Juncaceae the rush family 8300 cosmopolitan

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Juncaceae -- the rush family (8/300 cosmopolitan)
Commelinanae II
Plants flowering, synoecious or monoecious or
dioecious stems terete and solid Habit
semi-aquatic rhizomatous herbs Leaves alternate
2-3-ranked, simple and entire leaf bases with
open sheath surrounding stem parallel venation
blades flat to cylindrical Inflorescences
panicles, corymbs, capitate, terminal Flowers
actinomorphic, perfect or imperfect, hypogynous
small and inconspicuous typically monocot-like
with two distinct perianth whorls Perianth 6
tepals, distinct, often membranous and
chaffy Androecium 3-6 stamens, distinct Gynoecium
superior 1 pistil of 3 connate carpels 1-3
locules 1-many ovules/locule, axile or parietal
placentation 1-3 styles with 3 stigmas Fruit
capsule Floral formula T 6 A 6 G 3
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Juncaceae -- comments
Commelinanae II
Comments Members have a grass like habit but
are clearly differentiable from the Poaceae or
Cyperaceae based mostly on floral and vegetative
characters. The members in North America provide
important wildlife habitat around waterways and
are utilized by humans mostly as weaving
materials (juncioJuncus maritimus the fiber
palmitePrionium serratum).
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Cyperaceae -- the sedge family (70-100/4000-9300
cosmopolitan)
Commelinanae II
Plants flowering, synoecious or monoecious stems
are typically triangular, internodes filled with
pith Habit herbs (rarely shrubs), often
semiaquatic rhizomatous Leaves alternate or
basal usually three-ranked simple and entire
leaf bases with closed sheath surrounding stem
linear, parallel venation ligulate or eligulate
blades flat, terete, triangular or
absent Inflorescences one to many spikelets
aggregated into clusters (racemose, paniculate,
often umbels). Each spikelet organized on a
central rachilla to which the bracts/flowers are
attached. Flowers actinomorphic, perfect or
imperfect hypogynous, small and inconspicous
subtended by a bractlet and perianth reduced to
bristles or absent the gynoecium in Carex (and
a few close relatives to Carex) is surrounded by
a second bract termed a perigynium that is a
hollow, sac-like structure Perianth reduced to
bristles (rarely scales) or absent Androecium 3
(4-many) stamens, distinct Gynoecium superior 1
pistil of 2 or 3 connate carpels 1 locule 1
ovule/locule, basal placentation style 1, with 2
or 3 branches stigmas often feathery Fruit
achene (Floral formula A 3 G 2 or 3 )
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Cyperaceae -- comments
Commelinanae II
Genera Cyperus, Carex, Scirpus, etc. Comments
A grass-like family that is easily separable
from Poaceae based on floral and vegetative
characters. Carex is the largest genus, a
taxonomic nightmare with over 3000 species and
incredible variation. If you ever want a real
challenge, try to key some of these out!
Cyperus papyrus (Papyrus) was used to make one
of the early types of paper, and today it is
still the toughest paper made. The family
contains many ethnobotanically important members
including Cyperus used for making mats in Asia,
Cladium used for making thatched houses in
Europe, and Scirpus used as medicinals, as well
as many others. Chinese water chestnuts are
slices of corms harvested from Eleocharis
tuberosa.
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Poaceae (Gramineae) -- the grass family
(650-660/10,000 cosmopolitan)
Commelinanae II
Plants flowering, synoecious or monoecious stems
mostly round with swollen nodes and mostly
hollow (sometimes a pith) intercalary
meristems Habit herbs, shrubs or trees
rhizomatous or stoloniferous Leaves alternate,
sometimes basal simple two ranked leaf bases
with open sheath surrounding stem, upper margins
of the sheath may bear small ear-like apical
lobes called auricles parallel venation
ligulate blades flat or absent Inflorescences
spikes and spikelets that are 2º clustered into
inflorescences (spikes, racemes, or panicles)
each spikelet subtended by 2 basal bracts
(glumes), within the spikelet, each flower
subtended by two bractlets (lemma to the
outside/palea to the inside) all attached to the
rachilla glumes or lemma can be ornamented with
awns Flowers zygomorphic, perfect or imperfect,
hypogynous, small and conspicuous, subtended by
lemma and palea lodicules interpreted as reduced
perianth wind-pollinated Perianth 1-3 lodicules
distinct, fleshy and becoming turgid at
anthesis Androecium 3 (1-2 or 4-6) stamens,
distinct Gynoecium superior 1 pistil of 3
connate carpels (only 2 apparent) 1 locule 1
ovule/locule, basal placentation, usually adnate
to ovary wall styles 2 (1 or 3), distinct or
united stigma plumose or papillose Fruit
caryopsis (achene, utricle, nut, or drupe),
often shed together with enclosing bracts (Floral
formula A 3 G 2 )
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Poaceae -- comments
Commelinanae II
Genera Triticum spp. (wheat), Avena sativa
(oats), Zea mays (corn), Oryza sativa (rice),
Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane), Hordeum
vulgare (barley), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum),
Secale (rye), Bambusa spp. (bamboo) Comments
Without a doubt, the most important family in the
average humans life! If aliens were to land on
this planet and take a quick look around, they
would probably describe a planet in which the
grasses had millions of human slaves tending to
their every need... Rice feeds more humans than
any other grain. Wild rice is actually a
different species (Zizania aquatica) and is
native to North America. Wild rice has a bit
more, nutrition-wise, than rice, but the bracts
are harder to separate from the fruit, and is
more expensive to harvest. As well as the grains
that we eat, grass is very important as fodder
for many of our livestock. Range management has
become very important in the West (after
overgrazing and catastrophic droughts killed lots
of cattle in the past), and you can take courses
that concentrate only on grasses!!
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Poaceae -- comments
Commelinanae II
Comments Several species of bamboo (Bambusa
sp.), are used not only as food, but also for
timber, pulp, and utensils. Some bamboos grow
vegetatively for years (up to 150 yrs), flower,
and then die. This has caused problems in the
past (particularly for pandas) because clones can
spread over large areas of land, and when it is
time for that plant to flower all the clones
simultaneously flower and die. Ornamental uses
for grasses include turf-grasses (billions and
billions of dollars are spent on residential and
commercial lawns every year) such as St.
Augustine grass and Bermuda grass (Cynodon sp.),
and as accent plants in perennial borders and the
landscape. Fermented grains are the main source
of many alcoholic beverages, and some
anthropologists have theorized that these
recreational drinks may have had a profound
effect on the beginnings of agriculture!
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Berberidaceae -- the barberry family (16/600
mostly north temperate with few in montane
tropics and south temperate areas)
Ranunculidae

Plants flowering, synoecious Habit herbs or
shrubs Leaves alternate (rarely opposite) or
basal simple to dissected or compound, generally
exstipulate Inflorescences variable Flowers
actinomorphic, perfect, stamens usually as many
as and opposite the petals pistil usually short
and fat Calyx 4-many(0) sepals, distinct, often
spiraled or in several whorls of 3 Corolla
4-many (0) petals, distinct, sometimes in whorls
of 3 Androecium 3-6 (-18) stamens, distinct,
valvate anther dehiscence (however, Podophyllum
with stamens twice as many as petals and
longitudinally dehiscent) Gynoecium superior 1
carpel 1 locule 2-many ovules, marginal
placentation OR 1- few ovules, basal
placentation 1 style or stigma sessile Fruit
berry or follicle Floral formula Ca 6 Co 6
A 6 G 1
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Berberidaceae -- comments
Ranunculidae
A vegetatively variable family with herbs and
shrubs. Some cultivated members such as some spp.
of Berberis and Mahonia have spiny-margined
leaves. What other family that weve seen so far
this semester had VALVATE anther
dehiscence? Cultivated members Berberis
(barberry), Mahonia (Oregon-grape), Nandina
(heavenly-bamboo) Around here Podophyllum
(may-apple exceptional characteristics),
Caulophyllum (blue cohosh), Jeffersonia
(twin-flower)
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Ranunculaceae -- the buttercup family (52/2000
widespread)
Ranunculidae
Plants flowering, synoecious Habit herbs, shrubs
or woody vines Leaves phyllotaxy variable
(usually alternate), usually pinnately veined,
simple (and often deeply lobed) to several times
compound (crowsfoot leaf) exstipulate Inflorescen
ces racemes, panicles or solitary Flowers
actinomorphic sometimes zygomorphic, usually
perfect, hypogynous, often showy Calyx 4-many
sepals, distinct, often petaloid Corolla 0 or
4-5, sometimes many, distinct with nectaries at
petal base (or at the bottom of spurred corolla
segments (e.g., Aquilegia or Delphinium) Androeciu
m many (rarely 5-10) stamens, distinct Gynoecium
superior 5-many carpels, distinct 1
locule/carpel 1-many ovules/carpel, parietal
placentation or nearly basal Fruit cluster of
achenes or follicles (rarely berries) (Floral
formula Ca4- ? Co0,4-5 A ? G5- ? )
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Ranunculaceae -- comments
Ranunculidae
The Ranunculaceae are extremely variable, yet not
too difficult to characterize once you have
learned some of the variation in the family.
Several members are extremely toxic, including
the beautiful Aconitum (Monks hood) and
Delphinium (larkspur), a popular ornamental.
Numerous members of this family are cultivated
for their showy inflorescences. The tricolpate
pollen of the Ranunculiids is one of the basic
differences that separates this group from the
magnoliid dicots and associates it with more
derived dicot groups.
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Papaveraceae -- the poppy family (Including
Fumariaceae ca. 42/600 most diverse in N.
America and eastern Asia)
Ranunculidae
Plants flowering, synoecious often with colored
sap Habit herbs/shrubs Leaves phyllotaxy variable
(usually alternate), simple to pinnately compound
or dissected exstipulate Inflorescences
various Flowers actinomorphic to zygomorphic,
perfect, hypogynous, small to large and
showy Calyx 2 or 3 sepals, distinct,
caducous Corolla 4, 6, 8 (12-16), distinct,
spreading OR coherent and closed often
crumpled Androecium many stamens, distinct OR 6
stamens (coherent/connate in 2 groups of
3) Gynoecium superior 1 pistil of 2-many connate
carpels 1-locule few to many ovules, parietal
placentation 1 (0) style with1- many
stigmas Fruit capsule, often with poricidal
dehiscence (Floral formula Ca 2,3 Co 4,6,8 A ? G
5- ? )
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Papaveraceae -- subfamilies (For your information
only)
Ranunculidae
Papaveraceae(s.s.) (24/201) Fumarioideae
(18/461) -Herbs to shrubs -Herbs, with
dissected leaves. -Colored or milky sap
(latex) -Watery colorless sap -Fls. usu.
solitary, actinomorphic -Fls. not solitary,
zygomorphic or isobilateral -Nectaries
absent -Nectaries at filament base. -Ca2or 3
(large, caducous) -Ca2 (small) -Co 4or more
(wrinkled in bud) -Co22 -A usu. many -A 33
(diadelphous) -G2-many stigma large, radiate,
-G 2 stigma small, with style sessile -Fruit
sept. or poricidal capsule -Fruit septicidal
capsule (nut like)