How a botanist describes a plant in a standard way, with a floral diagram and a floral formula. Then three families: Fabaceae, Solanaceae and Liliaceae.
3 lessons, about 1 h 25 min3 simulations10 problems3 practice questionsPython in every lesson
Created by StemPy LabA flowering plant is described in a fixed order: habit, root, stem, leaf, inflorescence, the flower with its four whorls, the fruit and seed, and last a floral diagram and a floral formula. The first four steps are vegetative characters, the next three are floral characters, and the last step sums up the flower.
A floral diagram shows the number of parts of a flower, how they are arranged and how they are related, with the mother axis as a dot at the top. A floral formula writes the same flower in symbols: Br, the symmetry sign, K, C or P, A and G, with brackets for fusion and a line under G for a superior ovary.
Fabaceae, the pea family, has a zygomorphic flower with a papilionaceous corolla and a legume. Solanaceae, the potato family, has a radial flower with united petals and epipetalous stamens. Liliaceae, the lily family, is a monocot with six tepals and parallel veins. Each family has its own formula.
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