Anacardiaceae and Gramineae

Taxonomy

1. ANACARDIACEAE

2. Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the ‘Cashew Family’ comprises of 73 genera and 600 species. The plants are chiefly distributed in the tropical regions, extending into North Temperate regions. Members of this family bear fruits that are Drupes. Plants are either trees or shrubs containing resin passages and resinous bark. ROOTS: Root system is of the normal type. LEAVES: Leaves alternate, exstipulate and simple( Mangifera, Anacardium)or imperipinnately compound, Non-gland dotted leaves.

3. FLORAL CHARACTERS INFLOROSCENCE: It has terminal or axillary cymose panicles. FLOWERS: They are small, typically bisexual, hypogynous, pentamerous and actinomorphic. In Mangifera and Anacardium bisexual and unisexual flowers are present on the same plant(polygamous condition). Sometimes, flowers are unisexual, by reduction(Odina). Flowers have a cupular hypogynous intrastaminal disc . CALYX: They are 3-5, free and imbricate. COROLLA: They are as many as sepals(3-5),free, imbricate. Stamens 10 in two whorls(Buchanania) 5 in Rhus; In Mangifera out of 5 stamens, only 1 is perfect and fertile; in Anacardium out of 7-10 stamens, only 1 is perfect and fertile. Stamens arising from the rim of an annular intrastaminal disc; anthers 2-celled.

4. ANDROECIUM: Stamens 10 in two whorls( Buchanania ) 5 in Rhus; In Mangifera out of 5 stamens, only 1 is perfect and fertile; in Anacardium out of 7-10 stamens, only 1 is perfect and fertile. Stamens arising from the rim of an annular intrastaminal disc; anthers 2-celled . GYNOECIUM : They are 1-5, united, ovary superior, 1-5 locular, ovule one in each loculus; pendulous or erect, raphe dorsal, placentation axile or parietal, style 1 usually (often 2-6); stigmas generally as many as carpels, ovules anatropous , Lateral style, FRUIT: It is a drupe usually with a resinous mesocarp. SEEDS: It has exendospermous with curved embryo . POLLINATION : Entomophilous FLORAL FORMULA:

5. PRIMITIVE CHARACTERS Plants mostly trees and shrubs. Leaves alternate and simple in most genera. Flowers hypogynous, hermaphrodite and Actinomorphic. Sepals and petals free. Stamens free and bithecous. ADVANCED CHARACTERS Leaves compound in some species. Flowers small inconspicuous and arranged in distinct inflorescence. Flowers unisexual in Rhus, Pistacia. Petals absent in Pistacia. Gynoecium monocarpellary in many genera Mangifera, Anacardium . Fruit drupe or nut.

6. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE Many plants yield edible fruits such as Mangifera indica (mango), Anacardium occidentale (Cashew-nut), Buchanania lanzan (Chironji), Harpephyllum caffrum (Kaffir plum), Pistacia vera (pistachio-nuts). Pistacia lentiscus (mastic tree) yields a mastic resin used in chewing gums, alcoholic beverages etc. Many species of Rhus and Semecarpus yield resins and varnishe Lannea coromandelica bark provide gum. Schinopsis lorentzii and bark of Lannea coromandelica are used in tanning industry

7. Insect galls on the branches and leaves of various species of Rhus, Pistacia are used in manufacture of ink. Semecarpus anacardium (Dhobis-nut) fruits provide black ink used for dyeing textiles and marking cotton clothes. Rhus toxicodendron, R. quercifolia etc . are skin irritants . Continus coggyria, Rhus typhina and Spondias pinnata are ornamental plants . The wood of Mangifera is useful. COMMON PLANTS OF THIS FAMILY Anacardium occidentale (cashew nut) Mangifera indica (aam) Pistacia vera (pista) Rhus vernicifera (varnish tree)

8. Mangifera indica (The mango, “Aam ”) HABIT: A large evergreen. ROOT: Tap root, deep and branched STEM: Woody, aerial, erect, branched, cylindrical, solid, lower portion is covered with the bark resin canals present in wood. LEAF: Simple, alternate, exstipulate, petiolate , glabrous, ovate-lanceolate or oblong, entire, acute, swollen petiole at the base, long, shining, green, unicostate reticulate. INFLORESCENCE: Terminal panicle. FLOWER: Bracteate, pedicellate, complete, bisexual, actinomorphic, pentamerous, hypogynous, cyclic, small, yellowish green; flowers are polygamous. CALYX: Sepals 5. gamosepalous, ovate deciduous, imbricate, white or cremish colored; COROLLA: Petals five, polypetalous, white or cremish with yellowish hue at base, imbricate. A fleshy, five-lobed disc is present between stamens and petals.

9. ANDROECIUM: Stamens 5, polyandrous, antisepalous; only one stamen is fertile, remaining 4 are reduced to stameninodes; stamens arise from the edge of an interestaminal disc; filaments long; anthers dithecous, dorsifixed or versatile, introrse, dehiscence by longitudinal slits. GYNOECIUM: Tricarpellary syncarpous , only one carpel functional , ovary superior, unilocular one ovule in the loculus; marginal placentation; ovule pendulous from a based funicle; style short and lateral; stigma lobed. A hypogynous 5-6 lobed disc is present. FRUIT : A fleshy large drupe with luscious mesocarp. SEED: Large, non-endospermic, cotyledons thick . FLORAL FORMULA:

10. GRAMINEAE

11. Poaceae or Gramineae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants known as grasses, commonly referred to collectively as grass. Poaceae includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and cultivated lawns and pasture . It contains 600 genera and 10,000 species. The family is cosmopolitan being distributed almost throughout the world. HABIT : Mostly the plants are annual, biennial or perennial herbs or shrubs. The largest woody species are the bamboos, which may grow to more than 100 feet in height. ROOT : Generally adventitious, fibrous, possess rhizomes STEM : The stem may be erect, prostrate or even creeping. Usually fistular (hollow), rarely solid (e.g., Zea, Saccharum , etc.). The internodes are long and nodes are conspicuous. In many grasses the runners and suckers are also developed. LEAVES : Leaves are alternate, simple, distichous, exstipulate, sessile, ligulate, parallel veined. INFLORESCENCE : The inflorescence is somewhat complex in this family. The inflorescence is composed of several to many spikelets, which are combined in various manners on a main axis called the rachis. Some are in compound spikes (e.g., in wheat), others are in racemes (e.g., in Festuca), while some are in panicles (e.g., in Avena). Each spikelet may bear one to several florets (flowers) attached to a central stalk known as rachilla.

12. FLOWER: Sessile , bracteate (the bracts are represented by lemma and palea), hermaphrodite or unisexual, zygomorphic, hypogynous, irregular. PERIANTH: Sometimes absent or represented by two or rarely three ( Bambusa ) minute, membranous scale like lodicules (here the perianth leaves are known as lodicules). ANDROECIUM: Usually three stamens, sometimes six, e.g., in Oryza, Bambusa , etc., and sometimes reduced to two or one, the stamens are with free, long slender filaments and versatile anthers. Anthers two-celled, dehisce longitudinally . GYNOECIUM: One carpel (monocarpellary) (though the pistil is tricarpellary but only one carpel is functional, syncarpous); unilocular ovary, superior, single ovuled (anatropous ovule); style short, usually two, stigma usually two arise from the carpellary wall, feathery. In maize the style is long and silky; placentation basal. FRUIT: Usually caryopsis (pericarp completely united with the seed coat), rarely a nut or berry (e.g., in Bambusa). In Dendrocalamus it is a nut. SEEDS: Endospermic (albuminous). POLLINATION: Usually anemophilous (wind pollination), cross pollination, may also take place.

13. PRIMITIVE CHARACTERS Arboreal habit of some members. All florelets in a spikelet are fertile. Glumes persistent. Herbaceous and leafy lemmas. Three stigmas. Simple, alternate leaves. hypogynous bisexual flowers. Endospermic seeds. ADVANCED CHARACTERS Herbaceous annuals and perennials. Exstipulate leaves. Flowers arranged in distinct inflorescence. Small inconspicuous, zygomorphic flowers. Perianth represented by lodicules. Stamens reduced to 3. Small seeds. Caryopsis fruit.

14. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE Wheat, ( Triticum Vulgare), rice( Oryza Sativa), maize( Zeamays ), bajra( Pennisetum typhoides ) , jowar ( Sorghum vulgare ), barley( Hordeum vulgare ), oats( jai; Avena sativa), ragi ( Eleusine coracana , rye( Secale cereale ) are important grain crops. Sugarcane( Saccharum officinale ) yields sugar. Bambusa, Dendrocalamus yields bamboos. In China, paper pulp is made out of bamboos. Young green shoots of the bamboo plant are eaten and made into pickles. Bamboo seeds are also eaten. A white silicious substance present near the joints of the stem( tabasnir )is used medicinally. Valuable perfumery oils are obtained from Andropogon odoratus ( ginger grass), Cymbopogon nardus ( citronella grass), C.citronella ( lemon grass), C.martini ( geranium oil grass). Fibres are extracted from the leaves of Saccharum munja ( munj ) used in making chairs,tables , baskets, screen and lining for walls. Eulaliopsis is also used in making paper in India and Pakistan.

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