Plant Families

 Colorado Plant Zones

Colorado has 66.6 Million acres with about 3200 plant species.

Plains Zone- is the entire east side of Colorado at about 3300 ft of elevation. Dominated by short prairie grass. A little tall prairie grass.

Foothills Zone- About 6000-8000 ft elevation. More shrub type vegetation.

Montane Zone- About 8000-10000 ft elevation. Douglas-fir, Colorado blue spruce, Lodgepole pine, and Aspen groves are common.

Subalpine Zone- 10,000 ft. to 11,100 ft in elevation. Dense forests of Engelmann Spruce and Alpine fir, Bristlecone pine in small groups.

Alpine Zone- 1100 ft. and up in elevation. No trees, mostly low growing perennial herbs.

Shrublands-5000-10,000 ft. in elevation. Sagebrush meadows in Western Colorado and North, Middle, and South Park.

Semidesert Shrublands- 4500-7500 ft in elevation. Saltbush, greasewood, other

drought or salt tolerant species in Western Colorado and in San Luis Valley.

Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands- Western and southern Colorado. 4500-8000 ft in elevation.

Ranunculaceae and Brassicaceae

Ranunculales - Buttercup Family

  • Order: Angiosperm

  • General information:

  • Habit: Perennial and annual herbs. Sometimes woody

  • Leaves: No stipules. Usually alternate. Simple or compound. Often cleft or lobed.

  • Flowers: Usually perfect.

    • Actinomorphic - 3+ distinct sepals, 0+ distinct petals, Many distinct stamens, many distinct carpals. Superior ovary.

    • Zygomorphic - 5 distinct sepals (with a spur), 2-4 distinct petals (with a spur), Many distinct stamens. 3 distinct carpals. Superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Carpals mature into: follicles, achenes, berries

  • Recognition characteristics: Alternate cleft/lobed leaves. petaloid sepals, many stamens and carpals, follicles or achenes

Brassicaceae - Mustard Family

  • Order: Angiosperm

  • General information:

  • Habit: Annual to perennial herbs.

  • Leaves: Usually alternate. Simple. Exstipulate (no stipules). Auriculate base (two base lobes on petiole). Stellate, forked or dolabriform (stalked hairs) pubescence.

  • Flowers: Perfect. 4-merous (looks like a cross).

    • Actinomorphic - 4 distinct sepals, 4 distinct petals, tetradynamous stamens (4 long, 2 short). Two connate carpals in one compound pistil. Superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Silique (long and sleek) or silicle - papery replum (outer covering). Is a remnant of the septum in the ovary.

  • Recognition characteristics: Alternate leaves with forked/stellate hairs. Distinct 4-merous petals. Tetradynamous stamens. Silique and silicle.

Order Saxifragales - Crassulaceae, Grossulariaceae, Saxifragaceae

Crassulaceae - Stonecrop

  • Order: Saxifragales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Succulent herbs, some subshrubs, mostly xerophytic (adaptation to little water)

  • Leaves: Alternate or opposite (more common), fleshy and simple. Extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Actinomorphic - 4-5 distinct sepals, 4-5 distinct petals, 8-10 distinct stamens. 4-5 distinct carpals. Superior ovary. Carpals subtended by nectary (makes nectar, on the receptacle).

  • Fruit: Aggregate of follicles

  • Recognition characteristics: Succulent with a distinct perianth. Polycarpous gynoecium attached to nectary scales.

Grossulariaceae - Gooseberry Family

  • Order: Saxifragales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Shrubs often with spines

  • Leaves: Alternate, and fascicled (grouping of leaves in a short shoot). Simple and palmately lobed. With or without stipules.

  • Flowers: Perfect or imperfect. Rotate to a tubular hypanthium. Petaloid calyx.

    • Actinomorphic: 4-5 connate sepals united at the base to make a hypanthium. 5 tiny, distinct, central, petals united at the base to make a hypanthium with sepals. 5 distinct stamens. Syncarpous gynoecium with 2 fused carpals. Inferior ovary.

  • Fruit: Berries with a persistant calyx (petals stay of mature fruit).

  • Recognition characteristics: Shrubs with pines. Palmatly lobes leaves. Hypanthium. Inferior ovary that matures into berries.

Saxifragacea - Saxifrage family

  • Order: Saxifragales

  • General information: Mostly in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere

  • Habit: Mostly perennial herbs

  • Leaves: Alternate, and mostly basal. Often reniform (kidney shaped). Extipulate.

  • Flowers: Perfect, with clawed petals

    • Actinomorphic: 5 connate sepals that unite into a hypanthium. 5 distinct clawed petals. 5 or 10 distinct stamens. Syncarpous gynoecium with 2-6 carpals united at the base. Inferior ovary.

  • Fruit: Capsule

  • Recognition characteristics: Herbs with basal leaves. Reiform leaves. Hypanthium, and capels united at the base.

Order Malphigiales - Salicaceae, Violaceae, Euphorbiaceae

Salicceae - Willow Family

  • Order: Malphigiales

  • General information: 55 genera, 1010 species, ornamentals

  • Habit: Trees and shrubs that often grow in wet places

  • Leaves: Alternate, simple or serrate margins, stipulate

  • Flowers: Imperfect, diecious catkins

    • Staminate: Only stamens

    • Pistillate: 2 fused carpals on top of nectar gland

  • Fruit: Capsule, Seeds comose (hairy)

  • Recognition characteristics: Trees and shrubs, Pruinose (waxy, whitish stem covering), Dioecious catkins with no perianth.

Violaceae - Violet Family

  • Order: Malphigiales

  • General information: 34 genera, 985 species, Ornamentals

  • Habit: Perennial herbs, sometimes shrubs

  • Leaves: Alternate, simple but sometimes lobed or dissected. Stipules

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Zygomorphic: 5 sepals, 5 petals with base one usually spurred, 5 stamens, 3 fused carpals into a club shaped stigma, superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Explosive loculicidial capsule with three locules

  • Recognition characteristics: Often cordate leaves, zygomorphic with a bottom spur

Euphorbiacea - Spurge Family

  • Order: Malphigiales

  • General information: 218 genera, 6745 species

  • Habit: Trees, shrubs and herbs. Milky latex

  • Leaves: Alternate, opposite, or whorled. Usually simple and stipulate. Stipules can be modified into glands, hairs, or spines.

  • Flowers: Imperfect, actinomorphic, monecious

    • Normal type:                                                                      Staminate - 0-5 sepals, no petals, 1+ stamens, no gynoecium. Pistillate - 0-5 sepals, 0-5 petals, no stamens, 3 fused carpals, superior ovary

    • Euphorbia type: Cyathium Staminate - Only one stamen                                             Pistillate - 3 fused carpals, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Schizocarp, 3 ovary lobes fall off as a mericarp

  • Recognition characteristics: Milky sap, cyathium, reduced or absent perianth

Order Cucurbitales - Cucurbitaceae

Cucurbitaceae - Gourd Family

  • Order: Curcurbitacae

  • General information: 98 genera, 975 species

  • Habit: Annual or perennial herbs, climbing or prostrate vines with tendrils

  • Leaves: Alternate and simple. Sometimes palmately 5-lobed

  • Flowers: Monoecious

    • Actinomorphic: Staminate - 5 distinct sepals, 5 connate petals, 5 fused stamens, no carpels                                                    Pistillate - 5 distinct sepals, 5 connate petals, no stamens, 3 fused carpals, inferior ovary

  • Fruit: Pepo

Recognition characteristics: Vines or herbs, often with tendrils, Palmately lobed leaves, 3 carpels, Pepo

Order Fabales - Fabaceae - Mimosoideae, Caesalpinioideae, Faboideae

Mimosoideae -

  • Order: Fabales

  • General information: 82 genera, 3335 species

  • Habit: Trees and shrubs

  • Leaves: Bipinnately compound leaves

  • Flowers: Showy stamens

    • Actinomorphic: 5 fused sepals, 5 distinct or connate petals, 4 fused stamens or 8+ distinct stamens, 1 carpel, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Legumes

  • Recognition characteristics: Alternate, stipulate leaves. Unicarpellate flowers, legumes

Caesalpinioideae -

  • Order: Fabales

  • General information: 160 genera, 1930 species

  • Habit: Trees or shrubs

Leaves: Pinnately compound, twice pinnately compound, or simple

  • Flowers: can be weakly zygomorphic

    • Zygomorphic: 5 fused sepals, 5 distinct petals, 10 distinct stamens, 1 carpal, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Legume

  • Recognition characteristics: Alternate, stipulate leaves. Unicarpellate flowers, legumes

Faboideae - Bean Family

  • Order: Fabales

  • General information: 475 genera, 13715 species

  • Habit: Herbs, shrubs, or trees

  • Leaves: Variously pinnately compound, palmately compound,
    trifoliate, or simple. Often with tendrils

  • Flowers: Upper banner (flag like petal), two outside wings, Two bottom fused petals into a keel that houses reproductive parts. monadelphous or diadelphous stamens

    • Zygomorphic: 5 fused sepals, 5 petals (distinct top and outer wings, fused keel), 9 fused stamens + 1 distinct stamen, 1 carpel, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Legume

  • Recognition characteristics: Alternate, stipulate leaves. Unicarpellate flowers, legumes

Order Rosales - Rosaceae and Myrtales - Onagraceae

  • Order: Rosales

  • General information: 90 genera, 4800 species

  • Recognition characteristics: Stipulate leaves, 5-merous flowers, hypanthium, many stamens

Dryadoidea -

  • Order: Rosales

  • General information: 90 genera, 4800 species

  • Habit: Shrubs and trees

  • Leaves: Usually simple and stipulate

  • Flowers: Hypanthium, many stamens, polycarpous or unicarpellate gynoecium

  • Fruit: Aggregate or achenes often with a feathery style

  • Recognition characteristics: Nitrogen fixing

Rosoideae -

  • Order: Rosales

  • General information: 90 genera, 4800 species

  • Habit: Herbaceous or shrubs

  • Leaves: Usually compound and stipulate

  • Flowers:

    • Actinomorphic: 5 sepals, 5 petals, 10-many stamens all united into a hypanthium. Many carpels with a superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Aggregate of achenes or druplets (strawberries and raspberrie). .

Amygdaloideae - stonefruit and pome

  • Order: Rosales

  • General information: 90 genera, 4800 species

  • Habit: Trees and shrubs

  • Leaves: Simple, sometimes have glands on petioles.

  • Flowers:

    • Drupe: 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 to many stamens united into a hypanthium. Unicarpellate with a superior ovary.

    • Pome: 5 sepals, 5 petals, 10 to many stamens united into a hypanthium. 2-5 fused carpels with an inferior ovary.

    • Aggregate of follicles: 5 sepals, 5 petals, 10 to many stamens united into a hypanthium. 2-5 distinct carpels with a superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Aggregate of follicles, pome, or drupes

Onagraceae - Evening primrose family

  • Order: Myrtales

  • General information: 22 genera, 656 species

  • Habit: Herbs, and rarely shrubs

  • Leaves: Simple, alternate or opposite, extipulate or stipules fall off quickly. Sometimes basal rosettes

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Actinomorphic: 4 sepals, 4 petals, 4 or 8 stamens all united into a hypanthium. 4 fused carpels with an inferior ovary.

    • Zygomorphic: 4 sepals, 4 petals, 4 or 8 stamens all united into a hypanthium. 4 fused carpels with an inferior ovary.

  • Fruit: Usually a loculicidal capsule

  • Recognition characteristics: 4-merous, inferior ovary, hypanthium

Order Malvales - Malvaceae and Geraniales - Geraniaceae and Cornales - Loasacea

Malvaceae - Mallow Family

  • Order: Malvales

  • General information: Nine subfamilies

  • Habit: Mostly herbaceous

  • Leaves: Alternate and simple. Palmately lobed and palmate venation. Stipules. Stellate, or lepidote (scale like) hairs

  • Flowers: Perfect, valvate calyx (margins meet but don’t overlap), subtened by bracts (epicalyx)

    • Actinomorphic: 3-5 fused sepals, 5 petals fused to many monadelphous stamens making a tube around the style. 5-10+ fused carpels. Superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidal capsule or schizocarp often splitting into wedges. Cotton

  • Recognition characteristics: Palmate leaves, palmate venation, valvate calyx, epicalyx, monadelphous stamens

Geraniaceae- Geranium Family

  • Order: Geraniales

  • General information: 7 genera, 800 species

  • Habit: Herbaceous

  • Leaves: Alternate or opposite. Palmately or pinnately lobed. Stipulate. Simple, glandular hairs

  • Flowers: Perfect, guide lines

    • Actinomorphic: 5 distinct sepals, 5 distinct petals, 10 distinct stamens, 5 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Schizocarp, mericarp splitting and coiling up central beak

  • Recognition characteristics: Glandular hairs, 5 carpels, guide lines

Loasacea- Stickleaf Family

  • Order: Cornales

  • General information: 20 genera, 265 species

  • Habit: Herbs and shrubs

  • Leaves: Simple, pinnately lobed, alternate, Coarse (barbed) hairs

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Actinomorphic: 5 distinct sepals, 5 or 10 distinct petals, 5 to many stamens (can be petaloid), 3-7 fused carpels, inferior ovary

  • Fruit: Capsule with persistent calyx

  • Recognition characteristics: Large coarse hairs, numerous stamens, petaloid stamens, capsule with persistent calyx

Order Asterales - Asteraceae, Campanulaceae

Asteraceae - Daisy Falily

  • Order: Asterales

  • General information: 1900 genera, 32000 species

  • Habit: Herbaceous, or sometimes shrubs. Watery or milky sap

  • Leaves: Usually alternate, can be basal or opposite. Simple, compound, or lobed. Extipulate

  • Flowers: Head or capitulum. Central disk flowers, outer ray flowers. Flowers inserted on the receptacle. Surrounded bracts called phyllaries.

    • Ray Flowers: Zygomorphic, pistillate or sterile, corolla acute, or 3-toothed

    • Disc Flowers: Actinomorphic, tubular, perfect

    • Litugate Ray Flowers: zygomorphic, perfect, 5-toothed at apex. Varied sepals, 5 fused petals (actinomorphic or zygomorphic), 0 or 5 stamens, 0 or 2 fused carpels, inferior ovary

    • Disk and ray flowers, only disk flowers, only ligulate ray flowers

  • Fruit: Cypsela

  • Recognition characteristics: Head inflorescence

Campanulaceae - Bellflower Family

  • Order: Asterales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Perennial herbs, sometimes with milky latex

  • Leaves: Alternate, simple and extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect, campanulate (bell)

    • Actinomorphic: 5 distinct sepals, 5 fused petals, 5 distinct or fused stamens forming a ring around the style, 2-3-5 fused carpels

    • Zygomorphic: 5 distinct sepals, 5 fused petals, 5 distinct or fused stamens forming a ring around the style, 2-3-5 fused carpels

  • Fruit: Poricidial capsule

  • Recognition characteristics: Campanulate flowers, inferior ovary, tubular or connate anthers

Order Solanales - Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae

Convolvulaceae - Morning Glory Family

  • Order: Solanales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Herbs and shrubs with climbing vines, milky sap

  • Leaves: Alternate, simple and extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect with an epicalyx and bloom in the morning

    • Actinomorphic: 5 distinct sepals, 5 connate petals fused with 5 distinct stamens, 2 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Capsule with 4 or fewer seeds

  • Recognition characteristics: Vines, plicate and funnelform

Solanaceae- Nightshade Family

  • Order: Solanales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Herbs and shrubs with climbing vines

  • Leaves: Alternate, simple and extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Actinomorphic: 5 distinct sepals, 5 connate petals fused with 5 distinct stamens, 2 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Berries with a septicidial caspule

  • Recognition characteristics: Vines, sympetalous, berries

Order Ericales - Ericaceae, Primulaceae, Polemoniaceae

Ericaceae - Heath Family

  • Order: Ericales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Trees and shrub, perennial herbs, grow in acidic soils because Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi

  • Leaves: Alternate and simple with entire margins. Often evergreen with thick leaves. Extipulate.

  • Flowers: Perfect, urceolate (urn shaped) or campanulate

    • Actinomorphic: 4-5 fused or distinct sepals, 4-5 fused or distinct sepals, 8 or 10 distinct appendaged stamens facing in, 4-5 fused carpels. Superior or inferior ovary

  • Fruit: Berries or capsules

  • Recognition characteristics: Simple leaves, urceolate or campanulate flowers, appendages anthers with terminal pores

Primulaceae - Primrose Family

  • Order: Ericales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Perennial or annual herbs

  • Leaves: Mostly basal. extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Actinomorphic: 5 fused sepals, 5 connate petals fused to 5 distinct anthers that are opposite corolla lobes, 5 fused carpels with ball shaped stigma, superior ovary with free central placentation

  • Fruit: Capsule with many small seeds

  • Recognition characteristics: Basal leaves, stamens opposite petals, capitate stigma

Polemoniaceae - Phlox Family

  • Order: Ericales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Herbs or rarely shrubs

  • Leaves: Alternate or opposite, entire pinnately lobed or compound, glandular hair that smell like skunk

  • Flowers: Perfect in a cyme

    • Actinomorphic: 5 fused sepals, 5 connate petals fused to 5 distinct anthers, 3 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidial capsule

  • Recognition characteristics: 3 carpels, smelly glandular hairs, corolla spirally twisted

Order Apiales - Apiaceae and Gentianales- Apocynaceae, Gentianaceae

Apiaceae - Parsley Family

  • Order: Apiales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Biennial or perennial herbs. Often aromatic

  • Leaves: Hollow, furrowed stems. Alternate, compound leaves with a sheathing base

  • Flowers: Perfect, in a compound umbel

    • Actinomorphic: 5 distinct sepals, petals, and stamens. 2 fused carpels. Stylopodium (enlarged base of the style). Inferior ovary

  • Fruit: Schizocarp that splits into two mericarps

  • Recognition characteristics: Hollow stems, sheathing leaf base, compound umbels with tiny flowers

Apocynaceae - Dogbane Family

  • Order: Apocynaceae

  • General information:

  • Habit: Perennial herbs with a milky latex

  • Leaves: Opposite, whorled, or decussate, simple and entire, extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Actinomorphic: 5 fused or distinct sepals, 5 connate petals fused to 5 distinct (connument) stamens, 2 fused carpels (styles distinct fused by stigmas), superior ovary

    • Asclepias (milkweed): Corona (petal like appendage between petals) made of a hood and horn. Gynostegium (fusion of anthers with stigma). 5 distinct sepals, 5 fused petals, 5 connate stamens fused to 2 connate carpels.

  • Fruit: 2 follicles, capsule. Comose seeds

  • Recognition characteristics: Milky sap, united stamens, Aslecpias corona, comose seeds

Gentianaceae - Gentian Family

  • Order: Gentianales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Annual or perennial herbs, glaberous, square stems

  • Leaves: Opposite or whorled, sessile, entire, extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect, plicate (folded), often blue

    • Actinomorphic: 4-5 fused sepals, 4-5 connate petals fused to 4-5 distinct stamens, 2 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Septicidial capsule

  • Recognition characteristics: Opposite, sessile, entire leaves. Square stems, sympetalous with folds, blue or purple tubular flowers

Order Lamiales - Lamiaceae, Plantaginaceae, Orobanchaceae

Lamiaceae - Mint Family

  • Order: Laminales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Herbs or rarely shrubs, square stems

  • Leaves: Opposite, decussate, sometimes lobe, extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect, bilabiate corolla (two lipped), verticillasterate (whorled)

    • Zygomorphic: 5 fused sepals, 5 connate petals fused to 2 or 4 stamens (didynamous), 2 fused carpels but 4 stigma lobes, superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Nutlet

  • Recognition characteristics: Square stems, minty aroma, whorled flowers, 2 lipped flowers

Plantaginaceae - Plantain Family

  • Order: Laminales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Herbaceous

  • Leaves: Simple and opposite. Entire or pinnately lobed.

  • Flowers: Perfect, can be nearly actinomorphic

    • Zygomorphic: 4-5 fused sepals, 4-5 fused petals, didynamous stamens with a staminode in the center, 2 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidal or septicidial capsule

  • Recognition characteristics: Didynamous stamens with a bearded staminode

Orobanchaceae - Broomrape Family

  • Order: Laminales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Usually parasitic. Herbaceous.

  • Leaves: Alternate and simple. Scaley in holoparasites.

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Zygomorphic: 2 or 5-4 fused sepals, 5 connate petals fused to 4 anthers, 2 fused carpels, superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Loculicidial capsules with lots of seeds.

  • Recognition characteristics: Parasitic herbs, two lipped corollas, didynamous stamens, beak out of upper petal.

Order Caryophyllales - Caryophyllaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Montiaceae

Caryophyllaceae- Pink Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Annual or perennial herbs. Swollen nodes

  • Leaves: Simple and opposite. Entire, and usually extipulate. 

  • Flowers: Perfect with cleft petals. Gynophore (elongates stalk bearing the pistil)

    • Actinomorphic: 5 fused or distinct sepals, 0 or 5 distinct petals, 5-10 distinct stamens, 2-5 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Denticidal capsule, persistant sepals

  • Recognition characteristics: Swollen nodes, notched petals, ovary on a stalk.

Nyctaginaceae- Four O’Clock Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Herbs

  • Leaves: Opposite, simple, entire, extipulate, swollen nodes

  • Flowers: Perfect, often with bright bracts

    • Actinomorphic: 5 fused sepals, no petals, 5 distinct stamens, unicarpellate, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Achene enclosed in persistant calyx (anthocarp)

  • Recognition characteristics: Swollen nodes, flowers clustered into heads, anthocarps

Montiaceae- Miner’s Lettuce Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Annual or perennial herbs

  • Leaves: Succulent. Alternate or basal. Simple and entire. 

  • Flowers: Perfect

    • Actinomorphic: 2 distinct or fused sepals, 4-6 distinct petals, 4-many distinct stamens opposite the petals, 2-8 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidial capsule

  • Recognition characteristics:

Order Poales - Poaceae, Juncaceae, Cyperaceae

Poaceae - Grass Family

  • Order: Poales

  • General information: C3- cool season C4- warm season

  • Habit: Annual or perennial herbs. Round stems (culm) with hollow pith.

  • Leaves: Alternate, simple leaves. Sheathing base. Ligule at leaf junction (lamina) and stem (culm).

  • Flowers: Perfect or imperfect. All flowers are comprised of spikelets. Base of spikelets are two bracts (glumes). Induvidual flowers are subtended by two bracts (lemma and palea).

    • No sepals or petals. 2,3,6 stamens, Two carpels fused into one pistil.

  • Fruit: Caryopsis (grain).

  • Recognition characteristics: Hollow stems, linear leaves, no perianth, spikelets

Juncaceae - Rush Family

  • Order: Poales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Usually in wet places. Perrenial or annual herbs. Round, solid (not hollow) stems, rhizomes

  • Leaves: Basal. Simple, entire, linear. Open or closed sheaths. Sometime channeled (divisions), or folded (equitant), or scale-like (cataphyll).

  • Flowers: Perfect or imperfect. Inconspicuous head or cyme

    • Actimomorphic: 6 brownish tepals, 6 distinct stamens, 3 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidal capsule with many seeds (Juncus) or 3 seeds (Luzula)

  • Recognition characteristics: Grasslike herbs, solid stems, 6 tepals, caspule

Cyperaceae - Sedge Family

  • Order: Poales

  • General information:

  • Habit: Perennial herbs in wet areas, rhizomes, triangual solid stems.

  • Leaves: Basal or alternate, linear simple and entire, closed sheaths, ligule

  • Flowers: Perfect or imperfect, minute, spikelets, no true perianth (reduced to bristles or hairs)

    • Staminate: Subtended by a single scale

    • Pistillate: Enclosed by a scale, and a specialized bract (perigynium)

    • Androgynous: Staminate above pistillate flowers

    • Gynaecandrous: Pistillate above staminate

  • Fruit: Achene with one seed

  • Recognition characteristics: Grass-like plants, Triangular stems (usually), Closed sheath, No perianth, Perigynium (Carex)

Order Caryophyllales - Cactaceae, Amaranthaceae, Polygonaceae

Cactaceae- Cactus Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Succulent hers or shrubs. Spines

  • Leaves: Reduced to spines. Fleshy spherical/cylidrical stems

    • Tubercle -

    • Areoles region where spines are clustered. Glochids – tiny hooked

barbs

  • Flowers: Showy, perfect, solitary

    • Actinomorphic: Sepals integrated into petals. Many distinct petals fused to many distinct stamens (hypnthium). 2 to many carpels. Inferior ovary

  • Fruit: Berry

  • Recognition characteristics: Succulent plants. Spines (no leaves). Showy flowers with many stamens. Sepals intergrading into petals. Berry

Amaranthaceae- Amanranth Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Annual or perrenial herbs and shrubs. Adapted to dry (xerophytes) or high salinity (halophytes) conditions.

  • Leaves: Alternate, simple, extipulate, sometimes succulent, mealy hairs (scurfy)

  • Flowers: Imperfect or perfect, monecious or diecious, green and inconspicuous

    • Actinomorphic: 3 to 5 distinct sepals, no petals, 3-5 distinct stamens, 2-3 fused carpels. Superior ovary.

  • Fruit: Capsule, ultricle (bladder-like, one-seeded fruit with thin seed walls), or achene

  • Recognition characteristics: Often mealy hairs (scurfy), flowers small and inconspicuous, no petals, utricle

Polygonaceae- Smartweed Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Annual or perrenial herbs. Sometimes shrubs

  • Leaves: Swollen nodes, alternate and entire leaves, Modified stipule sheathing the stem at the node (ocrea)

  • Flowers: Perfect, small, tepals

    • Actinomorphic: 5 distinct tepals, 5 to 8 distinct stamens, 3 fused carpels, superior ovary OR 3+3 distinct tepals, 3-9 distinct stamens 3 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: 3 sided achine with a persistent calyx

  • Recognition characteristics: Alternate, simple leaves, Ocrea, Tepals, 3-sided achene

Order Boraginales - Boraginaceae

Boraginaceae- Borage Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Mostly herbs, sometimes shrubs, often rough (scaberous) or bristly

  • Leaves: Usually alternate and entire, simple and extipulate

  • Flowers: Perfect in coiled cymes

    • Actinoorphic: 5 fused sepals, 5 connate petals fused to 5 distinct stamens, 2 fused carpels, superior 4 lobed ovary. Corona and gynobasic style

  • Fruit: 4 nutlets

  • Recognition characteristics: Bristly/rough herbs, Coiled cymes, 4-lobed ovary, 4 nutlets

Order Liliales - Liliaceae

Liliaceae- Lily Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Perennial herbs from bulbs

  • Leaves: Alternate or whorled. Simple and entire. Parallel venation

  • Flowers: Perfect, spotted or lined tepals

    • Actinomorphic: 6 tepals, 6 distinct stamens, 3 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidial capsule, occasionally a berry. Seed coat not black

  • Recognition characteristics: Bulbs, leaves simple, entire, parallel

venation, 6 tepals (often spotted)

Order Asparagales - Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae

Amaryllidaceae- Onion Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Perennial herbs from bulbs. Onion/garlic smell

  • Leaves: Linear, basal and simple

  • Flowers: Perfect, cymeose umbel, subtended by papery bracts

    • Actinomorphic: 6 tepals (not spotted), 6 distinct stamens, 3 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidial capsule, seeds with black coating (phytomelan)

  • Recognition characteristics: Bulbs, Onion/garlic odor, Basal, linear leaves, Umbel with papery bracts, 6 tepals (not spotted), Black seed coating

Asparagaceae- Agave Family

  • Order:

  • General information:

  • Habit: Rosette forming, perennial herbs, xeric places

  • Leaves: Simple, succulent, fiberous, sharp tip

  • Flowers: Perfect, large terminal panicles, green or whitish colored

    • Actinomorphic: 6 tepals (not spotted), 6 distinct stamens, 3 fused carpels, superior ovary

  • Fruit: Loculicidial or berry like capsule, flat seeds with phytomelan

  • Recognition characteristics: Rosette-forming, Thick, fibrous, succulent leaves

Gymnosperms - Seed Plants

  • Pollination droplet - sticky liquid secreted by the ovule that captures pollen grains

  • No endosperm formation

  • Cycadophyta: Diecious, Only gymnosperms with compound leaves,

  • Ginkophyta: Ginko biloba

  • Gnetophytes:

    • Gnetum - opposite, simple leaves, diecious, reticulate venation

  • Ephedraceae - Mormon Tree Family:

  • Habit: Branched shrubs

  • Leaves: Reduced to scales

  • Cones: Diecious, compound cones

  • Pinophyta - Conifers

  • Pinaceae - Pine Family:

  • Habit: Trees

  • Leaves: Persistant (evergreen), seperate or fasicled

  • Cones: Woody seed cones with two seeds per ovule

  • Cupressaceae - Cypress Family:

  • Habit: Erect or prostrate trees or shrubs

  • Leaves: Scale like or awl shaped. Evergreen

  • Cones: Fleshy scales, bracts and scales fused in seed cones, ovules 2 to many per scale