Habitat: Found in temperate regions of North and South America, as well as in some parts of Africa and Australia. They often thrive in moist, shady areas such as woodlands, meadows, and stream banks.
2. Succulent Leaves: Simple, alternate or opposite leaves are fleshy and retain water.
3. Flowers: Bisexual, radially symmetrical flowers. Usually small with five petals and two sepals.
4. Fruits & Seeds: Small, capsule-like fruits that contain the seeds. Seeds have oil-filled appendage used as food by ants.
5. Edibility: Some species, such as Claytonia perfoliata (miner’s lettuce), are edible and have a mild flavor. Miner’s lettuce, in particular, is known for its high content of vitamin C and other nutrients.
Click here to view the Jepson eFlora key to the family
The Fabaceae, the legume, pea, or bean family, is one of the largest plant families. Here are some key characteristics:
Nitrogen Fixation: Plants have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules. This allows them to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use for growth, making them important for soil fertility.
Compound Leaves: Each leaf is composed of multiple leaflets arranged along a central stalk called a rachis.
Flower Structure: Typically bilaterally symmetrical and consist of five petals: an uppermost banner petal, two lateral wings, and two lower petals fused together to form a boat-shaped structure called the keel.
Fruit Type: Pods, legumes, capsules, and samaras.
Cultural Importance: Cultivated for food, forage, timber, and other purposes. Examples include beans, peas, lentils, soybeans, alfalfa, clover, and peanuts.
Diversity: One of the largest families of flowering plants, comprising over 19,000 species distributed worldwide. This diversity includes annual and perennial herbs, shrubs, and trees adapted to a wide range of habitats, from tropical rainforests to arid deserts.
Environmental Role: Due to their ability to fix nitrogen, plants play a crucial role in ecological succession, soil improvement, and ecosystem stability. They are often used in agroforestry, crop rotation, and soil conservation practices to enhance soil fertility and productivity.
The Loasaceae family, the Loasa or stickleaf family, is characterized by:
Hairs: Stinging or glandular hairs on their stems and leaves.
Leaves: Simple, usually lobed, and alternately arranged along the stems.
Flowers: Colorful and showy flowers, varying in color, including shades of yellow, orange, and red, often with an inferior ovary.
Petals: Flowers in this family typically have five petals.
Habit: Herbs, shrubs or trees.
Ecological Diversity: Loasaceae plants inhabit a wide range of ecosystems, from deserts to temperate forests, and can be found in both North and South America.
Spiral Inflorescence: The flowers of some species are arranged in a spiral pattern along the stem, creating an attractive inflorescence.
Heterostyly: Some species in the Loasaceae family exhibit heterostyly, a reproductive mechanism where flowers with different lengths of styles and stamens are present in the same species. This promotes cross-pollination and increases genetic diversity.
Cultural Uses: Certain members of the Loasaceae family have been used in traditional medicine for various purposes, such as treating skin conditions or respiratory ailments.
Xerophytic Adaptations: Many species in this family have adaptations for surviving in arid environments, such as succulent leaves or deep root systems.
The Iridaceae, the iris family, contains these characteristics:
Flowers: Typically characterized by having six tepals (petals and sepals that look alike) arranged in two whorls of three. The flowers are often showy and have a unique structure that attracts pollinators. All but one genera (Isophysis) have inferior ovaries.
Leaves: Usually long, narrow, and sword-shaped. They may be basal or alternate along the stem.
Inflorescence: The flowers are often clustered in spikes or umbels, sometimes solitary.
Root System: Many have rhizomes or corms.
Diversity: The family is highly diverse, containing numerous genera and species distributed across the globe, especially in temperate and subtropical regions. Some well-known genera include Iris, Crocus, Gladiolus, and Sisyrinchium.
Habitat: Found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands, from dry, arid environments to moist, marshy areas.
Cultural Importance: Many species are cultivated for their ornamental value. Crocus species are cultivated for saffron, a valuable spice derived from the stigmas of Crocus sativus flowers.
Chemical Composition: Some contain compounds with pharmaceutical properties. For example, compounds found in saffron have been studied for their potential antioxidant, anticancer, and antidepressant effects.
Pollination: Flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects, birds, and sometimes even mammals. Some have specialized structures, colors, and fragrances to attract specific pollinators.
Reproductive Strategy: Members of the Iridaceae family reproduce both sexually, through seeds, and asexually, through vegetative propagation via rhizomes or corms. This reproductive versatility contributes to their ability to colonize diverse habitats and environments.
