APIACEAE

-

            1. SYSTEMATIC POSITION:
            Bentham & Hooker
            Division: Phanerogames (Seed Plants)
                  Class: Dicotyledones
                          Sub-class: Polypetalae
                                   Series: Calyciflorae
                                          Order: Umbellales
                                                 Family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)
           
            2. MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS:
            Habit – Mostly annual or perennial herbs, aromatic.
            Leaves – Alternate, simple or usually much dissected, often exstipulate.
            Inflorescence – Simple or compound umbell.
            Flower – Bisexual, actinomorphic, epigynous with a disc.
            Calyx – Sepals 5, united, toothed.
            Corolla – Petals 5, free, often unequal, valvate or imbricate.
            Androecium – Stamens 5, free, anthers versatile.
            Gynoecium – Carpels 3, syncarpous, ovary inferior, 2-locular with 1 ovule in each locule, placentation parietal, style 2, stigma capitates, surrounded by two-lobed honey-disc (stylopodium).
            Fruit – Cremocarp, dehiscing into two dry segments (mericarps) which are suspended from the slenderbiforked axis (carpophores), each mericarp is provided with longitudinal ridges (costae or jugar) and between two ridges are furrows (valleculae) which are traversed by oil-ducts (vitae).
            3. FLORAL FORMULA: ⊕⚥K(5),C5,A5,G2
            4. COMPARATIVE SYSTEMATIC POSITION AND AFFINITIES:
            Bentham & Hooker/ Engler & Prantl placed the family Apiaceae under the order order Umbellales/ Umbelliflorae along with Araliaceae and Coronaceae. Hutchinson put this family in the monotypic order Umbellales.
            The family Apiaceae throws some light on the origin of sympetalous advanced families like Rubiaceae and Asteraceae. This view is proved on the fact that in both Apiaceae and Rubiaceae there is tendency of flowers to be aggregated into umbellate heads, reduction of calyx lobes, epigyny, etc. Bessey supports this view and postulated that the Apiaceae was directly derived from Rosaceae. Apiaceae in turn give rise to Rubiaceae.

            5. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
            1. The seeds of Trachyspermum ami yields jowan from which Aqua ptychotis is manufactured. The mericarp of Foeniculum vulgare is used as condiment. The mericarp of Coriandrum sativum is used as condiment for cooking purpose. Fruit of Carum carvi is used as condiment for cooking purpose.
            2. The root of Daucus carota and Apium graveolens (Carrot) is used as vegetable.
            3. The resinous exudations of the young buds and roots of Ferula asiatica are used as ‘asafoetida’ or ‘hingh’ of commerce.
            4. The whole plant of Centella asiatica is used as medicine. The fruit of Carum carvi is used as medicine in stomach ache and carminative.
           

*************

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EQUISETUM - CLASSIFICATION, STRUCTURE OF SPOROPHYTE, REPRODUCTION, STRUCTURE OF GAMETOPHYTE AND FERTILIZATION

-
Image
A. CLASSIFICATION: Division – Sphenophyta     Class – Sphenopsida        Order – Equisitales            Family – Equisitaceae               Genus – Equisetum Equisetum commonly known as horsetails comprises about 25 species and is world-wide in distribution. Equisetum can grow in wide variety of habitats. Some species grow in damp and shaded places, others grow in ponds and marshes or in sandy soil, near the banks of rivers, etc. Some others are found to grow in exposed dry habitats, along the road side and railway embankments. Some of the common Indian species of Equisetum are – Equisetum debile , E. arvense , E. Diffusum , E. elongatum , etc. B. STRUCTURE OF THE SPOROPHYTE: 1. External structure:- The sporophyte, i.e., the plant body is well differentiated into – stem, leaves and roots – Stem – The stem is underground, horizontal and much branched, which often penetrates more than a meter into the soil. The rhoizome is jointed and provided with nodes and
Read more

SELAGINELLA - CLASSIFICATION, STRUCTURE OF SPOROPHYTE, REPRODUCTION, STRUCTURE OF GAMETOPHYTE, FERTILIZATION, MORPHOLOGY OF RHIZOPHORE OF SELAGINELLA

-
Image
A. CLASSIFICATION: Division – Lycophyta      Class – Lycopsida          Order – Selaginellales              Family – Selaginellaceae                  Genus – Selaginella The genus Selaginella is commonly known as “ Club-moss ” or “ Spike-moss ”. Selaginella is a large genus comprising about 700 species and is world-wide in distribution. Some species of Selaginella are found to grow in temperate regions but majority of them are found to occur in the rain forests of tropical countries. The species of Selaginella is found to grow on the ground, on damp, shaded and humid conditions. Some species are also occurs in arid regions of the world. Temperate species are found to grow on damp shaded sides of the hills. About 55 species are found to occur in India. Of these the common species are S. rupestris, S. chrysocaulos, S. pallidissima, S. jacquemonth, S. megaphylla, S. pentagona , etc. B. STRUCTURE OF THE SPOROPHYTE: 1. External structure:- The sporophyte, i.e., t
Read more

PUCCINIA - CLASSIFICATION, VEGETATIVE STRUCTURE, REPRODUCTION, ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

-
Image
            A. CLASSIFICATION Division – Mycota       Sub-division – Eumycotina             Class – Basidiomycetes                   Sub-class – Heterobasidiomycetidae                        Order – Uredinales                              Family – Pucciniaceae                                   Genus – Puccinia             The genus Puccinia is cosmopolitan in distribution and is a parasitic fungus causing diseases on many crop plants such as wheat, barley, oats, etc., and causes great loses to the cultivated crops. Puccinia is an obligate fungal parasite and are commonly known as ‘rust fungi’ because they produce ‘rust-like’, i.e., reddish-brown coloured spores in the form of rusty spots or streaks on stems, leaf-sheaths, leaves, etc., of the host plants.             The genus includes about 3000 species. Out of these, 147 species have been reported from India. Wheat rust disease has been extensively studied in India and is found to be caused by three different
Read more