The document discusses the plant family Rubiaceae. Some key points: - Rubiaceae has 118 genera and 760 species distributed mainly in tropics and subtropics, with 40 genera and 100 species found in India and 21 genera and 58 species found in Maharashtra. - Members range from trees, shrubs, lianas, herbs to climbers. Leaves are usually simple, opposite, and stipulate. Flowers are usually cymose, tetramerous-pentamerous, epigynous and bisexual. - Economically important species include coffee (Coffea arabica), Catunaregam spinosa, Haldina cordifolia, I

1. Rubiaceae
Geographical distribution:
World: 118 genera and 760 species mainly
distributed in tropics and subtropics. Also
found in cultivation.
India: 40 genera and 100 species
Maharashtra: 21 Genera 58 Species

2. Vegetative Characters:
Habit: Helophytic, or mesophytic, or xerophytic,
or hydrophytic (Limnosipanea).
Trees (Neolamarckia, Haldina, Mitragyna) and
shrubs (Ixora), or lianas (Oxyceras), or herbs
(Neanotis) or climbing (Rubia).
Root: Taproot, branched.

3. Vegetative Characters:
Stem: Aerial, herbaceous, solid. Young stems tetragonal.
Plants very commonly characterized with ‘crystal sand’
(calcium oxalate crystals). Armed with prickles (Rubia).
Leaves: Leaves simple, opposite, decussate, stipulate;
stipules usually leaflike interpetiolar (Ixora).
Stomata typically paracytic.
Tetragonal stem Interpetiolar stipuleArmed stem

4. Reproductive Characters:
Inflorescence: Plants usually monoecious, or dioecious
(Coprosma). Flowers usually in cymes, or in heads (Neolamarckia,
Haldina, Mitragyna Morinda) or solitary (Gardenia). The terminal
inflorescence unit cymose.
Flower: bractetate, tetracyclic, epigynous, bisexual, pedicellate or
sessile, usually actinomorphic, sometimes zygomorphic and
bilabiate (Henriquezia). mostly 4–5-merous, often heterostylous.
Mytragyna parviflora
Adina cordifolia
Neolamarckia cadamba

5. Calyx: Sepals 4–5, gamosepalous, regular, fused to ovary wall,
valvate. Sometimes one of them is enlarged and brightly coloured
(Mussaenda) or enlarged in fruit (Nematostylis). Epicalyx present
(e.g. Fernelia, Flagenium).
Corolla: Petals 4–5, gamopetalous; tubular (Ixora), or
hypocrateriform (Pentas) with imbricate, or valvate, or contorted
aestivation.
Androecium: Stamens as many as petals, epipetalous or attached
at its very base in (Coprosma); opposite to sepals or alternating with
petals, polyandrous. Anthers dithecous, tetrasporangiate, introrse.
Pollen mostly shed as single grains or in tetrads (Gardenia).
Mussaenda Tetrasporangiate anthers

6. Reproductive Characters:
Gynoecium: 2–many carpellary, syncarpus, always
inferior, or semi-inferior (Synaptanthera),
unilocular (Gardenia), or bilocular (Plectronia) or
pentalocular (Meyenia) with 1–50 ovules per
locule. Styles single, simple, usually inserted or
rarely exserted (Pavetta siphonantha).
Placentation when unilocular, parietal; when two
or more locular, axile.
Pollination: Entomophilous.
Fruit: Capsules or a berry (Coffea), 1–30 seeded.
Seed: Seeds usually endospermic

7. Diagnostic characters:
• Opposite or whorled leaves with interpetiolar
stipule
• Epigynous flower
• Calyx and corolla united
• Stames as many as corolla lobes and alternating
with them
• Inferior ovary with axile placentation
Floral formula: Br ♀♂ K(4–5) C(4–5) A4–5 G (2–5)

8. Economic imp plants:
Catunaregam spinosa (Thunb.) Tirveng.
Coffea arabica L.
Haldina cordifolia (Roxb.) Ridsd.
Ixora pavetta Andr.
Meyna laxiflora Robyns
Morinda citrifolia L.
Spermadictyon suaveolens Roxb.
Rubia cordifolia
Hamelia petans
Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Boisser

9. Economic important species