Habit : Cultivated annual herb
solid nodes
(culm
hollow internodes
Simple,The leaf blade is thinlanceolateentire
acute and hairy with parallel venation
Erect simple herbaceoususually glabrous
cylindrical with 5-7 solid nodes and hollow
The internodes are shorter at base and
internodes
increasing with height of the stem.
Adventitious and fibrous.
A thin membranous,
colorless and jagged
ligule present at
inner side of the
junction of leaf blade
and leaf sheath
two clamp shaped
hairy auricles at both
ends of the junction.
isobilateral and is divided into leaf
sheath and leaf blade
The leaf sheath is thick, fleshy and amplexicaul.
sheath pulvinus.
The terminal leaf, which
encloses the
inflorescence, is flag
leaf.
Inflorescence
Spike of spikelets
Spikelet
Sessile,
borne on
unbranched and
zigzagged rachis,
arranged in two
rows with a single
terminal spikelet.
Glume 1 Glume 2
It is composed of a minute rachilla, variable number of
florets (3-7) and boat shaped two empty glumes
Lower florets are fertile
Floret while
upper florets are sterile.
Fertile floret consists of a
lemma, a palea and a
flower.
Lemma is large, boat
shaped and awned.
Flower
Minute sessile bracteate incomplete
bisexual zygomorphic
irregular and
hypogynous
Lodicule
The perianth is represented by 2 broad, thick,
fleshy and transparent lodicules, lies beneath the
ovary.
Androecium
Anther
Filament
Stamens-3 polyandrous (free) filament short and slender
anther large 2-lobed (dithecous) versatile
Gynoecium
Stigma
Style
Ovary
Carpel-1 (monocarpellary), ovary superior and unilocular
stigma bifurcated and style reduced placentation- basa
feathery
Floral formula: Br. % O P 2 (lodicules) A 3 G 1
+
Family : Gramineae/ Poaceae
Identifying Characters:
i. Inflorescence spike of spikelets.
ii. Anther versatile and stigma plumose type.
iii. Fruit caryopsis.
iv Stem culm
Other related crops:
Rice: Oryza sativa
Sugarcane: Saccharum officinarum
Maize: Zea mays
Barley: Hordeum vulgare
Millet: Sorghum vulgare
Conclusion:
Inflorescence = Spike of spikelets
Spikelet = 2 empty glumes + florets
Floret = A lemma + a palea + a flower
Flower = 2 lodicules + Androecium +
a gynoecium
Fruit = Caryopsis
Habit : Cultivated annual herb
Herbaceous erect cylindrical (at initial
stage),
angular (at maturity),Normally
hairy surface rough
unbranched
solid, woody (at maturity)
Tap root system, highly branched
Leaf and Inflorescence
Head or
capitulum,
Surrounded by involucre of bracts
Simple exstipulate petiolate
alternate, lamina-ovate Serrate
apex-acute surface-rough
mid rib prominent reticulate venation
Flower
Heterogamous i.e., inflorescence consists of two kinds of florets,
disc floret and ray floret
Located at the center of the
head
Disk floret
bracteate sessile, incomplete
bisexual actinomorphic epigynous
Sepal
Modified into paper like
structure known as pappus, two
in number
Corolla: Petals-5, gamopetalous,
aestivation -valvate
Androecium: Stamens-5,
epipetalous, syngenecious,
fillament short, anther long,
basifixed.
Gynoecium : Carpels-2, syncarpous,
style filiform, stigma-bifurcated, ovary
-inferior and single chambered,
placentation- basal
Ray floret :
Located at the periphery of the head
bracteate sessile incomplete,
either pistillate or zygomorphic
neutral epigynous
Calyx : Pappus-3
Corolla :
Petals-3 gamopetalous elliptic
ligulate aestivation-valvate
Androecium : Absent
Gynoecium :
Carpels-2 syncarpous style filiform stigma-bifurcated
ovary-inferior and single placentation- basal
chambered
Fruit : Cypsela
a small one seeded dry fruit which develops from
bicarpellary, syncarpous and inferior ovary, the pericarp
(fruit wall) and seed coat are free from each other
Floral formula:
Disc floret: Br. ⊕ OK 2 ( Pappus ) C ( 5 ) A (5) G ( 2 )
+
Ray floret: Br. % O K 3 ( Pappus ) C ( 3) A0 G ( 2 ) (
+
pistillate )
Floral diagram:
Other related crops:
Lettuce: Lactuca sativus
Safflower: Carthamus tinctorius
Dahlia: Dahlia sp.
Chrysanthemum: Chrysanthemum
sp.
Marigold: Tagetes sp.
Ray floret Disk floret
Family: Compositae
Identifying characters:
1. Inflorescence head or capitulum surrounded by an involucre of
bracts
2. Calyx modified into pappus
3. Androecium syngenecious
4. Fruit cypsela
