Characters of Fabaceae

• They are trees, shrubs, and herbs with nodules on their roots.

• Erect or climber stems • Leaves are alternating, pinnately compound or simple, and pulvinate at the base; venation is reticulate

Inflorescence: racemose

Flower: bisexual, zygomorphic

Calyx: sepals five, gamosepalous; valvate/imbricate aestivation

Corolla: petals five, polypetalous, papilionaceous, consisting of a posterior standard, two lateral wings, two anterior ones forming a keel (enclosing stamens and pistil), vexillary aestivation

Androecium: stamens ten in number, diadelphous, anther dithecous

Gynoecium: ovary superior, monocarpellary, unilocular with many ovules, style single

Fruit: legume; seed: one to many, non-endospermic

Economic importance:

Plants of these families are pulses used as fodder and sweet pea.

Ex: Peas, trifolium, Floral diagram:

Characters of Solanaceae

• The Solanaceae family, also known as the potato family, consists primarily of herbs, shrubs, and small trees.
• Stems are herbaceous, rarely woody, and aerial; they are erect, cylindrical, branching, solid or hollow, hairy or glabrous, and underground in potatoes.
• Leaves are exstipulate with reticulate venation, alternating, simple, rarely pinnately compound.

Floral Characters

Inflorescence: Solitary, axillary or cymose as in Solanum

Flower: bisexual, actinomorphic

Calyx: sepals five, united, persistent, valvate aestivation

Corolla: petals five, united; valvate aestivation

Androecium: stamens five, epipetalous

Gynoecium: bicarpellary obligately placed, syncarpous; ovary superior, bilocular, placenta is swollen with many ovules, axile

Fruits: berry or capsule

Seeds: many, endosperms

Economic importance

Plants belonging to this family are used as food, spices, medicines and ornamentals Floral diagram:

Ex: Brinjal, chilli, ashwagandha, petunia