Rutaceae
The Citrus Family
The Citrus family is a valuable
source of edible fruits and
ornamentals. These members
of the Plantae division are
usually woody shrubs, trees, or
hebaceous perennials. There
are nearly 160 genera and
1,700 species included in this
family.
Fruits:
all citrus fruits are modified berries
The economically important citrus
fruits are the lemon (Citrus lemon),
sour orange (Citrus aurantium),
sweet orange (Citrus sinesis), lime
(Citrus aurantifolia), tangerine
(Citrus reticulata), grapefruit (Citrus
paradisi), and the citron (Citrus
medica). The fruit of Rutaceae are
variable . Capsules, follicles, drupes,
berries, and samaras can all occur.
The citrus flowers are often sweetscented and are usually angiosperms.
Citrus flowers typically have 4 or 5 petals
and sepals and 8-10 stamen. The flowers
usually have a single stigma with 2 to 5
united carpels.
The leaves on citrus plants are usually
compound and do not have stipules.
Pellucid glands are oil containing
cavities that are responsible for the
aromatic smell of the citrus family
members, which are located on the
plants’ leaves. These pellucid glands
were traditionally the primary
characteristic for identifying the
Rutaceae.
1. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/514168/Rutaceae
2. http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/cit_med_klove.jpg
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutaceae
4. http://rosamilagrosa.com/our_flower_house/images/lemon2_jpg.jpg
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus
6.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.sear
ch.yahoo.com