Alismataceae -- the arrowhead or water-plantain family (4/29-30; cosmopolitan): Alismataceae -- the arrowhead or water-plantain family (4/29-30; cosmopolitan) Alismatanae Plants flowering, synoecious or monoecious (rarely dioecious); milky sap Habit aquatic herbs Leaves simple; mostly basal with or without a well developed blade (sometimes leaves dimorphic); parallel-veined Inflorescences cymes (can appear racemose or paniculate), terminal Flowers actinomorphic, perfect or imperfect, hypogynous; gynoecium borne on a well developed convex receptacle and in most genera the carpels are spirally arranged (occasionally in whorls) Calyx 3 sepals, distinct Corolla 3 petals, distinct, ephemeral Androecium 6-many stamens; distinct Gynoecium superior; 6-many distinct carpels; 1 locule/carpel; 1 ovule/locule, basal placentation; 1 short style with inconspicuous stigma Fruit aggregate of achenes [Floral formula: Ca 3 Co 3 A 6- G 6- ]


Potamogetonaceae -- the pondweed family (1/100; cosmopolitan): Potamogetonaceae -- the pondweed family (1/100; cosmopolitan) Alismatanae Plants flowering, bisexual flowers Habit aquatic herbs Leaves alternate (rarely opposite or whorled), simple, entire, sheathing with stipule-like ligules: floating or submersed leaves Inflorescences spike Flowers actinomorphic, perfect, hypogynous Perianth 4 tepals, distinct, inconspicuous Androecium 4 stamens; distinct, opposite the tepals and basally adnate to them; anthers sessile Gynoecium superior; 4 distinct carpels; 1 locule/carpel; ovule/locule, marginal placentation; 1 short style or sessile stigma Fruit achene or drupe [Floral formula: T 4 A 4 G 4 ]


Araceae -- the arum family (108/2830; cosmopoliton, mostly in tropics and subtropics): Araceae -- the arum family (108/2830; cosmopoliton, mostly in tropics and subtropics) Aranae Plants flowering, bisexual or monoecious Habit herbs, shrubs or vines; terrestrial, aquatic, or semi-epiphytic; vining members may be ± woody; adventitious roots especially evident Leaves alternate; simple to pinnately or palmately lobed or compound; blades with pinnate and reticulate venation and usually long petiole that is sheathing to some degree; sometimes a bladeless deciduous sheathing leaf (prophyll) basally encloses each foliage leaf Inflorescences fleshy spike, the spadix, surrounded or subtended by a conspicuous bract called a spathe (reduced in floating aquatics) Flowers small, actinomorphic, perfect (imperfect), hypogynous Perianth 0, 4 or 6 tepals distinct or connate Androecium 1-6 (-12) stamens distinct or connate; filaments short or anthers sessile Gynoecium superior (appears inferior when sunken into flesh of spadix); 1 pistil with 1- many connate carpels; 1-many locules; 1-many ovules/locule, placentation various; stigma sessile Fruit berry (or occasionally utricle, drupe, or nutlike) [Floral formula: T 0 or 4-6 A 4-10 G 2-4 ]


Liliaceae -- the lily family (sensu stricto) (22/485; Mostly Northern Hemisphere, greatest diversity in Southeast Asia): Liliaceae -- the lily family (sensu stricto) (22/485; Mostly Northern Hemisphere, greatest diversity in Southeast Asia) Lilianae I Plants flowering, bisexual Habit herbs; sometimes with bulbs or rhizomes Leaves alternate, whorled or all basal (opposite); simple usually with sheathing bases, sometimes succulent or reduced to scales; parallel venation Inflorescences various, but are borne terminally Flowers actinomorphic to slightly zygomorphic, perfect, hypogynous, hypanthium sometimes present, showy Perianth 6 tepals, often petaloid Androecium 6 stamens distinct; free or adnate to hypanthium; anthers dorsifixed and versatile or basifixed Gynoecium superior; 1 pistil with 3 connate carpels; 3 locules; 1-many ovules/locule, axile placentation; 1 simple style and 3-lobed stigma or 3-branched style with stigmas on style branches Fruit capsule or berry [Floral formula: T 6 A 6 G 3 ]


Trilliaceae -- the trillium family (1/50; mostly Northern Hemisphere): Trilliaceae -- the trillium family (1/50; mostly Northern Hemisphere) Lilianae I Plants flowering, bisexual Habit rhizomatous herbs Leaves whorled (and usually the same number as the sepals); simple, entire, sessile with palmate venation, with primary veins converging, secondary veins pinnate, and higher-order veins forming a distinct reticulum Inflorescences single, terminal flower Flowers actinomorphic, perfect, hypogynous Perianth distinct calyx and corolla, sepals and petals 3 or 4 Androecium 6 (or 8) stamens, distinct Gynoecium superior; 1 pistil with 3-10 connate carpels; ovules numerous in each locule, axile placentation; 3 stigmas Fruit fleshy capsule or berry; seeds arillate (not black) [Floral formula: Ca 3-6 Co 3-6 A 6-16 G 3-8 ]


Dioscoreaceae -- the yam family (5/600+; cosmopolitan in tropical and subtropical regions, esp. in America): Dioscoreaceae -- the yam family (5/600+; cosmopolitan in tropical and subtropical regions, esp. in America) Lilianae II Plants flowering, dioecious or synoecious; sometimes have bulbils in leaf axils Habit herbs, vines with tubers or thick rhizomes Members are mostly vines with alternate (rarely opposite) leaves. Leaves alternate, simple, entire, palmately veined with reticulate venation, often with cordate base, petiole with a pulvinus (swollen area) at both ends Inflorescences racemes, spikes, panicules of cymes borne in the axil of leaves Flowers actinomorphic, usually imperfect, epigynous, small and inconspicuous Perianth 6 tepals, petaloid to ± sepaloid; distinct or basally connate; rotate or campanulate Androecium 6 stamens, 3 sometimes reduced to staminodes or absent; distinct; adnate to perianth (epipetalous) Gynoecium inferior; 1 pistil of 3 connate carpels; 3 locules; 2 ovules/locule, axile placentation; 3 styles and 3 stigmas Fruit capsule, berry or samara and in Dioscorea it is typically three winged [Floral formula: T 6 A 3-6 G 3 ]


Dioscoreaceae -- comments: Dioscoreaceae -- comments Lilianae II Vegetatively this family can look like a dicot, for example Aristolochiaceae or Menispermaceae! How would you tell the family from Aristolochiaceae? The yam and several medicinals come from Dioscorea.


Smilacaceae -- the catbrier family (2/317; tropical and temperate): Smilacaceae -- the catbrier family (2/317; tropical and temperate) beta family Plants flowering, dioecious Habit vines, climbing by tendrils arising from petioles, or erect herbs Leaves alternate, simple, entire to spinose serrate, petiolate with palmate venation, with primary veins converging, secondary veins pinnate, and higher-order veins forming a distinct reticulum Inflorescences determinate, umbellate, terminal or axillary Flowers unisexual, actinomorphic, inconspicuous Perianth 6 tepals, distinct to slightly connate Androecium 6 stamens, distinct, anthers unilocular Gynoecium superior; 1 pistil with 3connate carpels; ovules 1-2 per locule, axile placentation; 3 stigmas Fruit 1-3 seeded berry