Rosaceae (Rose family) & Solanaceae (Potato family)

Rosaceae (Rose family) & Solanaceae (Potato family)

1.ROSACEAE (Rose family).

This family has about 100 genera and 2000 species. It is distributed all over the world. About 29 genera and 213 species of this family are present in Pakistan.

Familiar Plants

There are following familiar plants of this family:

➤ Pyrus: pear 

➤ Rosa: rose

➤ Malus: apple

➤ Fragaria: strawberry

Vegetative Characters

1. Plants are tree shrubs and herbs.

2. The stems of shrubby plants have spines.

3. The leaves are alternate, rarely opposite. They may be simple or compound. They have paired stipules. These stipules may be adnate  to the petiole. Spines may be preset on the rachis.

Floral Characters

1. Inflorescence: Inflorescence is variable. It may be racemose or cymose clusters. Some flowers are solitary.

2. Flower: The flowers are mostly bisexual and actinomorphic. Mostly they are perigynous. The flowers are showy and scented.

3. Calyx: Sepals are 5, rarely 4. They are united at the base…

4. Corolla: Petals are 5 or multiple of 5. These petals are free, large, showy and rosaceous.

5. Androecium: They have numerous stamens. Some flowers have only 5 to 10 stamens.

6. Gynoecium: Carpels may be 1 to numerous. Carpels may be separate or

united. Ovary generally superior, sometimes, it is inferior. There are two type

of placentation in rose family:

➤ Basal: When carpel is single or apocarpous (separate), the placentation is basal.

➤ Axile: When there are many and syncarpous (fused) carpels, the placentation is axile.

 2. Solanaceae (Potato family)

This family has about 90 genera and 2000 species. These plants are distributed in temperate and tropical areas. 14 gemera and 52 species of this family are present in Pakistan.
Familiar Plants
➤ Solanum tubersum: potato
➤ Nocotiana tobacum: Tobacco
➤ Lycopersicum esculentum: Tomato

➤ Capsicum frutescens: Red pepper

Vegetative Characters

1. This family contains herbs, shrubs, sometimes trees and vines.
2. Stem is hairy or prickly.
3. Leaves are alternate and rarely opposite. The leave simple, petiolate, grain and rarely sessile (without petiole).

Floral Characters

1. Inflorescence: They form a typical axillary cyme" or combination of cymes Sometimes they form helicoids or axillary umbellate cymes.

2. Flowers: Flowers are mostly bisexual. They are usually actinomorphic weakly zygomorphic, hypogynous and usually pentamerous.

3. Calyx: They have 5 united, persistent sepals.

4. Corolla: They have 5 petals. Corolla may be rotate to tubular.

5. Androecium: Androecium is didynamous i. e. they are arranged in two whorls. Each whorl has 2 stamens.

6. Gynoecium: They have compound pistil. Each pistil has two united carpels. Ovary is superior and obliquely placed. It is bilocular or it becomes imperfectly 4 locular by the formation of false septum. The placentation is axile.