NEET NEW TOPICS
Morphology of Flowering Plants
Brassicaceae family
Brassicaceae Family Notes
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Parictales
Family: Cruciferae (Brassicaceac)
Domain: Eukarya
Division: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Parictales
Family: Cruciferae (Brassicaceac)
Order: Parictales
Family: Cruciferae (Brassicaceac)
Commonly known as mustard family.
It is a dicot family.
Habit:
- Annual, biennial or perennial herbs
Root:
- Tap root, fleshy in Radish (Raphanus sativus) and Turnip (Brassica rapa)
Stem:
- Erect, cylindrical, hairy or glabrous, herbaceous or rarely woody
Leaves:
- Alternate, exstipulate with sheathing leaf base, sessile simple or rarely compound
Inflorescence:
- Usually raceme
Flower:
- Ebracteate, actinomorphic, tetramerous
Calyx:
- Sepals 4, polysepalous, aestivation imbricate, generally arranged in two whorls
Corolla:
- Petals 4, clawed petals, polypetalous, arranged in one whorl, valvate aestivation, cruciform (crosswise)
Androecium:
- Stamens 6, free (polyandrous), tetradynamous (2+4), arranged in two whorls, outer of two short lateral stamens while the inner whorl is made up of 4 long stamens
Gynoecium:
- Bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovary superior, placentation parietal, unilocular ovary but becomes bilocular due to the presence of a false septum called replum
Fruit:
- Siliqua or silicula
Seed:
- Non-endospermic
Food Yielding Plants:
- Yellow mustard (Brassica campestris)
- White mustard (Brassica alba)
- Black mustard (Brassica nigra)
- Indian mustard or Rye (Brassica juncea)
- Radish (Raphanus sativus)
- Turnip or Shalgam (Brassica rapa)
- Cabbage or Pattagobhi (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
- Cauliflower or Phoolgobhi (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)
Ornamental Plants:
- Candytuft (Iberis amara)
Note: Pungent smell of mustard oil is due to the presence of a sulfur-containing glycoside called singrine.
Characteristics of Brassicaceae:
- These are generally herbs, annuals, biennials, or shrubs.
- The taproots are swollen due to food storage.
- The stem is erect, herbaceous, and rarely woody.
- Leaves are alternate, opposite, simple, and exstipulate.
Economic Importance of Brassicaceae:
Food
The plants of this family are cultivated as vegetable crops. For example, Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis, Brassica oleracea var. Caulorapa.
Oil
The seeds of the plants of this family are used to extract mustard oil that is extensively used in cooking. For example, Brassica campestris.
The cake left behind after the extraction of oil is used as cattle feed and fertilizer.
Medicines
The leaves and shoots of plants are used in asthma, cough, and bleeding piles. They also act as an appetizer and stimulants. The seeds are used to treat bronchitis and fever. The flowers help in paralysis and impotency.
Ornamentals
Few plants such as Iberis amara, Hesperis, and Alyssum, bear beautiful flowers and are used for ornamental purposes.
