Study Guide for Plant Taxonomy Quiz on Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Keep an eye to the BIG PICTURE—I may ask a question or two about how everything fits together!
Know the family characters from the study chart (I strongly recommend you make flash cards as we
proceed with families), with particular attention to the following special characteristics for each family.
Monocots (non-commelinoid):
Melanthiaceae: poisonous (birth defects, etc) due to alkaloids = chemical compounds not involved in
primary metabolic pathways (e.g., photosynthesis or glycolysis) and synthesized from amino acids
Agavaceae: traditionally placed in Liliales, now in Asparagales, phytomelan= really resistant stuff!,
inferior ovary and toothed leaves in Agave and superior ovary and smooth margins in Yucca, special
pollination biology in Yucca,
Iridaceae: equitant leaves, special pollination anatomy
Orchidaceae: require mycorrhizae for survival, no real roots; stamens and stigma fused together into
column; labellum = specialized tepal; pollinia; no endosperm so seeds need to establish mycorrhizal
relationship quickly
Alismatales: mostly aquatic monocots
Monocots (commelinoid clade): (also includes Cyperaceae, Typhaceae, Juncaceae but you don’t need to
know family characters of those since we didn’t have time to go over them, but know that they are
monocots!)
Commelinaceae: spathe, leaves 2 ranked,
Poaceae: (special grass terminology)
Essential vegetative terms to define and understand-- Leaf Blade, Leaf Sheath, Ligule, Auricle, Culm,
Stolon, Rhizome, Fibrous Roots
Essential floral terms to define and understand—Floret, Lemma, Palea, Lodicule, Rachilla, Spikelet,
Glume, Pedicel
Grass flower + 2 bracts called lemma and palea= grass floret
Grass florets + 2 glumes beneath them (ie subtend them) = spikelet
General Eudicots:
Terms to know: basal eudicot (don’t get confused with basal angiosperms!), basal eudicot= basal
tricolpate, tricolpate pollen, secondary metabolite
Tricolpate pollen = best morphological synapomorphy of eudicots
Other eudicot characteristics (but again there are exceptions) : two cotyledons, reticulate venation,
flower parts in 4 or 5’s, vascular bundles arranged into vascular cambium, taproot. Be able to compare
and contrast general eudicot characters vs. general monocot characters.
Basal Eudicots (NOT a clade):
Ranunculaceae: diverse family but generally superior apocarpous gynoecium and androecium with
many distinct stamens
Berberidaceae: parts in 6’s even though Eudicots, anthers open by upward turning flaps, what is a
staminode and how does it relate to Berberidaceae
Papaveraceae: contain various alkaloids (eg morphine), caducous sepals in Argemone,
Platanaceae: trees, multiple of achenes, inconspicuous flowers in unisexual flowerheads
Core Eudicots:
Caryophyllales: composed of 2 main clades, one of which contains betalain pigments and one of which
contains anthocyanin pigments. Plants contain either betalains or anthocyanins, but NEVER both.
Cactaceae: CAM metabolism (allows stomata to be open at night and closed during the day to conserve
water; like C4, malate is the early detectable product of carbon fixation); many touch sensitive
stamens, several connate carpels usually inferior, betalains, true leaves are small and caducous
Family
Foliage
Calyx
Corolla
Androeciu
m
Gynoeciu
m
Fruit
6 mostly
distinct
tepals
6 mostly
distinct
tepals
usually 6
distinct
stamens
capsule
leaves
smooth
with
marginal
fibers in
Yucca;
leaves
toothed in
Agave
Equitant
(&
conduplicat
e)
6 distinct
tepals
6 distinct
tepals
6 distinct
stamens
3-10
connate
carpels,
usually 3
distinct
styles;
superior
to slightly
inferior
3 connate
carpels;
ovary
superior
in Yucca,
inferior in
Agave
6 tepals,
inner
somewhat
differentiate
d from outer
6 tepals,
inner
somewhat
differentiate
d from outer
Three
connate
carpels,
inferior
ovary
Loculicidal
capsule
Roots
strongly
mycorrhizal
, parallel
venation
and
sheathing
at the base
6 Tepals,
inner 3 and
outer 3
somewhat
differentiate
d, one of the
inner ones
forming the
labellum
6 Tepals,
inner 3 and
outer 3
somewhat
differentiate
d, one of the
inner ones
forming the
labellum
Three
distinct
filaments,
specialized
pollination
anatomy
stamens
fused to
stigma
forming a
column;
pollen
forming
masses
called
pollinia
ovary
inferior, 3
carpels,
stigma
highly
modified
capsule/minut
e seeds; seeds
lacking
endosperm
Monocots
(nonCommelinoid
Clade)
Melanthiaceae poisonous
alkaloids
often
present
(hence the
“Death
Camas
Family”!)
Agavaceae
Iridaceae
Orchidaceae
loculicidal
capsule, seeds
with black
phytomelan
crust
Foliage
Calyx
Corolla
Androeciu
m
Gynoecium
Fruit
Ranunculacea
e
variable
(simple or
compound, but
usually pinnate
or palmate
venation)
Usually 4 or
5 distinct
sepals
Usually 4 or
5 distinct
petals
stamens
numerous
with
distinct
filaments
carpels
distinct, 5
to
numerous
achene
(berry or
follicle in
other
genera
than
Ranunculus
)
Papaveraceae
lobed/dissecte
d
2 quickly
deciduous
sepals
(caducous)
6 petals
many
stamens,
can be
distinct or
connate
superior
ovary, 2
connate
carpels
(syncarpou
s
gynoecium
)
capsule
Berberidaceae
Leaves
spinoseserrate
6 distinct
sepals
6 outer
petals and 6
inner petals
that are
probably
really petallike
staminodes
(staminode
= sterile
stamen)
6; anthers
opening by
flaps that
open from
the base
Superior
ovary, one
carpel,
capitate
stigma
Berry
Platanaceae
Trees, lobed
leaves,
toothed
Flowerhead
s unisexual,
flowers very
reduced, in
globose
heads, 3-7
Flowerhead stamens 3s unisexual, 7, filaments
flowers very very short
reduced, in
globose
heads, 3-7
superior
ovary with
5-9 distinct
carpels
multiple of
achenes
(follicles,
drupes or
others in
other
Family
Basal Eudicots
(NOT a clade)
minute
petals and
sepals
Family
minute
petals and
sepals
genera that
Platanus)
Foliage
Calyx
Corolla
Androecium Gynoecium Fruit
succulent,
spiny stems,
leaves
reduced and
falling
quickly;
Tepals
numerous,
distinct
and petallike
Tepals
numerous,
distinct
and petallike
numerous
distinct
touch
sensitive
stamens
Caryophyllales
Cactaceae
long
ovary
becoming
inferior
with 3 to
numerous
connate
carpels
Berry; seeds
arillate
leaves, short
spines and
glochids;
betalains
present
Plant Taxonomy Plant ID list 2014:
WEEK 1
Euphorbia (term to know: cyathium) EUPHORBIACEAE
Tribulus (terms to know: schizocarp, mericarp, opposite, alternate, distinct, adnate, connate)
ZYGOPHYLLACEAE
WEEK 2
Ipomopsis (term to know: exserted) POLEMONIACEAE
Castilleja (term to know: hemiparasite) OROBANCHACEAE
Malva (term to know: monadelphous) MALVACEAE
Hesperidanthus (terms to know: tetradynamous, silique) BRASSICACEAE
Desmodium (term to know: loment) FABACEAE
Commelina (term to know: spathe) COMMELINACEAE
WEEK 3
Melampodium (terms to know: disc flower, ray flower) ASTERACEAE
Argemone (term to know: merosity, plant alkaloids) PAPAVERACEAE
Cucurbita (terms to know: pepo, inferior ovary) CUCURBITACEAE
Datura (terms to know: salverform, funnelform) SOLANACEAE
Oenothera (term to know: inferior ovary) ONAGRACEAE
WEEK 4
Agastache (term to know: zygomorphic) LAMIACEAE
Dieteria (terms to know: phyllary, achene) ASTERACEAE
Scirpus (terms to know: sedge, monocot) CYPERACEAE
Thalictrum (term to know: dioecious) RANUNCULACEAE
Guilleminia (term to know: bract) AMARANTHACEAE
WEEK 5
Persicaria (term to know: ochrea) POLYGONACEAE
Typha TYPHACEAE
Maclura (term to know: multiple fruit) MORACEAE
Boerhavia (term to know: anthocarp) NYCTAGINACEAE
Mentha LAMIACEAE
WEEK 6
Ericameria (terms to know: discoid, lanate) ASTERACEAE
Gutierrezia (term to know: radiate) ASTERACEAE
Polanisia CLEOMACEAE
Croton (term to know: dioecious) EUPHORBIACEAE
Salsola (term to know: whole plant is dispersal mechanism) CHENOPODIACEAE
WEEK 7
Ephedra (term to know: Gnetophyte) EPHEDRACEAE
Portulaca (term to know: circumscissile) PORTULACACEAE
Mollugo (term to know: whorled) MOLLUGINACEAE
Allionia NYCTAGINACEAE
Dimorphocarpa BRASSICACEAE
Stachys LAMIACEAE