To Study And Describe Flowering Plants Of Families- Solanaceae, Fabaceae And Liliaceae

The Solanaceae, sometimes referred to as nightshades, is a family of flowering plants that includes annual and perennial herbs, vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs and trees. It comprises several crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and ornamentals.

Fabaceae is also known as Leguminosae or Papilionaceae since it belongs to the pea or legume family. It comprises several economically important plants.

Liliaceae, also referred to as the lily family, mainly comprises ornamental plants such as lilies and tulips and medicinal plants such as Aloe vera, Colchicum, etc. 

Table of Contents

• Aim

• Requirements

• Theory

• Procedure

• Observation

• Result

• Precaution

Aim 

To study and describe flowering plants of families Solanaceae, Fabaceae and Liliaceae. Draw neat labelled diagrams.

Requirements

Pisum sativum, Allium cepa and Petunia nyctanginifolia plant specimens, slides, water, beaker, blade, dissecting microscope, Petri dishes, compound microscope, etc.

Theory

Identification, nomenclature, and classification of organisms are all topics covered by taxonomy. For classifying angiospermic plants, the Bentham and Hooker system of classification is commonly used. Plant identification in the field mostly depends on floral qualities and morphological characteristics.

Procedure

• Select a flower containing all parts.

• Observe each part of the flower.

• With your hand's help, carefully remove a flower's sepals and petals.

• With the help of a scalpel, remove the anther.

• Cut the stamen and anther in half with the scalpel.

• Remove the pistil from the flower and observe the stigma, style and ovary.

• Take each separated part on a slide and observe it under the microscope.

Observations 

Determine the plant's family by comparing the characters of different families 

Features of the Solanaceae Family

Petunia nyctanginifolia.

Floral features

• Racemose, a terminal or axillary raceme, and Cymose, a solitary inflorescence, are both in the Solanaceae family.

• The Solanaceae family includes plants with five sepals under the calyx, valvate aestivation, and gamosepalous flowers.

• The corolla in the Solanaceae family has five petals, valvate aestivation, and is gamopetalous (having a corolla made up of a single group of petals)

• The corolla is infundibuliform

• Five epipetalous stamens with basifixed anthers make up the androecium.

• Bicarpellary, superior ovary, bilocular, axile placentation, syncarpous gynoecium, capitate stigma

• Floral formula: Br, ⊕⚥ K(5),C(overline{(5A)})5, G(2)

Features of the Fabaceae Family

Pisum sativum

Floral features

• The racemose inflorescence is found in the Fabaceae.

• The calyx is gamosepalous, contains 5 sepals, is campanulate, and has imbricate aestivation.

•  Fabaceae family includes plants with five petals (1 standard, 2 wings,2 keels united, and keels shorter than wing ) enclosing the stamen and pistil. Imbricate aestivation.

• The androecium comprises 10 stamens which are grouped into two bundles in a 10+2 fashion. Anthers are basifixed and bilobed.

• The gynoecium is the monocarpellary, unilocular, superior ovary, single, hairy-stigmata, containing marginal placentation.

• Floral formula: % ⊕⚥ K(5),C1 +2 +(2), A(9) +1, G1

Features of the Liliaceae family

Allium cepa

Floral Features

• Umbellate clusters and solitary Cymose inflorescences are typical of the Liliaceae family.

• The members of the Liliaceae family have six white-coloured tepals (indistinctive sepal and petal), which form the perianth and show valvate aestivation. The tepals are arranged in two whorls.

• In the Liliaceae family, the androecium has six stamens arranged in two whorls, dorsifixed, introse, epiphyllous and polyandrous.

• The gynoecium of the Liliaceae family is tricarpellary, superior ovary, syncarpous, trilocular, and axile placentation.

• Floral formula: ⊕⚥P3+3A3+3G(3) or P(3+3)

Results

1. Petunia nyctanginifolia belongs to the Solanaceae family as it contains violet colour flowers in an infundibuliform shape, having a capitate stigma, and the ovary shows axile placentation.

2. Pisum sativum belongs to the Fabaceae family as the flowers show papilionaceous corolla containing 3 types of petal- 1 standard, 2 wings and 2 keels and the androecium contains a 10+2 arrangement of stamens.

3. Allium cepa belongs to the family Liliaceae because the perianth is gamophyllous, gynoecium is tricarpellary, syncarpous and with axile placentation and stamens are epiphyllous.

Precautions

1. Be careful while dissecting delicate parts of the flower.

2. Take thin sections of the specimens for clear vision under the microscope.

Lab Manual Questions 

1. Which placentation would result in an ovary that is always unilocular?

Ans:  The ovary in basal placentation is unilocular. At the base of the ovary, it has a single placenta with a single ovule attached to it. 

2. What are the floral components' positions if a flower is epigynous?

Ans: A form of flower known as an epigynous flower has floral portions above the ovary and an ovary in the deep part of the flower. When the floral components are attached near the top of the ovary, it is referred to as an inferior ovary or epigynous flower.

3. What is a zygomorphic flower?

Ans: Flowers, when dissected through a particular plane, can be equally divided into two halves known as zygomorphic flowers. These are bilaterally symmetrical flowers. E.g. Pea, Orchids, Snapdragon etc.

4. How do you identify a family of Liliaceae?

Ans: Flowers have separate but undifferentiated sepals and petals that can be spotted or striped, and they are radially symmetrical, with parts appearing in groups of three. A capsule makes up the fruit.

Viva Questions 

1. Describe a flower 

Ans: A flower is a part of a plant with distinct colours and forms. It is a reproductive part of a plant.

2. How many whorls does a flower typically have?

Ans: A flower typically has four whorls.

3. Identify the essential flower whorls.

Ans: Gynoecium and Androecium are the names of essential whorls.

4. What type of flower is produced by Allium?

Ans: The flowers are hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, complete, pedicellate, bracteate, and white.

5. Which family is commonly referred to as the potato family?

Ans:  Solanaceae family is commonly referred to as the potato family.

6.  Mention the petunia's inflorescence.

Ans: Cymose inflorescence

7. What defines the pea flower?

Ans: The pea flower contains one standard, two wings, and two keels  (united ) type of corolla since the pea belongs to the fabaceae family. This characteristic separates members of the fabaceae family from the others.

8. Give the names of the four floral whorls.

Ans: A flower has four whorls, which are: Corolla, Calyx, Androecium, and Gynoecium.

9. Name one dicotyledonous flower 

Ans: Roses are the best example of a dicot flower.

10. Name two plants that are analogous to petunia.

Ans: The following two plants resemble petunias:

Solanum tuberosum (potato)  and  S. melongena (brinjal)

Practical Based Questions 

1. Ovules on sutures and a syncarpous, unilocular ovary are characteristics of which type of placentation.

A) Parietal placentation

B) Marginal placentation

C) Apical placentation 

D) Superficial placentation

Ans: Apical placentation

2. When the petal and sepal edges do not cross one another in any direction, the situation is referred to as

A) Vexillary

B) Valvate

C) Imbricate

D) Twisted

Ans: Valvate

3. The term for flowers that have both androecium and gynoecium is

A) Bisexual flowers

B) Stamen

C) Anther

D) Unisexual flower

Ans: Bisexual flower

4. Which of the following components of a flower are not necessary

A) Androecium and gynoecium

B) Sepals and Carpels

C) Sepals and petals

D) Sepals and gynoecium

Ans: Sepals and petals

5. Androecium consists of a

A) Style

B) Stigma

C) Stamens

D) None of the above

Ans: Stamens

6. Two or more syncarpous gynoecium are present

A) Free ovaries 

B) Free carpels

C) Fused carpels

D) All of the above  

Ans: Fused carpels

7. The following is the name of a typical lower with a superior ovary and inferior floral parts

A) Perigynous

B) Epigynous

C) Polygamous

D) Hypogynous

Ans: Hypogynous

8. Type of flowers with just one of the essential whorls

1. Unisexual 

2.  Bisexual 

3. Polygamous

4. None of the above

Ans: Unisexual 

9. In which plant family infundibuliform corolla is present 

A) Fabaceae

B) Solanaceae

C) Liliaceae

D) Rosaceae

Ans: Solanaceae

10. Which family shows marginal placentation?

A) Rosaceae

B) Liliaceae

C) Solanaceae

D) Fabaceae

Ans: Fabaceae

Summary

Plant taxonomists believe that there are around 4 million different plant species worldwide. Angiosperms (flowering plants) make up around two-three lakh of these species, along with gymnosperms, bryophytes, and other vascular and nonvascular plants. Based on their traits, these plants are divided into many families. Common characteristics that the Solanaceae and Fabaceae families exhibit are alternate leaves, compound leaves, perfect flowers, etc.