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 -- the orchid family (835/20,000-30,000; mostly tropics but also in temperate latitudes)

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

Orchidaceae -- comments

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 -- the iris family (60-88/1,500; cosmopolitan, most diverse in Africa)

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).

Monocots I

Iridaceae -- comments

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

Araceae -- the arum family (110/1800-2450; cosmopoliton, mostly in tropics and subtropics)

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 -- the bromeliad family (45-54/1,500-2,000; tropical to subtropical, almost entirely New World)

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 (spanish-moss) 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.

ß-family Monocots I

Bromeliaceae -- comments

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 -- the palm family (200, 3000; Tropical and warm temperate, a few cool temperate or montane species)

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

Arecaceae -- comments

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 half-inferior) 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 )

Monocots I

Liliaceae -- the lily family (In the broad sense) (22/485; Mostly Northern Hemisphere, greatest diversity in Southeast Asia)