Write the diagnostic characters, floral formula and floral diagram of families Malvaceae and Poaceae.
Answers
Malvaceae:
Stellate hairs on the young parts, mucilaginous juice present, leaves alternate, stipulate, multicostate reticulate; inflorescence solitary or cyme; flower actinomorphic, hermaphrodite, hypogynous, pentamerous, with epicalyx, calyx free or united, corolla free; stamens indefinite, monadelphous; anthers monothecous, stamens united to form a tube; gynoecium many often five, syncarpous, ovary multilocular, superior, axile placentation; fruit schizocarpic carcerulus or capsule.
Poacheae:
Habit: Annual or perennial herbs; rarely tree (bamboos.
Roots: Fibious adventitidus.
Stem: Herbaceous; cylindrical; jointed, hollow at intemodes. Sometimes, forms rhizome or runner.
Leaves: Sessile with long sheathing base; alternate; simple; ligulate; parallel venation.
nflorescence: Spike of spikelets or panicles of spiklets. Each spiklet is composed of 2-5 flowers. It is enclosed by a pair of bracts called glumes.
Spike of spikelets: The spiklets form dense clusters in sessile manner on main axis as in wheat.
Panicles of spikelets: The spiklets are arranged on a branched axis-panicle as in oat.
Flower: Pedicillate; bracteate, two bracts palea and lemma enclose flower or floret; lemma contain bristle like awns zygomorphic; incomplete; unisexual or hermaphrodite; hypogynous.
Perianth: Represented by two or three scale like lodicules.
Androecium: 3 stamens, sometimes 1,2 or 6; polyandrous; anther versatile.
Gynoecium: Monocarpillary; unilocular; ovary superior; stigma usually 2; feathery; basal placentation.
Fruits: Caryopsis
Seed: Endospermic.