Cruciferae A. L. Jussieu

habit

woody plants, herbaceous plants

important diagnostics

spiny stems or leaves

hairs

glandular, stellate, 2-armed or T-shaped, non-glandular, peltate or scale-like

distribution

African, Asian, Australian and Oceanian, European, North American, South American

leaf: position

opposite or verticillate, alternate

leaf: nature

not compound, compound, pinnately compound

leaf: venation

pinnate or hardly visible in leaves or leaflets., palmate in leaves or leaflets

margin

with entire margin, lobed or divided, dentate

leaf: stipules

absent

inflorescence

raceme, compound, sympodial or monopodial

flower: sexuality

bisexual

flower: symmetry

actinomorphic, zygomorphic or irregular

flower: receptacle

small

flower: disc

present

flower: perianth number

4, 7+

flower: perianth nature

perianth of similar segments, perianth of calyx and corolla

flower: sepal number

4

flower: sepal position

all free from one another

flower: sepal nature

sepals imbricate or contorted

flower: petal number

0, 4

flower: petal position

all free from one another, petals imbricate

flower: petal nature

petals contorted

stamen: number

2, 4, 6, 11+

stamen: anthers

dorsifixed or ventrifixed, basifixed, introrse, extrorse, opening by longitudinal slits, 1-locular at anthesis

stamen: filaments

free from the corolla, not connate, connate into separate bundles

pistil: gynophore

present

pistil: style

styles absent, stigmas sessile, style 1, or styles more or less connate

pistil: carpel

2

pistil: ovary

1-locular, 2-locular

pistil: ovule

1 in each loculus, 2 in each loculus, 3+ in each loculus

pistil

ovules parietal, carpels connate

fruit: type

a capsule, a nut

fruit: seed

1 seed, 2 seeds, 3+ seeds

seed: embryo

curved

seed: cotyledons

folded or crumpled

seed: endosperm

seeds without endosperm

 

 

Related Links (opens in a new window)

Treatments in Other Floras @ www.efloras.org Chinese Plant Names Interactive Keys by Xiangying Wen Other Databases W3TROPICOS IPNI