia, Ananus, Pitcairnia
Products: Ananus comosus (pineapple) is a multiple fruit that lacks
seeds because it is a sterile triploid. Tillandsia usneoides (spanishmoss) is dried and used as packing material or upholstery stuffing.
Various members are grown as ornamentals, and fiber for cordage is
harvested from leaves of many genera.
Monocots I
Arecaceae -- the palm family (200, 3000; Tropical and warm temperate, a few cool
temperate or montane species)
Habit shrubs, woody vines and trees; usually unbranched
Leaves alternate, often forming dense terminal rosettes; simple to compound, plicate
(folded like a fan) in bud; sheathing; estipulate; usually long-petiolate and very large
Inflorescences spikes, racemes, heads, cymes or large panicles; basally subtended one or
more spathes
Special floral characters hypanthium sometimes present
Calyx 3 (2-4) sepals distinct or connate
Corolla 3 (2-4) petals distinct or connate; often sepaloid in appearance
Androecium 6 (3 or 7-many) stamens distinct or filaments connate; ± adnate to corolla or
hypanthium
Gynoecium 3 (1-10) carpels, distinct or connate; superior with 1-3 locules and 1 basal or
apical ovule/locule OR 1 locule and 1 basal or marginal ovule/carpel; styles 3, sometimes
basally connate or stigmas sessile
Fruit= usually a one-seeded drupe or berry, sometimes coalescent into fleshy syncarp
(Floral formula: Ca
3
Co
3
A
6
G
3 or
3
)
Monocots I
Arecaceae -- comments
Comments: An extremely large and diverse monocot family
with many important agricultural and ornamental species
including Cocos nucifera (coconut), Elaeis guineensis (oil
palm), Phoenix dactylifera (date palm), Washingtonia (fan
palms), and Roystonea (royal palm). Notice that palm trees
look woody, but they lack the taper of dicot tree (they are the
same thickness at the base as at the top). “Wood” in the palm
family is produced by a primary thickening meristem (adds
more primary growth near the apex), not by a vascular
cambium as you would find in a dicot with secondary growth!
Monocots I
Liliaceae -- the lily family (In the broad sense) (22/485; Mostly Northern
Hemisphere, greatest diversity in Southeast Asia)
Habit herbs, shrubs, woody vines; sometimes with bulbs or rhizomes
Leaves alternate, whorled or all basal (opposite); simple usually with sheathing bases,
sometimes succulaent or reduced to scales
Inflorescences various, but are borne terminally
Special floral characters hypanthium sometimes present
Calyx 3 (2-5) sepals distinct or basally adnate to petals, often petaloid
Corolla 3 (2-5 or more) petals distinct or basally adnate to sepals; mostly petaloid; if unable
to distinguish from sepals, the perianth has tepals
Androecium 6 (3-12) stamens distinct or filaments ±connate; free or adnate to hypanthium;
anthers versatile (centrally attached and hinged)
Gynoecium 3 (2-5) carpels, connate or only connate at base; superior (rarely inferior or halfinferior) with 3 locules and 1-many axile ovules/locule (rarely 1 locule with 1-many
parietal ovules); styles 3 (4-5), or 1 and entire or ± lobed, or stigma sessile
Fruit= capsule, berry or samara
(Floral formula: Ca
3
Co
3
A
6
G
3
)