herbaceous-id-families-review-1304

Sunflower or Aster Family

• Capitulum or Head Infloresence - a composite of many florets
• Floret names
  • Disc or Tube
  • Ray, Ligulate or Strap
• Head names
  • Discoid
  • Ligulate
  • Radiate
• Shallow Nectaries - especially good for bees
• Fruit is an Achene (dry seed) often with a Pappus
• Ligularia, Shasta Daisy, Echinacea, Joe Pye Weed

Buttercup Family

• POISON!!
• Showy flowers, many stamens
  • no hypanthium
  • interesting formations - spurred nectaries, hoods, etc
• Mostly herbaceous
• Leaves deeply incised or lobed
• Bugbane, Globe flower

The Poppy Family

• Order Ranunculales (relative of Ranunculaceae)
• Showy flowers, many stamens (usually)
• Milky latex Sap and/or alkaloids often (poison.)
• Bleeding Heart and Fern Leaf Bleeding Heart, Poppy

Saxifrage Family

• Stone-breakers... Mountain plants
• Basal foliage, rising inflorescence
• Requires drainage, adapted for open exposures
• Stamens double the number of petals
• Coral Bells, Bergenia, Astilbe

The Parsley Family

• Many are edible - some are deadly (hemlock)
• compound umbles (family name used to be UMBELLACEAE)
• Stems may be hollowFruit is a 2 celled ovary that splits at maturity into 2 seeds (think fennel or dill)
• Variegated Goutweed

The Rose Family

• Used to be divided into subfamilies
• Alternate leaves (may be palmate or compound)
• Usually woody
• Usually many stamens and hypanthium
• Many with thorns
• Fruits variable - pomes, drupes, follicles, capsules, etc.
• Lady's Mantle

The Asparagus Family

• Several subfamilies: Brodiaea, Beargrass, Agave (used to all be in the lily family)
• No distinct family characteristics - must look at each subfamily
  • Agave = Hostas
    • Basal leaves, central flower stalk, flower parts in 3s,
    • well adapted to environments (hostas = shade, agave = desert, camassia = marginal water)
  • Beargrass = Lily of the Valley and Solomon's Seal

Mint Family

• SQUARE STEMS
• aromatic oils - many are edible
• Opposite leaves
• Often axillary flowers
• Fused petals - 2 up and 3 down, 4 stamens
• Lamium, Ajuga, Salvia, Russian Sage, Catmint

The Dogbane Family

• Mostly tropicals
• Often poison (milky, latex sap)
• wiry stems
• pairs of pods

So closely related to ASTERACEAE, it's barely worth noting

Scabiosa

The Plantain family

• Flowers are spikes (Sessile Racemes)
• Fruit is sticky
• Basal Foliage
• White Man's Toes (Plantain weed), Snapdragon, Speedwell

The Peony family

• Compound leaves
• Fragrant flowers
• Peonies

The Aloe Family

• Terminal panicle with flowers in threes
• Leaves stacked alternately in rows
• Daylily