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Family palmae

The document summarizes key information about the palm family (Palmae/Arecaceae). It discusses the systematic position, distribution, vegetative and floral characteristics, economic importance, and examples of common palm plants. Some key points are: - The palm family includes over 3000 species found in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions worldwide. - Palms exhibit a wide range of growth habits from shrubs to large trees. They have unbranched stems, terminal clusters of large leaves, and fibrous root systems. - Flowers are usually unisexual, trimerous and borne on large branched inflorescences. Fruits vary from berries to drupes.

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Family Palmae / Arecaceae(palm family)
Systematic Position Kingdom – plantae Class – monocotyledonae Series – calycinae Family – palmae / arecacae Order - arecales
Distribution  Family commonly known as palm family  217 genera and 3000 species in world  28 genera and 95 species reported from india  Tropic, subtropical and in warm temperate region
Vegetative Character Habit – Shrubs , trees or wines(Eg- Calamus) . Unbranched , slender to stout stem . Short to over 30m tall .terminal cluster of leaves Root – fibrous and adventitious roots arise from base of stem Stem – aerial , erect , stout , pillar like , Unbranched. . cover by persistent leaf basis . With a terminal cluster of leaves (Eg- Cocus , Phoenix)
 Leaf – compound , palmate(fan palm) , pinnate(feather palm) . Large , petiolate , sheathing leaf base , persistent . Parallel venation . Ochreate , stipulate(e.g. - Calamus) . Ligulat leaf(e.g. - Thrinax)
Floral Character  Inflorescence – large , much branched . Paniculate (Eg- Daemonorops) or spadix (Eg- Phoenix) . Boat shaped wood spathes . Monoecious/dioecious plant Bisexual flower Flower – ebracteate , sessile , actinomorphic , unisexual and monocious. some time dioecious (Eg- Phoenix), rarely bisexual(Eg- Livistoma) . Trimerous , hypogynous Perianth- tepals 6 (free or united) in 2 whorl of 3 each(3+3)
 Androecium – in staminate / bisexual flower . 6 stamen(3+3) (Eg- Phoenix)position against tepal. . Short filaments , distinct . Anther dithecous , basifixed or dorsi fixed introse. . Dehise by vertical slit  Staminodes and pistillodes – pistilodes present in  center of each male flower . Staminodes may present in female flower(Eg- Phytelephas)  Gynoecium – in pistillate or bisexual flower . Tricarpellary , syncarpous/apocarpous , ovary superior . 3 locular with single anatropous ovule in each locule .axile placentation , style short , stigma 3 sessile  Fruit and seeds – berry with fleshy exocarp (Eg- Phoenix)  or drupe with fibrous epicarp(Eg- Cocos)
 Pollination and dispersal – anemophilous . Protendrous flower . Dispersal of fruit either by animal or water(Eg- Cocos)  Floral formula -
Advanced characters: 1. Small herbaceous forms are also present. 2. Leaves are compound and exstipulate. 3. Inflorescence is a spadix. 4. Perianth is present. 5. Flowers are usually unisexual (Phoenix, Cocos). 6. Flowers trimerous. 7. Stamens epiphyllous. 8. Gynoecium tricarpellary, syncarpous rarely unilocular. 9. Style very short or absent. 10. Axile placentation.  primitive characters: 1. Mostly plants are trees. 2. Leaves are spirally arranged. 3. Flowers are actinomorphic, hypogynous and hermaphrodite. 4. Gynoecium is apocarpous (Phoenix, Rhapis). 5. Ovary superior.
Economic Importance 1.Food:  Pith of Metroxylon rumphii and M. leave (Sago palm) yield sago of commerce. .The sap of Borassus yields a sugar, which on fermentation gives alcoholic drink “Toddy”.  Sago used as an article of diet.  Fruits of Phoenix dactylifera are very delicious and eaten throughout the Arab world.  The nuts of Areca catechu serve as a asteringent and used with betel leaves.  seeds of Areca catechu are sliced and eaten with paan.  The milk of Cocos nucifera makes a refreshing drink, endosperm is eaten raw and stored when dry. 2. Medicinal:  Tender leaves of Calamus travancoricus are given in bilousness, worms and dyspepsia.
3. Fibres:  Mesocarps of the drupes of Coconut are extensively used for stuffing pillows and sofa sets.  The cane of commerce is obtained from Calamus tenuis and C. rotang and are used for making mats, baskets and other furniture.  Borassus flabellifer – yields palmyra fibres which are used to prepare brushes and brooms. The leaves are used in the manufacture of hand fans, umbrellas, baskets and mats. 4.Wax and oil:  Wax is obtained from the leaves of Copernicia cerifera and Ceroxylon andicola. The wax is used in making gramophone records, candles and models.  Coconut oil is obtained from the Cocos nucifera and is used as hair oil, in soap industry and also for cooking.
5. timber  Dense stem wood of several palm is used as timber  6 sacred writing material  Narrow strips of Coryphe umbraculifera used for sacred writing by ancient hindus 6.Ornamental Sabal minor , Caryota urens , Pritichardia pacifica
Systematics and Phylogeny(affinities)  Palmae placed under series calycinae by bentham and hooker, order principes by engler and prantl . Order palmales by Hutchinson and order arecales by takhtajan  Rendle placed the family together with the Araceae under Spadiciflorae due to unisexual flowers and occurrence of spadix.  Hutchinson (1959) traces the origin of Palms from Liliflorean stock directly from Liliaceae through Dracaena-Cordyline. Erdtman also reports similar pollen structure of Palms and Dracaena.  Aceae Palm is closely related to Liliaceae in palm-like habit of Yucca, Dracaena of Liliaceae, perianth segments, stamens in two whorls, tricarpellary, syncarpous ovary, and structure of pollen grains (Dracaena)
Common plants of the family:  1. Areca catechu (H. Supari; Betelnut palm): Graceful single stemmed palm.  2. Caryota urens (Fish-tail palm): Toddy is tapped from its stem.  3. Corypha umbraculifera (Talipot palm): Planted in gardens.  4. Cocos nucifera (H. Nariyal): a tall palm, widespread along sea shore in tropics and sub-tropics.  5. Calamus tenuis and C. rotang (H. Bent): climbing palm.  6. Metroxylon: Fruits take 3 years to mature and pith yields ‘sago’.  7. Nipa fruitcans (Water coconut): palm with delicate round leaves used as cigarette paper; stemless palm of Sunderbans.  8. Phoenix dactylifera (Date palm): tall palm with rough trunk due to persistent leaf bases; fruits are delicious.
Phoenix Sylvestris (date palm)  Habit : tree  Root : adventitious  Stem : aerial ,woody , erect, cylindrical, rough, cover with persistent leaf base , unbranched , solid , brown.  leaves : Forming a dense terminal crown, exstipulate, compound, unipennate , petiolate, glabrous.  Leaflets: Sub-sessile, lanceolate, entire, acute, unicostate parallel venation.  Inflorescence: Spadix-branched, erect, long, enclosed by spathe.  Flower: Small, actinomorphic, hypogynous, unisexual, bracteate, incomplete.
 Male Flower: Bracteate, sessile, incomplete, numerous, angular, actinomorphic, hypogynous, trimerous.  Perianth: Tepals 6, in two whorls of 3 each, white, angular, free and inferior.  Androecium: Stamens 6 , in two whorls of 3 each, polyandrous, filament short; anthers dithecous , dorsifixed , introrse.  Gynoecium: Absent.  Female flower: Bracteate, sessile, incomplete, actinomorphic, hypogynous, trimerous.  Perianth: As in male flower.  Androecium: Absent.  Gynoecium: Tricarpellary, syncarpous, ovary superior, one ovule in each carpel; style absent; stigma hooked.  Fruit: One seeded berry, orange yellow.  Seed: Hard and endospermic.
 Floral formula
Cocos Nucifera Habit - Unbranched tree and a crown of large leaves. grows up to 60 to 100 feet. Root - Fibrous and adventitious root system. Stem - Aerial, erect, unbranched and columnar, having prominent scars of leaf bases. Short Internodes. Leaf - Exstipulate, petiolate, sheathing leaf base, spiral and pinnately compound , parallel venation. Inflorescence - Large, lateral arising from the axils of leaves, compound spadix, enclosed by large woody bract called spathe. Protandrous flowers
Male flower - Bracteate, ebracteolate, sessile, staminate, incomplete, trimerous, actinomorphic and pistillodes are present. Perianth - Tepals 6 arranged in two whorls of three each, persistent and polyphyllous , valvate aestivation . Androecium - Stamens 6 arranged in two whorls of three each and antiphyllous. Anthers are dithecous, basifixed, introrse and dehiscing longitudinally. Gynoecium - Absent but pistillode is present. Female flower - Bracteate, ebracteolate, sessile, pistillate, incomplete, trimerous, actinomorphic and hypogynous. Perianth - Tepals 6 arranged in two whorls of three each, persistent, and polyphyllous, imbricate aestivation . Androecium - Absent but staminodes are present.
 Gynoecium - Ovary superior, tricarpellary and syncarpous. Ovary trilocular with single ovule , axile placentation. Style is absent and 3 stigmas .  Fruit - Fibrous drupe with stony endocarp.  Seed - With small embryo and abundant endosperm.  Floral formula
Coco le Mer ( Lodoicea maldivica)  Largest seed in the world  Up to 30kg  Endangered  Two population remain  Overharvested for jewelry , boxes , tourist novelty  Sale is restricted  Native only two island
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