Vascular plant systematics

1. SUBCLASS ALISMATIDAE

2. Subclass 2. Alismatidae
Superorder 1. Acoranae
Order Acorales
Family Acoraceae
Superorder 2. Aranae
Arales
Araceae
Superorder 3. Alismatanae
Alismatales
Butomaceae
Alismataceae
Hydrocharitaceae
Potamogetonales
Potamogetonaceae

3. Acoraceae Acorus Family
◦ 1 genus, 2 species
◦ North temperate region, Paleotropical, Frigid zone,
temperate, and subtropical, Celebes and New Guinea,
Eastern Asia to Norway approaching the Arctic circle, Central
and Western north America

4. Acoraceae Acorus Family
SALIENT FEATURES:
◦ Marshy herbs with rhizomes
◦ Lacking oxalate crystals
◦ Spadix with0ut spathe
◦ Flowers small, bisexual, tepals 6 in two whorls, stamens in two
whorls, carpels 3, united
◦ Fruit a berry

5. Acoraceae Acorus Family
MAJOR GENERA:
Single genus Acorus with 2 species.

6. Acoraceae Acorus Family
DESCRIPTION:
◦ Aromatic, bears essential oils
◦ Leaves alternate, parallel-veined, mesophyll with oil cells
◦ Inflorescence scapigerous
◦ Flowers small, bisexual, regular
◦ Perianth with 6 tepals in two whorls
◦ Gynoecium with 3, rarely 2 to 4 carpels, ovary superior, placentation
axile
◦ Fruit fleshy, berry, cotyledon 1

7. Acoraceae Acorus Family
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
◦ Rhizomes of A. calamus has ‘Oleum calami’ which is used in
perfumery and medicine

8. Acoraceae Acorus Family
PHYLOGENY:
◦ Earlier included in Araceae
◦ Hutchinson placed it under tribe Acorae
◦ Grayum justified removal of Acorus from Araceae
◦ Dahlgren and Cronquist included the family under Arales,
Takhtajan and Thorne placed it under Acoranae from Aranae
◦ APG II and Apweb placed it under Acorales at the beginning of
monocots

9. Araceae Arum Family
◦ 104 genera, 3,040 species
◦ Mainly in tropical and subtropical regions
◦ Very common in tropical forests and wetlands
◦ Few in temperate regions

10. Araceae Arum Family
SALIENT FEATURES:
◦ Terrestrial or aquatic, erect or climbing, with rhizomes or corms
◦ Large leaves often mucilaginous, spadix with large spathe
◦ Flowers very small
◦ Fruit a berry or utricle

11. Araceae Arum Family
MAJOR GENERA:
◦ Anthurium (900 species)
◦ Philodendron (500)
◦ Arisaema (150)
◦ Amorphophalus (100)
◦ Pothos (55)
◦ Dieffenbachia (40)
◦ Syngonium (30)

12. Araceae Arum Family
DESCRIPTION:
◦ Terrestrial or aquatic, epiphytic or climbing (Pothos and Syngonium),
sometimes free floating (Pistia)
◦ Mucilaginous, raphide crystals of calcium oxalate, has mouth irritant
chemicals
◦ Leaves with sheathing base, alternate, petiolate or sessile, parallel,
pinnate, or palmate venation
◦ Perianth with 4-6 tepals in two whorls
◦ Androecium 1-6 stamens in two whorls
◦ Gynoecium with 2-3 carpels, ovary superior, unilocular, placentation
apical, marginal

13. Acoraceae Acorus Family
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
◦ Horticultural ornamentals (Pothos, Alocasia, Arum, Dieffenbachia,
Monstera, Philodendron, Zantedeschia and Syngonium)
◦ Food (corms and fruits)

14. Acoraceae Acorus Family
PHYLOGENY:
◦ Monophyletic
◦ APG II and Apweb place Acoraceae under separate order.

15. Butomaceae Flowering rush Family
◦ 1 genus, single species Butomus umbellatus
◦ North temperate region, widespread in Asia and Europe,
naturalized in tropical America.

16. Butomaceae Flowering rush Family
SALIENT FEATURES:
◦ Aquatic or marsh plants
◦ Linear triquetrous leaves
◦ Outer tinged green
◦ Fruit etaerio of follicles

17. Butomaceae Flowering rush Family
DESCRIPTION:
◦ Secretory cavities present, with latex
◦ Leaves parallel-veined
◦ Inflorescence umbellate cymes
◦ Flowers medium-sized, on long pedicels, trimerous, regular, bisexual
◦ Perianth with 6 tepals
◦ Androecium 9 stamens
◦ Gynoecium 6 carpels

18. Butomaceae Flowering rush Family
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
◦ Ornamental, rhizomes edible when baked

19. Butomaceae Flowering rush Family
PHYLOGENY:
◦ Earlier placed under Alismaceae by Bentham and Hooker
◦ Forms one aquatic clade together with Hydrocharitaceae and
Alismataceae as supported by apomorphies of perianth
differentiated into sepals and petals, stamens more than six and
carpels more than three, and the ovules scattered over the inner
surface pf locules (Judd, et al., 2002)

20. alismataceae Water Plantain Family
◦ 12 genera, 80 species
◦ Throughout the world

21. alismataceae Water Plantain Family
SALIENT FEATURES:
◦ Aquatic or marsh habitat with laticifers
◦ Leaves with well developed blade
◦ Fruit an etaerio of achenes, embryo curved

22. alismataceae Water Plantain Family
MAJOR GENERA:
◦ Echinodorus (35 species)
◦ Sagittaria (25 species)
◦ Alisma (9 species)
◦ Burnatia (3 species)

23. alismataceae Water Plantain Family
DESCRIPTION:
◦ With basal leaves, rhizomatous, with white latex
◦ Root xylem with vessels, stem and leaves have none
◦ Leaves submerged and emergent, alternate, pinnately or palmately
veined with axillary scales
◦ Inflorescence paniculate, cymose or racemose, sometimes
umbellate or solitary

24. alismataceae Water Plantain Family
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
◦ Edible corms of Sagittaria sagittifolia
◦ Poolside plants and aquarium plants in the genera of Sagittaria,
Alisma, Echinodorus

25. alismataceae Water Plantain Family
PHYLOGENY:
◦ Redefined to shift all genera with laticifers, petioled leaves with
expanded blades, seeds curved with embryos including other
genera formerly included under Butomaceae
◦ Butomaceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Alismataceae form one clade
of Alismatales, supported by the apomorhpies of perianth
differentiated into sepals and petals, stamens more than six and
carpels more than three, with ovules scattered over inner surface
of locules

26. hydrocharitaceae Tape Grass Family
◦ 18 genera, 110 species
◦ Mostly in tropical and subtropical regions

27. hydrocharitaceae Tape Grass Family
SALIENT FEATURES:
◦ Freshwater or marine herbs, leaves submerged, usually ribbon-
like
◦ Flowers subtended by bracts
◦ Fruit a capsule or a berry

28. hydrocharitaceae Tape Grass Family
MAJOR GENERA:
◦ Ottelia (32 species)
◦ Najas (32 species)
◦ Elodia (12 species)
◦ Vallisneria (8 species)
◦ Hydrocharis (6 species)
◦ Halophila (4 species)
◦ Hydrilla (1 species)

29. hydrocharitaceae Tape Grass Family
DESCRIPTION:
◦ Submerged or partly emergent, roots in mu or unattached
◦ Leaves alternate, opposite, or whorled
◦ Solitary flower or short cymes subtended by two often connate
bracts
◦ Bisexual or unisexual flowers
◦ Perianth with distinct sepals and petals

30. hydrocharitaceae Tape Grass Family
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
◦ Aquarium plants
◦ Hydrilla verticillata, Elodea Canadensis have become troublesome
weeds

31. hydrocharitaceae Tape Grass Family
PHYLOGENY:
◦ Family is divided into 3 to 5 subfamilies, forms a well0defined
lineage
◦ Apweb recognizes 7 well defined groups within Hydrocharitaceae
as established by the studies of Les et al., (1997)

32. potamogetonaceae Pondweed Family
◦ 3 genera, 90 species
◦ Distributed throughout the world, in ponds, lakes, and ditches

33. potamogetonaceae Pondweed Family
SALIENT FEATURES:
◦ Aquatic, leaves submerged or floating
◦ Flowers in spike
◦ Fruit etaerio of achenes

34. potamogetonaceae Pondweed Family
MAJOR GENERA:
◦ Potamogeton (83 species)
◦ Coleogeton (6 species)
◦ Groelandia (1 species)

35. potamogetonaceae Pondweed Family
DESCRIPTION:
◦ Perennial, rarely annual, with rhizomes, reduced vascular bundles,
with air cavities
◦ Leaves with sheathing at base , alternate or opposite, parallel venation,
with small scales at nodes inner to sheath
◦ Inflorescence terminal or axillary spike, long peduncle raised above
water surface
◦ Flowers regular, bisexual
◦ Perianth 4 tepals , usually clawed

36. potamogetonaceae Pondweed Family
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
◦ Little economic importance but a source of food for aquatic life
◦ Fleshy starchy rootstocks sometimes eaten

37. potamogetonaceae Pondweed Family
PHYLOGENY:
◦ Affinities not clear
◦ Sometimes interpreted to include Ruppia and/ or Zannichellia

38. Thank you!