Descriptions, botany final

Cupressaceae

These gymnosperms are known as the Cypress family, they possess ovulated strobili rather than cones and woody peltated scales. The fruit can be berry like, winged, or small and woody. The small green scales or needles can be opposite or whorled, evergreen or deciduous. Genera include: Juniperus, Chamaecyparis, Taxodium, Thuja.

Pinaceae

This gymnosperm family, the pine family, is known for having cones. Female cones are formed from a seed-scale complex where a sterile bract supports an ovuliferous scale. The genera include: Pinus, Abies, Picea, and Tsuga.

Taxaceae

This gymnosperm family comprises a single genus, Taxus. It possesses evergreen alternate leaves with stripes. The microsporophylls are surrounded and protected by six to eight microsporangia. The fruits are fleshy arils.

Alismataceae

The water plantain family, this monocot includes the genera of Alisma and Saggitaria. The normally perennial, riparian plants often have a milky sap, basal leaves, actinomorphic flowers, and flower parts in 3s. The fruits are achenes or follicles forming as an achenacetum or follicetum due to the many carpels.

Araceae

The arum family, this monocot grows along riparian environments with alternate or basal leaves. The inflorescence is a spadix within a spathe and either lacks a perianth or possesses tepals. Genera include: Arisaema, Lemna, and Symplocarpus.

Commelinaceae

The spider wort family, this monocot includes perennials with succulent stems and swollen nodes. The leaves are alternate spirals with closed basal sheaths and staminodes. Brachts support a flower and the fruit is often a loculicidal capsule. Genera include Commelina and Tradescantia.

Cyperaceae

The sedge family, this monocot family is known for triangular edged stems and internodes being solid. Leaves are alternate spiral and often have tristichous sheathing. The perianth is absent or replaced by bristles or scale tepals. Can possess a sack like bract called a perigynium and produce achenes. Genera include Carex, Cyperus, and Scirpus.

Iridaceae

The iris family, this monocot has alternate distichous leaves and is unifacial. The sepals are petalloid and the fruits are loculicidal. Genera include Iris and Sisyrinchium.

Juncaceae

The rush family, this monocot family has round tufted stems and is normally perennial. The internodes are solid and.the leaves are alternate sheathing spirals. Forms a perianth of six tepals. Genera include Juncus and Luzula.

Liliaceae

The lily family, this monocot family has basal or cauline leaves going in alternate spirals or whorls. They are sheathing and have a perianth of 6 tepals formed in 2 whorls. They frequently form loculicidal capsules and occasionally berries. Genera include Clintonia, Erythronium, Lilium, and Medeola.

Orchidaceae

The orchid family, this monocot family has leathery basal leaves going alternately or in whorls. Pollen is stored in the pollinia and the middle has a distinctive larger petal called the labellum. Genera include Galearis, Cypripedium, Goodyera, and Spiranthes.

Poaceae

The grass family, this monocot family has round stems with hollow internodes. They are distichous, sheathing, usually monoecious, and possess ligules. Subtended by two bracts, one called the palea that resides within the other called the lemma. Perianth of minute scales called lodicules and the fruit is a caryopsis. Genera include Andropogon, Bromus, Dicanthelium, Echinodoa, Elymus, Phleum, Poa, Setaria, and Dactylus.

Typhaceae

The cattail family, comprised of the genus Typha. They are aquatic with round solid stems. Leaves are basal, distichous, and sheathing. They create dense inflorescences with bristly tepals. Also possesses a starchy rhizome.

Amaranthaceae

The amaranth family, this dicot family lacks petals. Instead they have scarious, paper like sepals and produce nutlets, berries, or cicumscissle capsules. Spinach, beets, quinoa, and amaranth belong to this family in genera like Amaranthus and Chenopodium.

Anacardiaceae

The cashew family, this family includes mango, pistachio, cashew, sumac, and poison ivy. Spiral, simple leaves and fruits are drupes with a resinous mesocarp. Genera include Rhus and Toxicodendron.

Apiaceae

The carrot family, this dicot family has stems with hollow internodes. The leaves are spiral with sheaving bases. It has compound umbel flowers and fruits that are a shizocarp of mericarp over carpophores. Genera include Angelica, Cicuta, Conium, Daucus, Osmorhiza, Sanicula, Thaspium, and Zizia.

Apocynaceae

The dogbane/milkweed family, this dicot family has two genera, Apocynum and Asclepias. These plants possess a milky sap and carry pollen in pollenia. The sepals are fused and the petals are fused. Stamens fuse to the stigma to form a gynostegium with horns and hoods, the fruit is a partial schizocarp.

Asteraceae

The sunflower family, this dicot family has inflorescences of florets on a receptacle surrounded by phyllaries. Calyx is absent or composed of awns, scales, or bristles. Corolla is a fused disc or ray and stamens are syngenesious. Genera: Achillea, Ambrosia, Antennaria, Arctium, Biden, Centaurea, Cichorium, Cirsium, Ericeron, Eupatorium, Eutrochium, Helianthus, Leucanthemum, Packera, Rudbeckia, Solidago, Symphiotrichum, Taraxacum, and Tussilago.

Berberidaceae

The barberry family, this dicot family is often spiny and leaves sometimes ternate, perianth seriate, 3 parts per whorl, outer 2 sepaloid. Anthers valvular. Genera: Berberis, Caulophyllum, Jeffersonia, and Podophyllum.

Betulaceae

The birch family, this dicot family has staminate or pistillate flowers in pendulous catkins, they can be erect. Fruit in bracts, nuts, or two winged samaras. Genera include Alnus, Betula, Carpinus, and Ostraya.

Boraginaceae

The borage family, this dicot is exstipulate with a helicoid or scorpoid cyme. Corolla fused, ovaries deeply lobed, and the fruit is a schizocarp of four nutlets or drupes. Genera include Echium, Hydrophyllum, and Mertensia.

Brassicaceae

The mustard family, this dicot family is odorous with a watery sap. Has basal rosettes and cruciate flowers. Tetradynamous stamens and fruits are silique silicle with a persistent septum known as a replum. Genera include Alliaria, Barbarea, Brassica, Capsella, Cardamine, and Lepidium.

Cactaceae

This is the cactus family, these dicots are comprised by the genus Opuntia. Leaves are spiral when present and stems arise from axillary meristems called areoles, also have small trichome like leaves called glochidia. Berries are spiny or bristly and have tepals.

Caryophyllaceae

The carnation family, these dicots stems have swollen nodes and free central placentation. Notched petals and many seeded fruits with teeth or valves. The genera are Cerastium, Saponaria, Silene, and Stellaria.

Convolvulaceae

The morning glory family, these dicots have spiral leaves and milky sap, they are also epipetalous with fused petals. They have four valved capsules, berries, drupes, or nuts. The genera are Calystegia and Ipomea.

Cornaceae

The dogwood family, this dicot family has opposite leaves with forward curving veins. The inflorescence is made of large petaloid bracts, the fruits are drupes. The genus is Cornus.

Ericaceae

The heath/rhododendron family, this dicot family is occasionally mycotrophic and evergreen. The leaves are leathery, alternate and exstipulate as well as coroaceous? The anthers are inverted opening from terminal pores. Fruits can be loculicidal, septicidal, berries, or drupes. Genera include Chimaphila, Epigea, Kalma, Monotropa, Pieris, Rhododendron, and Vaccinium.

Euphorbiaceae

The spruge family, these dicots include the genus Euphorbia and contain a milky latex sap. Some have a cyanthium, and some are missing sepals and petals. The fruit is a schizocarp and the plant itself is succulent with nectar glands.

Fabaceae

The legume family, this dicot family produces legumes. The leaves are often spiral and compound with basal pulvini, swollen leaf bases. Genera include Albizzia, Cercis, Desmodium, Lathyrus, Lotus, Melilotus, Robinia, and Trifolium.

Fagaceae

The oak or beech family, these dicots form catkins and heads. Pistillate flowers lie at the base of staminate catkins sometimes. They frequently have cupule bracts on nuts. The genera are Castanea, Fagus, and Quercus.

Geraniaceae

The geranium family, these dicots include the genera Erodium and Geranium. They form loculicidal capsules, schizocarps, or follicles and usually separate from a persistent beak.

Lamiaceae

The mint family, these dicots are known for square stems and strong aromas. The leaves are opposite and simple, flowers bilabiate and possess a verticallister stalk that flowers whorl around. Fruits are nutlets, drupes, pr berries. Genera include Glechoma, Lamium, Mentha, Monarda, Prunella, and Salvia.

Lauraceae

The laurel family, these dicots produce an aromatic oil from glands on their alternate evergreen leaves. They are valvate dehiscent with stamens in whorls. Genera include Lindera and Sassafras.

Magnoliaceae

The magnolia family, these dicots have solitary flowers qith stipulate rings at each node. Fruits aggregates of follicles, samaras, or berries. Seeds in a red flesh called a sarcotesta and held by a thread called a funiculus. Genera are Liriodendron and Magnolia.

Malvaceae

The mallow family, these dicots have stellate trichomes and valvate petals sometimes fused to the staminal column. Stamens united by filament like hibiscus. Fruit is a capsule or schizocarp held by a long bract. Genera include Hibiscus, Malva, and Tillia.

Onagraceae

The evening primrose family, this dicot family includes the genus Oenothera. The fruit is a capsule, berry, or nut, and a hypanthium is pressent.

Oxalidaceae

The sorrel family, these dicots are known for acrod juice and heart shaped leaves. The fruit is a loculicidal capsule or berry. The genus includes Oxalis.

Papaveraceae

The poppy family, these dicots have easily lost, cadacous sepals. The outer petals are occasionally spurred or sacked and the plant produces yellow sap. Genera include Chelidonium, Papaver, Sanguinaria, and Stylophorum.

Plantaginaceae

The plantain family, these dicots are two lipped and epipetalous. They have fused petals and form septicidal capsules for fruits. Genera include Linaria, Penstemon, Plantago, and Veronica.

Platanaceae

The sycamore family, these dicots are trees with exfoliating bark and leaves alternate with infrapetiolar buds. The leaves are palmately veined and deeply lobed, fruits are a multiple densely haired achenes in globose heads. The genus includes Platanus.

Polemoniaceae

The phlox family, these dicots are exstipulate with a fused calyx and a fused corolla. The fruit us a capsule and ovaries are superior. The genera includes Phlox.

Polygonaceae

The buckwheat family, these dicots have swollen noded stems and alternate spiral leaves with nodal acrea. The fruits are achenes or nutlets with oersistent tepals. Genera include Persicaris and Rumex.

Ranunculaceae

The buttercup family, these dicots have spiral sheathing leaves. The fruits aggregate in achenes, follicles, or berries. Genera include Anemone, Aquilegia, Calthia, Clematis, Ranunculus, and Thalictrum.

Rosaceae

The rose family, these dicots have prickles and thorns. Leaves are typically spiral and a hypanthium is present. Fruit is a drupe, a pome, a hip, follicetum, achenicetum, or capsule. Genera include Amelanchier, Crataegys, Fragaria, Potentilla, Prunus, Rosa, Rubus, Sorbus, and Spirae.

Rubiaceae

The coffee family, these dicots have opposite decussate leaves. The calyx is fused and so are the families. The interior is hairy and the fruit is a berry, capsule, drupe, pr schizocarp. Genera include Galium, Houstonia, and Mitchella.

Scrophulariaceae

The figwort family, these dicots are often two lipped with staminodes and epipetalous. Form septicidal capsules, drupes, or schizocarps. Genera include Verbascum.

Solanaceae

The nightshad3 family, these dicots have prickles and alternate exstipulate leaves. The petals are fused. The stamens are fused. Anthers ar3 connivent. Berry enclosed by an inflated calyx, drupe, or septicidal capsule. Genera include Datura, Physalis, and Solanum.

Violaceae

The violet family, these dicots can be lianas or have leaves alternate or in basal rosettes. Anterior petal is spurred and fruit is a berry, loculicidal capsule, or sometimes a nut. Genera include Viola.