The document summarizes changes in the classification of the former Liliaceae plant family. It explains that botanists now recognize the Liliaceae as an unnatural grouping and have split it into multiple smaller families based on evidence from DNA studies, biochemistry, and plant morphology. In California, what was once known as the Liliaceae is now recognized as 10 different families belonging to two plant orders - the Asparagales and Liliales orders. Key genera that were reclassified include lilies (Lilium), fritillaries (Fritillaria), brodiaeas (Brodiaea), onions (Allium), agaves (Agave), and yuccas (Yucca). The document provides
* Caryophyllaceae is also known as pink family. Members of this family are well known for ornamental purposes.
* This family is well represented in the British Flora and many species are cultivated as ornamental garden flowers.
* The members of this family are commonly found in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
*Reference - Taxonomy of Angiosperms - Dr. B. P. Pandey
This document provides an overview of several plant families, including their key characteristics, examples of plants in each family, and typical growing environments. It discusses the Asteraceae/Daisy family, Lamiaceae/Mint family, Rosaceae/Rose family, Apiaceae/Carrot and Parsley family, Fabaceae/Pea family, Solanaceae/Deadly Nightshade family, Urticaceae/Nettle family, Verbenaceae, Zingiberaceae/Ginger family, Violaceae/Violet family, Orchidaceae, and Liliaceae/Lily family. Each family is briefly described with 1-2 representative photos.
The document discusses the Brassicaceae (mustard) family, which includes many important vegetables, herbs, and ornamental plants. It is distributed worldwide and adapted to a wide range of environments. Key features include flowers with 4 sepals and petals in a cross pattern, and seed pods that are either slender siliques or rounded silicles. The document focuses on species found in California, including many native genera like Arabis, Erysimum, Cardamine, as well as introduced weeds. It describes morphological characteristics and habitat preferences for numerous plant genera within the family.
1. The document discusses different taxonomic classifications including alpha, beta, and gamma taxonomy. It also mentions phylogenetic and neo taxonomy.
2. Several plant families are listed including Brassicaceae, Boraginaceae, and Asteraceae. Characteristics of different plant families like flower structure and leaf arrangements are provided.
3. Examples of plant species are given, such as Sagittaria cuneata, Alisma triviale, and Arenga australasica. Traits of monocots like herbaceous stems and lack of endosperm are mentioned.
The document provides an overview of the Papaveraceae family, also known as the poppy family. It notes that the family contains hundreds of species, many of which are used medicinally or as ornamental garden plants. The family is found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and is known for alkaloids and opiates used in medicine. It also includes the poppy, California poppy, and bleeding heart genera. The document describes various species' morphological features, native ranges, uses, and responses to fire. It provides photos to illustrate different species and their characteristic flowers, leaves, seeds, and growth forms.
This document provides information on several plant families including Rutaceae, Umbelliferae, Labiatae, Solanaceae, Liliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rubiaceae. For each family, it describes key characteristics such as habit, leaves, inflorescence, flowers, calyx, corolla, fruit, and important species. It also provides some economic uses of plants from the Umbelliferae family and describes characteristics common across members of the Myrtaceae and Rubiaceae families.
Flowers are modified shoots specialized for sexual reproduction. A flower consists of a very short axis called the thalamus with condensed internodes. Floral organs including sepals, petals, stamens and carpels are arranged in whorls on the thalamus. Flowers can be bisexual with both male and female parts or unisexual with only male or female parts. They also vary in symmetry, with actinomorphic flowers being radially symmetrical and zygomorphic being bilaterally symmetrical. The arrangement of floral organs can be cyclic, spiral or both.
Centrospermae : Salient features, floral & families diversity, and phylogeny
Salient features of Centrospermae
Floral diversity in Centrospermae
Diversity of families in Centrospermae
Phylogeny of order Centrospermae
Dr. Praveen Mohil
Assistant Professor,
Department of Botany
University of Rajasthan
Jaipur.
* Caryophyllaceae is also known as pink family. Members of this family are well known for ornamental purposes.
* This family is well represented in the British Flora and many species are cultivated as ornamental garden flowers.
* The members of this family are commonly found in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
*Reference - Taxonomy of Angiosperms - Dr. B. P. Pandey
This document provides an overview of several plant families, including their key characteristics, examples of plants in each family, and typical growing environments. It discusses the Asteraceae/Daisy family, Lamiaceae/Mint family, Rosaceae/Rose family, Apiaceae/Carrot and Parsley family, Fabaceae/Pea family, Solanaceae/Deadly Nightshade family, Urticaceae/Nettle family, Verbenaceae, Zingiberaceae/Ginger family, Violaceae/Violet family, Orchidaceae, and Liliaceae/Lily family. Each family is briefly described with 1-2 representative photos.
The document discusses the Brassicaceae (mustard) family, which includes many important vegetables, herbs, and ornamental plants. It is distributed worldwide and adapted to a wide range of environments. Key features include flowers with 4 sepals and petals in a cross pattern, and seed pods that are either slender siliques or rounded silicles. The document focuses on species found in California, including many native genera like Arabis, Erysimum, Cardamine, as well as introduced weeds. It describes morphological characteristics and habitat preferences for numerous plant genera within the family.
1. The document discusses different taxonomic classifications including alpha, beta, and gamma taxonomy. It also mentions phylogenetic and neo taxonomy.
2. Several plant families are listed including Brassicaceae, Boraginaceae, and Asteraceae. Characteristics of different plant families like flower structure and leaf arrangements are provided.
3. Examples of plant species are given, such as Sagittaria cuneata, Alisma triviale, and Arenga australasica. Traits of monocots like herbaceous stems and lack of endosperm are mentioned.
The document provides an overview of the Papaveraceae family, also known as the poppy family. It notes that the family contains hundreds of species, many of which are used medicinally or as ornamental garden plants. The family is found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and is known for alkaloids and opiates used in medicine. It also includes the poppy, California poppy, and bleeding heart genera. The document describes various species' morphological features, native ranges, uses, and responses to fire. It provides photos to illustrate different species and their characteristic flowers, leaves, seeds, and growth forms.
This document provides information on several plant families including Rutaceae, Umbelliferae, Labiatae, Solanaceae, Liliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rubiaceae. For each family, it describes key characteristics such as habit, leaves, inflorescence, flowers, calyx, corolla, fruit, and important species. It also provides some economic uses of plants from the Umbelliferae family and describes characteristics common across members of the Myrtaceae and Rubiaceae families.
Flowers are modified shoots specialized for sexual reproduction. A flower consists of a very short axis called the thalamus with condensed internodes. Floral organs including sepals, petals, stamens and carpels are arranged in whorls on the thalamus. Flowers can be bisexual with both male and female parts or unisexual with only male or female parts. They also vary in symmetry, with actinomorphic flowers being radially symmetrical and zygomorphic being bilaterally symmetrical. The arrangement of floral organs can be cyclic, spiral or both.
Centrospermae : Salient features, floral & families diversity, and phylogeny
Salient features of Centrospermae
Floral diversity in Centrospermae
Diversity of families in Centrospermae
Phylogeny of order Centrospermae
Dr. Praveen Mohil
Assistant Professor,
Department of Botany
University of Rajasthan
Jaipur.
This document provides information about the Asteraceae (Sunflower or Aster) family of flowering plants:
- It is the largest family of flowering plants, with over 1,500 genera and 23,000 species worldwide. India has 166 genera and 803 species.
- Plants can be herbs, shrubs, trees, with features like taproots, tubers, hairy or winged stems, alternate or opposite leaves.
- Flowers are arranged in capitula (flower heads), subtended by involucral bracts, with tubular or ligulate corollas. Stamens are syngenesious and anthers form a cylinder.
- Fruits are cy
This document provides information about the Asteraceae (Sunflower or Aster) family of flowering plants. It discusses the family's large geographical distribution, taxonomy according to different scholars, morphological characteristics including leaves, inflorescence, flowers, and fruits. It also outlines some economic uses of Asteraceae plants such as food, oil, rubber, insecticides, ornamentals, and medicinal properties. Taxonomists have assigned different systematic positions to the family over time.
This slideshow is used to teach botany to Master Gardeners in Beauregard Parish, LA. Mr. Jeff McMillian, Advanced Master Gardener, teaches this class and developed this PPT in collaboration with another PPT cited in this presentation.
Plant taxonomy is the science of classifying plants based on similarities and differences. There is a standardized classification system with a hierarchy of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. The system was developed by Carolus Linnaeus in the 1700s and uses Latinized binomial nomenclature, with the genus and species forming the scientific name of each plant. This system allows consistent identification of plants worldwide.
The Arum Family“
The diversity of Aroids”
Dr DON J SCOTT BERIN G BHMS(MD)
DEPARTMENT OF MATERIA MEDICA
WHITE MEMORIAL HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL
COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL VEEYANOOR, ATTOOR, K K DIST.
Solanaceae family is also known as the potato family.
Around 2000 species of dicotyledonous plants belong to this family.
Solanaceae is a family of angiosperms.
It is widely distributed all over the world in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones.
It includes a number of spices, medicinal plants, agricultural crops, etc.
Vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant are included in the Solanaceae family.
Many plants are of medicinal importance. The main medicinal plants are Atropa belladonna, Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Datura, etc.
Some alkaloids are toxic too. Some of the important alkaloids are tropanes, nicotine, capsaicin, solanine, hyoscyamine, etc.
Many ornamental plants also belong to this family. E.g. Petunia, Lycianthes, Cestrum, etc.
These are important sources of spices. E.g. chilly
The leaves of Nicotiana tabacum are a major source of tobacco. Tobacco is a commercially very important plant.
Dr DON J SCOTT BERIN G BHMS(MD)
DEPARTMENT OF MATERIA MEDICA
WHITE MEMORIAL HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL COLLEGE VEEYANOOR, ATTOOR. KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT,
TAMIL NADU.
This document provides information on several plant species found in Kerala's virtual herbarium. It describes 13 plant species, including 4 shrubs/flowering plants (Arumasam, Chemparuthi, Bougainvillea, Nandiarvattom), 5 climbers (Jathimalli, Kulamariyan, Asparagus fern, Nagavalli, Snake climber), 3 aquatic plants (Aambal, Thamara, Padmam), and 2 trees (Alari, Chempakam). For each species, it provides the scientific name, common name, family and brief descriptions of physical characteristics and uses.
- The Asteraceae family includes herbs, shrubs, trees, or vines distinguished by heads (capitula) of flowers subtended by involucres of phyllaries.
- The heads contain disk flowers, ray/ligulate flowers, or a mixture of the two. The calyx is modified as scales, awns, or bristles called a pappus.
- The flowers have 5 (rarely 4) stamens fused into a tube, a single style with two branches, and a single basal ovule in the inferior ovary. The fruit is a multiple of achenes.
The document discusses the morphology of flowering plants. It describes the root system as either taproot or fibrous, and the regions of the root including the root cap, region of elongation and region of maturation. Stems can be modified as tubers, bulbs, rhizomes or stolons for storage and support. Leaves originate from the stem and their venation and arrangement is described. Flowers make up the inflorescence and have four whorls - calyx, corolla, androecium and gynoecium. Their symmetry and arrangement on the thalamus is also detailed.
This document provides an overview of a class on grass identification and morphology taught at Hoyt Arboretum and Herbarium in 2015. It lists goals of increasing knowledge of native and exotic grasses. Key resources for grass identification are provided. The document then describes grass flower, culm, root, and specialized stem morphology. Finally, characteristics of several exotic grass species found at the Spiranthes research site are outlined, with notes on identifying features.
This presentation was shared online on February 5 2022
as a part of the Simi Hills Naturalist/Hike Leader Training
• Contributors/Presenters
Dottie Acker
Teena Takata
Ann Vincent
This document summarizes key aspects of leaf morphology. It describes the main parts of a leaf including the petiole, lamina, and stipules. It discusses leaf types such as simple, compound, and modifications. Leaf arrangements, shapes, margins, and venation patterns are covered. The document also addresses adaptations of leaf structure to different environments and functions such as storage and transpiration. Root morphology is briefly outlined, describing taproot and fibrous root systems as well as modified roots.
This document provides an overview of flower structure and terminology. It defines a flower and its key parts including the sepals, petals, stamens, carpels, and accessory structures. It describes flower symmetry, arrangements of parts, aestivation, dehiscence patterns, and more. Examples are given for different terms. The document concludes with an explanation of floral formulas and diagrams which concisely represent flower structures.
This document provides an overview of flower structure and terminology. It defines a flower and its key parts including the perianth (calyx and corolla), androecium (stamens), and gynoecium (carpels). It describes flower symmetry, arrangements of parts, aestivation, union and dehiscence of stamens, placentation, and characteristics of the ovary, style and stigma. Examples are given to illustrate different flower types, arrangements, and structures. The document provides botanical definitions and terminology for comprehensive description of flower morphology.
Plant SYSTEMATICS ,
Parts of Flower ,esssential and non essential part of flower ,calyx ,corolla ,Androecium, gynoecium ,Polyseplaous ,gamosepalous ,perianth
The flower is highly specialized reproductive shoot .
Each typical flower consist of four distinct types of memebers arranged in the form of whorls (circles) ,one above the other ,on the receptacle or Thalamus ,which is the enlarged end of the stalk called Pedicel.
he lower two whorls are called Accessory or Non essential and consist of generally small and green floral leaves ,the Sepals
and usually large ,coloured and attractive floral leaves ,the petals .
The whorl of sepals is called Calyx wherease the whorls of Petals is termed as corolla .
The upper two whorl are called Reproductive or Essential and consist of two kind of Sporophylls.
The microsporophylls or Stamens, forming the whorl androecium .
Each stamen consist of three parts --- Filament ,Anther & Connective .
The filament is the stalk of the stamen , and anther is the expanded head present at the tip of the filament.
Each anther is a bilobed ,the lobes are connected with one another by connectives .
The anther bear four chambers or Pollen Sacs , filled with Pollen grains or Microspores .
The Megasporophylls or Carpels forms the whorl gynoecium .
The carpel consist of three parts ---Ovary ,Style , & Stigma.
The ovary is the basal swollen portion of the carpel. It forms one or more chambers and contain one or more lottle rounded or oval bodies ,the ovules.
Each ovule encloses, an oval cell the embro sac .
On maturation ,the ovary give rise to fruit and the ovules to seeds.
The style is the stalk ike structure at the tip of which stigma is present .
The calyx and corolla are collectively known as Perianth .
Usually the sepals are differennciated from petals in size and colour but in some cases such as Lily and Tulips .,the seplas are large and colored as petals .
In certain other cases both sepals and petals are small and green .
When the perianth is green like sepals , it is called Sepaloid ,and when colored like Petals it is called Petaloid .
If the leaves of perianth are free from one another , the perianth is known as Polyphyllous , and if leaves are united ,it is said to be Gamophyllous .
bract is a special leaf ,which bears a flower or a cluster of flower in its axils .According to the form ,colour , and arrangements , the bracts may be classified as
Involucre ---- a group of bracts forming a cup - like structure , e.g in Sunflower
Glumes ----Small ,dry bracts enclosing flower ,as found in wheat .
pathe ------Large enclosing a cluster of flower e.g Date , Palm
Petaloid-----Petals like e.g Euphorbia ,Bougainvillea .
These are small leaves or scale-like structure present on the pedicle of flower .
They occur in pairs in dicots and singly in monocots , generally .
Sometimes ,the barcteoles form a whorl just below the calyx known as Epicalyx ,as in cotton (Gossypium herbaceum ). ets Malvaceae
This document provides information on the structure and terminology related to flowers. It defines a flower and describes its key parts including the perianth (calyx and corolla), androecium (stamens), and gynoecium (carpels). It discusses characteristics such as symmetry, aestivation, union and dehiscence of floral parts. It also covers terminology used to describe numbers of parts and their fusion, including gynoecium placentation and ovary locules.
Signatures of wave erosion in Titan’s coastsSérgio Sacani
The shorelines of Titan’s hydrocarbon seas trace flooded erosional landforms such as river valleys; however, it isunclear whether coastal erosion has subsequently altered these shorelines. Spacecraft observations and theo-retical models suggest that wind may cause waves to form on Titan’s seas, potentially driving coastal erosion,but the observational evidence of waves is indirect, and the processes affecting shoreline evolution on Titanremain unknown. No widely accepted framework exists for using shoreline morphology to quantitatively dis-cern coastal erosion mechanisms, even on Earth, where the dominant mechanisms are known. We combinelandscape evolution models with measurements of shoreline shape on Earth to characterize how differentcoastal erosion mechanisms affect shoreline morphology. Applying this framework to Titan, we find that theshorelines of Titan’s seas are most consistent with flooded landscapes that subsequently have been eroded bywaves, rather than a uniform erosional process or no coastal erosion, particularly if wave growth saturates atfetch lengths of tens of kilometers.
JAMES WEBB STUDY THE MASSIVE BLACK HOLE SEEDSSérgio Sacani
The pathway(s) to seeding the massive black holes (MBHs) that exist at the heart of galaxies in the present and distant Universe remains an unsolved problem. Here we categorise, describe and quantitatively discuss the formation pathways of both light and heavy seeds. We emphasise that the most recent computational models suggest that rather than a bimodal-like mass spectrum between light and heavy seeds with light at one end and heavy at the other that instead a continuum exists. Light seeds being more ubiquitous and the heavier seeds becoming less and less abundant due the rarer environmental conditions required for their formation. We therefore examine the different mechanisms that give rise to different seed mass spectrums. We show how and why the mechanisms that produce the heaviest seeds are also among the rarest events in the Universe and are hence extremely unlikely to be the seeds for the vast majority of the MBH population. We quantify, within the limits of the current large uncertainties in the seeding processes, the expected number densities of the seed mass spectrum. We argue that light seeds must be at least 103 to 105 times more numerous than heavy seeds to explain the MBH population as a whole. Based on our current understanding of the seed population this makes heavy seeds (Mseed > 103 M⊙) a significantly more likely pathway given that heavy seeds have an abundance pattern than is close to and likely in excess of 10−4 compared to light seeds. Finally, we examine the current state-of-the-art in numerical calculations and recent observations and plot a path forward for near-future advances in both domains.
This document provides information about the Asteraceae (Sunflower or Aster) family of flowering plants:
- It is the largest family of flowering plants, with over 1,500 genera and 23,000 species worldwide. India has 166 genera and 803 species.
- Plants can be herbs, shrubs, trees, with features like taproots, tubers, hairy or winged stems, alternate or opposite leaves.
- Flowers are arranged in capitula (flower heads), subtended by involucral bracts, with tubular or ligulate corollas. Stamens are syngenesious and anthers form a cylinder.
- Fruits are cy
This document provides information about the Asteraceae (Sunflower or Aster) family of flowering plants. It discusses the family's large geographical distribution, taxonomy according to different scholars, morphological characteristics including leaves, inflorescence, flowers, and fruits. It also outlines some economic uses of Asteraceae plants such as food, oil, rubber, insecticides, ornamentals, and medicinal properties. Taxonomists have assigned different systematic positions to the family over time.
This slideshow is used to teach botany to Master Gardeners in Beauregard Parish, LA. Mr. Jeff McMillian, Advanced Master Gardener, teaches this class and developed this PPT in collaboration with another PPT cited in this presentation.
Plant taxonomy is the science of classifying plants based on similarities and differences. There is a standardized classification system with a hierarchy of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. The system was developed by Carolus Linnaeus in the 1700s and uses Latinized binomial nomenclature, with the genus and species forming the scientific name of each plant. This system allows consistent identification of plants worldwide.
The Arum Family“
The diversity of Aroids”
Dr DON J SCOTT BERIN G BHMS(MD)
DEPARTMENT OF MATERIA MEDICA
WHITE MEMORIAL HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL
COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL VEEYANOOR, ATTOOR, K K DIST.
Solanaceae family is also known as the potato family.
Around 2000 species of dicotyledonous plants belong to this family.
Solanaceae is a family of angiosperms.
It is widely distributed all over the world in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones.
It includes a number of spices, medicinal plants, agricultural crops, etc.
Vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant are included in the Solanaceae family.
Many plants are of medicinal importance. The main medicinal plants are Atropa belladonna, Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Datura, etc.
Some alkaloids are toxic too. Some of the important alkaloids are tropanes, nicotine, capsaicin, solanine, hyoscyamine, etc.
Many ornamental plants also belong to this family. E.g. Petunia, Lycianthes, Cestrum, etc.
These are important sources of spices. E.g. chilly
The leaves of Nicotiana tabacum are a major source of tobacco. Tobacco is a commercially very important plant.
Dr DON J SCOTT BERIN G BHMS(MD)
DEPARTMENT OF MATERIA MEDICA
WHITE MEMORIAL HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL COLLEGE VEEYANOOR, ATTOOR. KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT,
TAMIL NADU.
This document provides information on several plant species found in Kerala's virtual herbarium. It describes 13 plant species, including 4 shrubs/flowering plants (Arumasam, Chemparuthi, Bougainvillea, Nandiarvattom), 5 climbers (Jathimalli, Kulamariyan, Asparagus fern, Nagavalli, Snake climber), 3 aquatic plants (Aambal, Thamara, Padmam), and 2 trees (Alari, Chempakam). For each species, it provides the scientific name, common name, family and brief descriptions of physical characteristics and uses.
- The Asteraceae family includes herbs, shrubs, trees, or vines distinguished by heads (capitula) of flowers subtended by involucres of phyllaries.
- The heads contain disk flowers, ray/ligulate flowers, or a mixture of the two. The calyx is modified as scales, awns, or bristles called a pappus.
- The flowers have 5 (rarely 4) stamens fused into a tube, a single style with two branches, and a single basal ovule in the inferior ovary. The fruit is a multiple of achenes.
The document discusses the morphology of flowering plants. It describes the root system as either taproot or fibrous, and the regions of the root including the root cap, region of elongation and region of maturation. Stems can be modified as tubers, bulbs, rhizomes or stolons for storage and support. Leaves originate from the stem and their venation and arrangement is described. Flowers make up the inflorescence and have four whorls - calyx, corolla, androecium and gynoecium. Their symmetry and arrangement on the thalamus is also detailed.
This document provides an overview of a class on grass identification and morphology taught at Hoyt Arboretum and Herbarium in 2015. It lists goals of increasing knowledge of native and exotic grasses. Key resources for grass identification are provided. The document then describes grass flower, culm, root, and specialized stem morphology. Finally, characteristics of several exotic grass species found at the Spiranthes research site are outlined, with notes on identifying features.
This presentation was shared online on February 5 2022
as a part of the Simi Hills Naturalist/Hike Leader Training
• Contributors/Presenters
Dottie Acker
Teena Takata
Ann Vincent
This document summarizes key aspects of leaf morphology. It describes the main parts of a leaf including the petiole, lamina, and stipules. It discusses leaf types such as simple, compound, and modifications. Leaf arrangements, shapes, margins, and venation patterns are covered. The document also addresses adaptations of leaf structure to different environments and functions such as storage and transpiration. Root morphology is briefly outlined, describing taproot and fibrous root systems as well as modified roots.
This document provides an overview of flower structure and terminology. It defines a flower and its key parts including the sepals, petals, stamens, carpels, and accessory structures. It describes flower symmetry, arrangements of parts, aestivation, dehiscence patterns, and more. Examples are given for different terms. The document concludes with an explanation of floral formulas and diagrams which concisely represent flower structures.
This document provides an overview of flower structure and terminology. It defines a flower and its key parts including the perianth (calyx and corolla), androecium (stamens), and gynoecium (carpels). It describes flower symmetry, arrangements of parts, aestivation, union and dehiscence of stamens, placentation, and characteristics of the ovary, style and stigma. Examples are given to illustrate different flower types, arrangements, and structures. The document provides botanical definitions and terminology for comprehensive description of flower morphology.
Plant SYSTEMATICS ,
Parts of Flower ,esssential and non essential part of flower ,calyx ,corolla ,Androecium, gynoecium ,Polyseplaous ,gamosepalous ,perianth
The flower is highly specialized reproductive shoot .
Each typical flower consist of four distinct types of memebers arranged in the form of whorls (circles) ,one above the other ,on the receptacle or Thalamus ,which is the enlarged end of the stalk called Pedicel.
he lower two whorls are called Accessory or Non essential and consist of generally small and green floral leaves ,the Sepals
and usually large ,coloured and attractive floral leaves ,the petals .
The whorl of sepals is called Calyx wherease the whorls of Petals is termed as corolla .
The upper two whorl are called Reproductive or Essential and consist of two kind of Sporophylls.
The microsporophylls or Stamens, forming the whorl androecium .
Each stamen consist of three parts --- Filament ,Anther & Connective .
The filament is the stalk of the stamen , and anther is the expanded head present at the tip of the filament.
Each anther is a bilobed ,the lobes are connected with one another by connectives .
The anther bear four chambers or Pollen Sacs , filled with Pollen grains or Microspores .
The Megasporophylls or Carpels forms the whorl gynoecium .
The carpel consist of three parts ---Ovary ,Style , & Stigma.
The ovary is the basal swollen portion of the carpel. It forms one or more chambers and contain one or more lottle rounded or oval bodies ,the ovules.
Each ovule encloses, an oval cell the embro sac .
On maturation ,the ovary give rise to fruit and the ovules to seeds.
The style is the stalk ike structure at the tip of which stigma is present .
The calyx and corolla are collectively known as Perianth .
Usually the sepals are differennciated from petals in size and colour but in some cases such as Lily and Tulips .,the seplas are large and colored as petals .
In certain other cases both sepals and petals are small and green .
When the perianth is green like sepals , it is called Sepaloid ,and when colored like Petals it is called Petaloid .
If the leaves of perianth are free from one another , the perianth is known as Polyphyllous , and if leaves are united ,it is said to be Gamophyllous .
bract is a special leaf ,which bears a flower or a cluster of flower in its axils .According to the form ,colour , and arrangements , the bracts may be classified as
Involucre ---- a group of bracts forming a cup - like structure , e.g in Sunflower
Glumes ----Small ,dry bracts enclosing flower ,as found in wheat .
pathe ------Large enclosing a cluster of flower e.g Date , Palm
Petaloid-----Petals like e.g Euphorbia ,Bougainvillea .
These are small leaves or scale-like structure present on the pedicle of flower .
They occur in pairs in dicots and singly in monocots , generally .
Sometimes ,the barcteoles form a whorl just below the calyx known as Epicalyx ,as in cotton (Gossypium herbaceum ). ets Malvaceae
This document provides information on the structure and terminology related to flowers. It defines a flower and describes its key parts including the perianth (calyx and corolla), androecium (stamens), and gynoecium (carpels). It discusses characteristics such as symmetry, aestivation, union and dehiscence of floral parts. It also covers terminology used to describe numbers of parts and their fusion, including gynoecium placentation and ovary locules.
Signatures of wave erosion in Titan’s coastsSérgio Sacani
The shorelines of Titan’s hydrocarbon seas trace flooded erosional landforms such as river valleys; however, it isunclear whether coastal erosion has subsequently altered these shorelines. Spacecraft observations and theo-retical models suggest that wind may cause waves to form on Titan’s seas, potentially driving coastal erosion,but the observational evidence of waves is indirect, and the processes affecting shoreline evolution on Titanremain unknown. No widely accepted framework exists for using shoreline morphology to quantitatively dis-cern coastal erosion mechanisms, even on Earth, where the dominant mechanisms are known. We combinelandscape evolution models with measurements of shoreline shape on Earth to characterize how differentcoastal erosion mechanisms affect shoreline morphology. Applying this framework to Titan, we find that theshorelines of Titan’s seas are most consistent with flooded landscapes that subsequently have been eroded bywaves, rather than a uniform erosional process or no coastal erosion, particularly if wave growth saturates atfetch lengths of tens of kilometers.
JAMES WEBB STUDY THE MASSIVE BLACK HOLE SEEDSSérgio Sacani
The pathway(s) to seeding the massive black holes (MBHs) that exist at the heart of galaxies in the present and distant Universe remains an unsolved problem. Here we categorise, describe and quantitatively discuss the formation pathways of both light and heavy seeds. We emphasise that the most recent computational models suggest that rather than a bimodal-like mass spectrum between light and heavy seeds with light at one end and heavy at the other that instead a continuum exists. Light seeds being more ubiquitous and the heavier seeds becoming less and less abundant due the rarer environmental conditions required for their formation. We therefore examine the different mechanisms that give rise to different seed mass spectrums. We show how and why the mechanisms that produce the heaviest seeds are also among the rarest events in the Universe and are hence extremely unlikely to be the seeds for the vast majority of the MBH population. We quantify, within the limits of the current large uncertainties in the seeding processes, the expected number densities of the seed mass spectrum. We argue that light seeds must be at least 103 to 105 times more numerous than heavy seeds to explain the MBH population as a whole. Based on our current understanding of the seed population this makes heavy seeds (Mseed > 103 M⊙) a significantly more likely pathway given that heavy seeds have an abundance pattern than is close to and likely in excess of 10−4 compared to light seeds. Finally, we examine the current state-of-the-art in numerical calculations and recent observations and plot a path forward for near-future advances in both domains.
Evidence of Jet Activity from the Secondary Black Hole in the OJ 287 Binary S...Sérgio Sacani
Wereport the study of a huge optical intraday flare on 2021 November 12 at 2 a.m. UT in the blazar OJ287. In the binary black hole model, it is associated with an impact of the secondary black hole on the accretion disk of the primary. Our multifrequency observing campaign was set up to search for such a signature of the impact based on a prediction made 8 yr earlier. The first I-band results of the flare have already been reported by Kishore et al. (2024). Here we combine these data with our monitoring in the R-band. There is a big change in the R–I spectral index by 1.0 ±0.1 between the normal background and the flare, suggesting a new component of radiation. The polarization variation during the rise of the flare suggests the same. The limits on the source size place it most reasonably in the jet of the secondary BH. We then ask why we have not seen this phenomenon before. We show that OJ287 was never before observed with sufficient sensitivity on the night when the flare should have happened according to the binary model. We also study the probability that this flare is just an oversized example of intraday variability using the Krakow data set of intense monitoring between 2015 and 2023. We find that the occurrence of a flare of this size and rapidity is unlikely. In machine-readable Tables 1 and 2, we give the full orbit-linked historical light curve of OJ287 as well as the dense monitoring sample of Krakow.
This presentation offers a general idea of the structure of seed, seed production, management of seeds and its allied technologies. It also offers the concept of gene erosion and the practices used to control it. Nursery and gardening have been widely explored along with their importance in the related domain.
The cost of acquiring information by natural selectionCarl Bergstrom
This is a short talk that I gave at the Banff International Research Station workshop on Modeling and Theory in Population Biology. The idea is to try to understand how the burden of natural selection relates to the amount of information that selection puts into the genome.
It's based on the first part of this research paper:
The cost of information acquisition by natural selection
Ryan Seamus McGee, Olivia Kosterlitz, Artem Kaznatcheev, Benjamin Kerr, Carl T. Bergstrom
bioRxiv 2022.07.02.498577; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.02.498577
SDSS1335+0728: The awakening of a ∼ 106M⊙ black hole⋆Sérgio Sacani
Context. The early-type galaxy SDSS J133519.91+072807.4 (hereafter SDSS1335+0728), which had exhibited no prior optical variations during the preceding two decades, began showing significant nuclear variability in the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) alert stream from December 2019 (as ZTF19acnskyy). This variability behaviour, coupled with the host-galaxy properties, suggests that SDSS1335+0728 hosts a ∼ 106M⊙ black hole (BH) that is currently in the process of ‘turning on’. Aims. We present a multi-wavelength photometric analysis and spectroscopic follow-up performed with the aim of better understanding the origin of the nuclear variations detected in SDSS1335+0728. Methods. We used archival photometry (from WISE, 2MASS, SDSS, GALEX, eROSITA) and spectroscopic data (from SDSS and LAMOST) to study the state of SDSS1335+0728 prior to December 2019, and new observations from Swift, SOAR/Goodman, VLT/X-shooter, and Keck/LRIS taken after its turn-on to characterise its current state. We analysed the variability of SDSS1335+0728 in the X-ray/UV/optical/mid-infrared range, modelled its spectral energy distribution prior to and after December 2019, and studied the evolution of its UV/optical spectra. Results. From our multi-wavelength photometric analysis, we find that: (a) since 2021, the UV flux (from Swift/UVOT observations) is four times brighter than the flux reported by GALEX in 2004; (b) since June 2022, the mid-infrared flux has risen more than two times, and the W1−W2 WISE colour has become redder; and (c) since February 2024, the source has begun showing X-ray emission. From our spectroscopic follow-up, we see that (i) the narrow emission line ratios are now consistent with a more energetic ionising continuum; (ii) broad emission lines are not detected; and (iii) the [OIII] line increased its flux ∼ 3.6 years after the first ZTF alert, which implies a relatively compact narrow-line-emitting region. Conclusions. We conclude that the variations observed in SDSS1335+0728 could be either explained by a ∼ 106M⊙ AGN that is just turning on or by an exotic tidal disruption event (TDE). If the former is true, SDSS1335+0728 is one of the strongest cases of an AGNobserved in the process of activating. If the latter were found to be the case, it would correspond to the longest and faintest TDE ever observed (or another class of still unknown nuclear transient). Future observations of SDSS1335+0728 are crucial to further understand its behaviour. Key words. galaxies: active– accretion, accretion discs– galaxies: individual: SDSS J133519.91+072807.4
Candidate young stellar objects in the S-cluster: Kinematic analysis of a sub...Sérgio Sacani
Context. The observation of several L-band emission sources in the S cluster has led to a rich discussion of their nature. However, a definitive answer to the classification of the dusty objects requires an explanation for the detection of compact Doppler-shifted Brγ emission. The ionized hydrogen in combination with the observation of mid-infrared L-band continuum emission suggests that most of these sources are embedded in a dusty envelope. These embedded sources are part of the S-cluster, and their relationship to the S-stars is still under debate. To date, the question of the origin of these two populations has been vague, although all explanations favor migration processes for the individual cluster members. Aims. This work revisits the S-cluster and its dusty members orbiting the supermassive black hole SgrA* on bound Keplerian orbits from a kinematic perspective. The aim is to explore the Keplerian parameters for patterns that might imply a nonrandom distribution of the sample. Additionally, various analytical aspects are considered to address the nature of the dusty sources. Methods. Based on the photometric analysis, we estimated the individual H−K and K−L colors for the source sample and compared the results to known cluster members. The classification revealed a noticeable contrast between the S-stars and the dusty sources. To fit the flux-density distribution, we utilized the radiative transfer code HYPERION and implemented a young stellar object Class I model. We obtained the position angle from the Keplerian fit results; additionally, we analyzed the distribution of the inclinations and the longitudes of the ascending node. Results. The colors of the dusty sources suggest a stellar nature consistent with the spectral energy distribution in the near and midinfrared domains. Furthermore, the evaporation timescales of dusty and gaseous clumps in the vicinity of SgrA* are much shorter ( 2yr) than the epochs covered by the observations (≈15yr). In addition to the strong evidence for the stellar classification of the D-sources, we also find a clear disk-like pattern following the arrangements of S-stars proposed in the literature. Furthermore, we find a global intrinsic inclination for all dusty sources of 60 ± 20◦, implying a common formation process. Conclusions. The pattern of the dusty sources manifested in the distribution of the position angles, inclinations, and longitudes of the ascending node strongly suggests two different scenarios: the main-sequence stars and the dusty stellar S-cluster sources share a common formation history or migrated with a similar formation channel in the vicinity of SgrA*. Alternatively, the gravitational influence of SgrA* in combination with a massive perturber, such as a putative intermediate mass black hole in the IRS 13 cluster, forces the dusty objects and S-stars to follow a particular orbital arrangement. Key words. stars: black holes– stars: formation– Galaxy: center– galaxies: star formation
BIRDS DIVERSITY OF SOOTEA BISWANATH ASSAM.ppt.pptxgoluk9330
Ahota Beel, nestled in Sootea Biswanath Assam , is celebrated for its extraordinary diversity of bird species. This wetland sanctuary supports a myriad of avian residents and migrants alike. Visitors can admire the elegant flights of migratory species such as the Northern Pintail and Eurasian Wigeon, alongside resident birds including the Asian Openbill and Pheasant-tailed Jacana. With its tranquil scenery and varied habitats, Ahota Beel offers a perfect haven for birdwatchers to appreciate and study the vibrant birdlife that thrives in this natural refuge.
1. THE DEMISE OF THE LILIACEAE OR LILY
FAMILY
HOW THE ONCE-DIVERSE FAMILY HAS
BEEN SPLINTERED INTO MANY PIECES
2. The broad definition of the Liliaceae has always been a
source of controversy and the borders of the family
have had many interpretations
• The 1993 Jepson Manual took the broadest
approach possible, not even recognizing the
Agavaceae (agave family) or Amaryllidaceae
(amaryllis family), which were recognized as
distinctive by most botanists
• Now the new manual has taken a
diametrically different view and embraced the
evidence that the family is not a natural unit
and the plants in it belong to unrelated lines
3. The result of this change is that suddenly, there are
many separate families to learn about and identify
• In California, we recognize 10 native families
but in the rest of the world, many others have
also been split off from the original Liliaceae
• Unfortunately, many of these separate
families are not easy to key out or recognize
by easily seen traits, making it harder for the
beginner to grasp the different groups
4. The reasons for these changes are based on many lines
of evidence, many of which are not easily seen
• For example, DNA studies have indicated that
superficially similar looking plants like Nolina and
Yucca are not at all closely related
• Meanwhile genera in some families do not look
superficially similar as, for example, Agave and
Chlorogalum (soap plant), both in the family
Agavaceae
• Other lines of evidence for these changes include
studies in biochemistry, embryo development, seed
and fruit structure, and much more
5. Currently the original California Liliaceae has been split
into families belonging to two different orders
• Orders are groupings of related families, so when
families belong to different orders, it indicates there
is not a close relationship
• For California Liliaceae, some families belong to the
Asparagales (asparagus order), while others have
been retained in the Liliaes (lily order)
• Neither of these orders is easy to define and
therefore beyond the scope of this workshop but
we’ll be looking at the families in each of these
orders to see where the native genera belong
6. We’ll start with the Liliales first, an order that obviously
retains the Liliaceae along with
• Melanthiaceae with Toxicoscordon,
Hastingsia, Leuocrinum, Xerophyllum, Trillium,
and Veratrum
• Smilacaceae with the single genus Smilax
• Nartheciaceae with the single species
Narthecium californicum
• Tofieldiaceae with the single species Triantha
occidentalis
7. We’ll start first with the type family of the order,
Liliaceae. Many members of the family have
• Bulbs or underground rhizomes
• Large, showy flowers
• Often spots or stripes on the petals
• The type genus Lilium (true lilies) features
bulbous plants with whorls or tiers of narrow
leaves on the stem, showy flowers often with
recurved tepals, and versatile anthers on the
stamens
8. Here you see the whorled leaves and showy flowers of
the leopard lily, Lilium pardalinum
9. Lilies like Lilium parvum (alpine lily) have versatile
anthers that pivot on their attachment to the filament
10. The Columbia lily (L. columbianum) shows the spots
often found on lily flowers
11. Here you see the upright seed pods with impressions
made by the coin-shaped seeds in liliums
12. Some lilies like L. washingtonianum don’t have the
usual lily colors of reds, oranges, and yellows
13. Related to the true lilies are the fritillaries (Fritillaria
spp.), differing from lilies by
• Tiny rice grain bulblets often around the
parent bulb (lilies don’t have these)
• Flowers often in unusual, drab colors such as
purples, browns, and greens and
• Basixifed anthers (anthers firmly anchored to
their filaments at the base)
14. The common checker-lily or mission bells (Fritillaria
affinis) shows the checkered pattern typical of many
fritillaria petals
15. Here you see the basixifed anthers of Fritillaria affinis
17. A few fritillarias like the adobe lily (F. pluriflora) have
brightly colored flowers
18. Fritillaria seed pods also differ from lilies in having six
broad wings as seen here
19. Erythronium (fawn- and glacier-lilies) have broader
basal leaves, large flowers borne on short stalks, and
slender bulbs
• The genus is divided into species with mottled leaves
(fawn-lilies) that live in the foothills and
• Solid green leaves on plants that live in the high
mountains, often blooming by melting snow fields
(glacier-lilies)
21. Erythronium helenae (Mt St Helena fawn-lily) is similar
displaying the same basic form and color pattern but is
restricted to the region around Mt.St. Helena
22. A typical glacier-lily is E. grandiflorum found in the high
North Coast Ranges and Klamath Mountains on
northward to Mt Rainier and Glacier National Park
23. The beautiful coastal fawn-lily, E. revolutum, features
pink instead of white or yellow flowers. The genus
name comes from the Greek erythros meaning red
24. One of the showiest genera is Calochortus (Greek for
beautiful grass) containing plants with narrow, strap-
shaped leaves and flowers with sepals and petals
different in shape and often color
• Three subgroups of the genus include
• Globe-tulips with nodding, nearly closed,
globe-shaped flowers
• Star-tulips with open, upright, shallowly bowl-
shaped flowers and
• Mariposa-tulips with tulip-shaped flowers
often elaborately marked inside
30. In addition to these “core” lilies, we also find the
strange, redwood-forest slink pods (Scoliopus bigelovii)
with its striped sepals and mottled leaves and
31. Prosartes (formerly Disporum), the fairy bells, with
leafy stems and bell-shaped flowers hidden under the
leaves near the branch tips. Here is D. smithii
32. Fairy bells are also noted for their fleshy, berry type
fruits
33. The Melianthaceae contains fewer species than the
core lilies in California.
• Its members are rather diverse but generally
have smaller, often white flowers, often in
large clusters
• Genera include Toxicoscordon (formerly
Zigadenus or death-camass), Xerophyllum
tenax (bear grass), Trillium, Hastingsia,
Veratrum (corn-lily), and Stenanthium
occidentale (bronze bells)
34. The death-camasses comprise a genus of bulbous
plants with basal, strap-shaped leaves and racemes or
panicles of white, star-shaped flowers with distinctive
glands. Here is T. fremontii
35. The flowers of T. fremontii (fremont’s star-lily) show the
typical pattern and glands for the genus
36. Bear-grass (Xerophyllum tenax) features large basal
clumps of tough, fibrous leaves and huge panicles of
tiny white flowers. Here are the distinctive leaves
37. And here are the numerous flowers borne above the
leaves
38. The trilliums (Trillium spp.) as well as Pseudotrillium
rivale have three broad, net-veined leaves and a single,
large central flower. Giant trillium features flowers
without a stalk, in several colors.
39. Whereas T. ovatum (wake-robin) has stalked flowers
that open white and fade rose purple
40. The corn-lilies (Veratrum) feature large, conspicuously
pleated leaves and immense panicles of usually white,
starlike flowers. Here are the leaves.
42. Hastingsia is a small genus with clumps of linear basal
leaves and narrow spikelike clusters of tiny white
flowers. This is H. album
43. Finally, bronze bells (Stenanthium occidentale) differs
from the others in having bell-shaped bronze-green
flowers
44. The remaining families of Liliales fall out like this
• Smilacaceae (smilax family) consists of woody vines
with broad leaves and prickly-lined stems. The tiny
green flowers are in umbels
• Tofieldiaceae has equitant, irislike leaves, and spikes
of small white flowers. The inflorescence is covered
in dense sticky glands
• Nartheciaceae also has equitant leaves and racemes
of yellow flowers with furry filaments on the stamens
45. Here is Smilax californica, one of two green briers that
live in the northern part of the state in dry woods.
46. Here are the equitant leaves of Triantha occidentalis
(formerly Tofieldia) found in bogs in the northern part
of the state
48. Narthecium californicum is our only species in the
Nartheciaceae, also living in bogs in the north. Here
you see the furry stamens
49. Next we’ll visit the Asparagales order, a group of
families that are particularly prominent in Europe and
Africa
• The order contains a rather diverse array of
families native to California including
• Agavaceae (agave family) with not only the
usual desert genera such as agave and yucca
but soap plant and camas
• Alliaceae (onion family) with the diverse genus
Allium
• The Themidaceae (brodiaea family) with
several closely related genera
50. And two more families
• Ruscaceae (butcher broom family) with two
different genera, Maianthemum (may flower)
and Nolina (bear grass) and
• Tecophilaeaceae, a mainly southern
hemisphere family with the single species
Odontostomum hartwegii
51. The Agavaceae was once noted for its desert-adapted
plants with tough, succulent leaves, woody stems, and
huge panicles of flowers but
• Currently the family includes the soap plants
(Chlorogalum spp.), camases (Camassia spp.), and
desert-lily (Hesperocallis undulata)
• Racemes or panicles of many flowers, and
• Flowers with often separate (not joined) tepals
• These traits by themselves do not exclude the
possibility of other families
• The family features basal leaves that are sometimes
wavy,
52. Agaves or century plants feature massive, fibrous leaf
rosettes lined with spines and huge panicles of yellow,
tubular flowers that appear only after 10 to 20 years’
growth. Here are the leaves of Agave deserti
53. The massive panicles of tubular yellow flowers only
occur once from a leaf rosette; after flowering the
parent dies but leaves behind “pups” to carry on
54. Here are the flowers of A. deserti, loaded with nectar
and attractive to myriad pollinators
55. The yuccas, also large woody desert plants, differ from
agaves by having narrower leaves lacking side spines
and with panicles of white or purple-tinted bell-shaped
flowers. Here is the Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera)
56. Note the waxy, bell-shaped creamy flowers of Y.
schidigera
58. Camassia leichtlinii (camas) is one of the non-desert
genera of the Agavaceae, growing in wet meadows in
the mountains. Although its leaves may be confused
with the poisonous Toxicoscordon, the flowers are very
different.
59. The soap plants (Chlorogalum spp.) besides having
saponin-containing bulbs, feature basal rosettes of
wavy leaves (most species)
60. The common soap plant (C. pomeridianum) puts up tall
panicles of small white flowers that open in late
afternoon.
61. One final herbaceous member of Agavaceae is the
desert-lily (Hesperocallis undulata)
62. Like the soap plants, desert-lily has decidedly wavy
leaves
63. The onion family, Alliaceae, was once part of the
Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) but differs by
• Having a superior ovary, not an inferior one
and
• Possessing highly fragrant sulfurous
compounds that impart an onion odor to all
parts of the plants
• The two families have in common a bracted
umbel type inflorescence
• California has the single genus Allium (wild
onions) in a wide range of species
64. Typical onion flowers like A. haematochiton (red-
skinned onion) feature six separate, nearly equal tepals
and six stamens
65. Here you see the colorful flowers of the paper onion (A.
unifolium). Onions are partly identified by their leaf
designs and shapes.
66. Although wild onions are usually small plants from
rocky habitats, the swamp onion (A. validum) grows in
wet mountain meadows
67. The crimped onion, A. crispum, is exeptional in having
flowers with the inners tepals a different shape from
the outer.
68. The brodiaea family, Themidaceae, has usually been
lumped with the amaryllis family or the onion family
but is not considered closely related to either.
• Although Themidaceae features flowers in bracted
umbels on scapes like those other families, it lacks an
onion odor
• Has flowers with a superior ovary,
• Corms instead of bulbs, and
• Tepals that are usually partly joined to form a tube
69. The brodiaea family includes such small genera as
Muilla and Bloomeria, neither of which have a flower
tube but the other genera do
• The so-called brodiaea complex has flowers with tubes and is
quite diverse
• The genus Dichelostemma features headlike umbels of
flowers, (usually) 3 stamens, and colorful appendages behind
the stamens
• The genus Brodiaea features open umbels of waxy flowers, 3
fertile stamens alternating with 3 sterile, petal-like stamens
and
• The genus Triteleia has open umbels of non-waxy flowers with
6 fertile stamens and seldom has appendages
70. The true brodiaeas mostly have blue or purple flowers,
bloom late in the season, and occur in open areas. Here
you see the widespread B. elegans (elegant brodiaea)
71. Another widespread brodiaea is B. coronaria, the
harvest brodiaea. Note the difference in the sterile
stamens (staminodes) between this and elegant
brodiaea
72. Many of the brodiaeas are relatively rare and restricted
to special habitats like the serpentine endemic B.
stellaris found in north coastal counties
73. The dichelostemmas comprise a small genus, mostly
with pink, blue, or purple flowers such as the
widespread blue dicks (D. capitatum)
74. The most unusual species in the brodiaea complex is D.
ida-maia (firecracker flower) noted for its long tubular
red flowers pollinated by hummingbirds
75. The triteleias live in many habitats from seashore to
above timberline and have a great range of flower
colors including
• Yellows
• Whites
• Blues and purples
77. T. hyacinthina (the white brodiaea) is a widespread
white to pale purple species
78. Finally, the pretty face brodiaea (T. ixioides) is a
widespread yellow-flowered species
79. The Tecophilaeaceae is a family found mainly in South
America and Africa with only one California species
• Odontostomum hartwegii, our native, is an
unusual, little noticed plant from lava
outcrops in the northern and central Sierra
foothills
• Like others in the family it features corms and
flowers with recurved tepals and stamens that
open by terminal pores
• It might sometimes be confused with soap
plant out of blossom because of the wavy
leaves
82. Our last family is the Ruscaceae or butcher-broom
family, closely related to the Asparagaceae (asparagus
family) and
• Often with woody stems
• The flowers in ours are small, white, and bell-
to star-shaped
• The two genera look highly dissimilar with
Nolina (bear-grass) a large desert plant and
Maianthemum (may flower) containing small
woodland plants
83. The nolinas superficially resemble yuccas. They are
noted for large basal clumps of narrow, grasslike leaves
on woody stems and huge panicles containing
hundreds of tiny, white, bell-shaped flowers. Here is N.
interrata
84. N. parryi features numerous bell-like flowers subtended
by conspicuous bracts
85. The very different looking may flowers (Maianthemum)
are forest plants with either basal heart-shaped leaves
or leaves along stems, and tiny creamy starlike flowers
• The false lily-of-the-valley (M. dilatatum) has
creeping stems and heart-shaped leaves; its flowers
feature 4 tepals instead of the usual 6
• By contrast the false solomon’s seals (M. stellatum
and M. racemosum, formerly in the genus Smilacina)
have upright stems with ovate leaves and starlike
flowers with 6 petals
• All species have berrylike fruits, while the nolinas
have papery, winged capsules
87. M. stellatum (starry false solomon’s seal) forms loose
colonies and has racemes of starry flowers. It occurs
from coastal forests into the subalpine regions of the
mountains
88. By contrast, M. racemosum (fat false solomon’s seal)
makes clumps with fragrant tiny flowers in panicles