Cruciferae

Overview of Cruciferae

Habit:

  • These are annual herbs.

Leaves:

  • The leaves are radical and cauline, simple, alternate, often lobed, or rarely pinnately compound.

Inflorescence:

  • A raceme (corymbose towards the top).

Flowers:

  • The flowers are regular and cruciform, bisexual, and completely hypogynous.

Calyx:

  • They are sepals, 2+2, which are free, and in two whorls.

Corolla:

  • There are four petals, free, in one whorl. They alternate with the sepals. They are cruciform. Each petal has a distinct limb and claw.

Androecium:

  • There are six stamens in two whorls, two short, outer ones and four long, inner ones (tetradynamous).

Gynoecium:

  • There are two syncarpous carpels. The ovary is superior, at first one-celled, but later two-celled owing to the development of a false septum. There are often many ovules in each cell, sometimes only two. They are anatropous or campylotropous. The placentation is parietal.

Fruit:

  • The fruit is a long, narrow siliqua or a short, broad silicula.

Seeds:

  • These are exalbuminous. The embryo is curved. The seeds remain attached to a wiry framework, called the replum, which surrounds the fruit.

Floral formula:

Floral formula
Floral diagram of Cruciferae
Fig.1: Floral diagram of Cruciferae

Examples: Black mustard (Brassica nigra).

Make sure you also check our other amazing Article on : Characteristics of Compositae
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