1. The Asclepiadaceae family includes 320 genera and 2,000 species that are widely distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. It contains plants that are herbs, shrubs, vines, and rarely trees. 2. The family is characterized by having opposite or whorled leaves, cymose or racemose inflorescences, pentamerous flowers with a fused corolla and stamens, and a syncarpous gynoecium fused to form a disc. 3. Reproduction is through a specialized pollination mechanism involving pollinia and a translator apparatus to facilitate pollen transfer by insects from flower to flower.

1. Wel Come to All B.Sc. II Year Students in LMS
“ANGIOSPERMS SYSTEMATIC, ANATOMY AND
EMBRYOLOGY”
Unit – III- (Asclepiadaceae)
‘Angiosperms Systematic’
DR. SWATI V. PUNDKAR
Assistant Professor
Department of Botany
Shri Shivaji Science College, Amravati
NAAC Accredited ‘A’ Grade

3. Distribution of Asclepiadaceae:
The family Asclepiadaceae is commonly known as ‘Milk weed family’. In includes 320
genera and 2,000 species of world wide distribution, but mostly confined to tropics
and sub-tropics. In India 332 species belonging to 35 genera are found.
Calotropis procera Calotropis gigantea

4. Asclepiadaceae:
Characters of Asclepiadaceae:
Plants herbs, shrubs, mostly twiners and rarely trees;
leaves opposite, simple, entire margin rarely alternate;
inflorescence cymose or racemose; flowers
hermaphrodite, pentamerous; calyx of 5 sepals, imbricate;
petals 5, gamopetalous, corona arising as outgrowth of
petals or stamens; stamens 5, fused with stigmatic disc
forming gynostegium; pollens forming pollinia; carpels
bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovaries and style free, only
stigma fused to form disc, marginal placentation, fruit
follicles.

5. Classification
Bentham and Hooker Engler and Prantl
Division- Phanerogams Division- Phanerogams
Sub-division- Angiospermes Sub-division- Angiospermae
Class- Dicotyledones Class- Dicotyledonae
Sub-class- Gamopetalae Sub-class- Sympetalae
Series- Bicarpellatae Order- Contortae
Order- Gentianales Family- Asclepiadaceae
Family- Asclepiadaceae

6. Common plants of the family:
1. Asclepias (Milk weed) – A red flowered plant.
2. Calotropis procera (H. Aak) – A xerophytic wild shrub.
3. Cryptostegia grandiflora – A large, stout climber.
4. Periploca calophylla – Shrub with coriaceous lanceolate leaves.
5. Gymnema tingens – Twining herb.
6. Marsdenia tenacissima (Rajmahal hemp) – A climbing shrub with very short stem.
7. Hoya longifolia (Wax plant) – A twining epiphyte with waxy leaves and flower.
8. Sarcostemma brevistigma – A wild plant.
9. Sarcolobus globosus – A climber which occurs in Sunderbans.
10-. Hemidesmus indicus- Anabtmui
11. Leptadenia reticulata- Dudhkadi
12. Perguleria daemia – Utranwel
13. Cryptolepis buchnani – Indian rubber twiner
14. Tylophora indica- Anantmul
15. Telosma pollida – Warshadodi

7. A. Vegetative characters:
Habit:
Perennial herbs (Asclepias) or shrubs (Calotropis, Leptadenia), climbers (Cryptostegia, Daemia),
succulent (Stapelia) with latex.
Root:
A deep branched tap root.

8. Stem:
Herbaceous, week and climbing or succulent, woody below (Calotropis), erect, twiner
or climbers (Cryptostegia) cylindrical, rarely hairy and solid, latex present.

9. Leaves:
Simple, petiolate, exstipulate, entire, opposite rarely whorled, waxy; in Dischidia
rafflesiana leaves are modified into pitchers, reduced or absent (Periploca), succulent
or throns or scales.

10. B. Floral characters:
Inflorescence: (1) Cymose and (2) Racemose.
Mostly umbellate cymes (Calotropis) or dichasial cyme ending in monochasial cyme.

11. Flower:
Bracteate or ebracteate, pedicellate, complete, hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, rarely
zygomorphic (Ceropegia), pentamerous, hypogynous.

13. Calyx:
Sepals 5, polysepalous or gamosepalous-fused near the base, quincuncial aestivation,
sometimes valvate.

14. Corolla:
Petals 5, gamopetalous, 5 lobed, twisted aestivation or valvate, corona may be scaly
or hairy out growth from petals – corolline corona in Cryptostegia, Cryptolepis or
form staminal tube i.e. staminal corona in Calotropis and Asciepias.

16. In the typical members of the family the translator consists of two parts:
(1) Corpusculum and
(2) A pair of arms.
The corpusculum is attached to the margin of stigma head between the anthers and the pair of arms is
attached to the pollinia of the adjacent anther halves.
In the members of the sub family Periplocoideae the translator consists of a spoon or funnel- shaped
structure in between each anther, terminating below in a sticky disc. The granular pollen grains form one
half of each of the two adjacent anthers, on maturity, pour into the concave receptacle of the translator.
Certain appendages or horn-like projections are given out from the backs of the anthers, are known as
cuculi, which secrete and store honey. These appendages form a corona known as staminal corona.

17. Gynoecium:- Bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovaries free, superior, enclosed in
staminal tube, ovules many on marginal placentation, each carpel is
unilocular; style 2, free, distinct; stigmas united to form a pentangular
disc with which anthers are fused to form gynostegium.

18. Fruit:
An etaerio of two, often widely divergent follicles.,Generally it is a pair of follicles.
Sometimes there is only one follicle, because of the suppression of the other.
Seed:Many small, compressed with long silky hairs. Usually the seeds are flat, ovate-
oblong and are crowned by a fruit of hairs. These hairs facilitate the dispersal of the
seeds by wind. The embryo is large.

19. Pollination:
Entomophilous, translator mechanism. The pollination takes place strictly by means of
the agency of insects. As an insect visits the flower, the sticky basal disc of translator
turns outwards and adheres to the head of the insect visitor. The whole translator with
its pollinia or pollen contents is carried over by the insect from one flower to another
flower where the pollen grains are deposited on the stigmatic surfaces on the
underside of the stigma-head.

20. Floral formula and Diagram
Br

22. Economic Importance of Asclepiadaceae:
1. Food:
Gymnema lactiferumyields latex which is used as food in Ceylon.
2. Fibres:
Some plants like Daemia extensa, Calotropis procera, C.
gigantea, Marsdenia and Leptadenia etc. yield silky fibres which
axe used for making ropes, mat, stuffing pillows etc.
3. Medicinal:
The source of medicine in the family is latex from which alkaloids
are extracted. The roots of Oxystelma esculentum are specific for
jaundice. Hemidesmus indicus is used in leucorrhoea,
rheumatism and in snake bites. Daemia extensa is used in cough;
asthma and diarrhoea.

23. 4. Rubber:
Cryptostegia grandiflora is a natural source of rubber in India.
5. Poison:
Some species of Asclepias are important as live-stock poison.
The sap of Matelea has been used as an arrow poison.
6. Ornamental:
Asclepias, Cryptostegia, Hoya, Huernia, Ceropegia, Periploca
etc. are cultivated for ornamental purposes.