Commonly called the ‘Lily family’ is a characteristic representative of monocotyledonous plants.
Vegetative characters: Perennial herbs with underground bulbs/corms/rhizomes
Distribution: 250 genera and 4000 species, cosmopolitan distribution (world wide). Habit : Normal Parennial herbs e.g. Asphodelus some are shrubs e.g. Dracaena, some are climbers e.g. Smilax, Gloriosa, some are trees e.g. Yucca.
Root : Usually adventitious roots. Fasciculated or tuberous roots are found in Asparagus.
Stem : Aerial or under ground. Food stores in the underground stem like.
1. Bulb : e.g. Onion and Garlic
2. Corm : e.g. Colchicum autumnale 3. Rhizome : e.g. Aloe
Modification of aerial stem
(i) Cladode : e.g. Asparagus , Ruscus Exception : Abnormal secondary growth occur in Dracaena and Yucca.
Leaves : Mostly basal, alternate, linear, exstipulate with parallel venation
C2 CLASSES Bhagat Singh Colony
Cont- Opp- Laxmi Narayan Mandir 8168998984/9053533648 JEE/NEET/11th-12th/ Gohana Adda, Rohtak-124001 PLANT MORPHOLOGY Cauline, Radical (leaves locate on under ground stem) e.g. Asphodelus, Stipulate sessile, various types of phyllotaxy (alternate, opposite or whorled), parallel venation.
Exception : (i) Reticulate venation - e.g. Smilax. (ii) In Gloriosa leaf tips are modified into tendrils while in smilax stipules are converted into tendrils. (iii) In Ruscus, leaves are modified into scales. (iv) In Asparagus - leaves are converted into spines.
Inflorescence: Solitary / cymose; often umbellate clusters. Usually racemose or solitary axillary or terminal, panicle in Dracaena, Yucca, Spadix in Aloe While scapigerous umbel in onion (Allium cepa) in which Inflorescence come out from under ground stem and clusters of flowers develop on the tip as umbel but it is actually scorpioid cyme instead of umbel.
Perianth : 6 Tepals, in two whorls 3 + 3, (Polyphyllous or Gamophyllous), often united into tube, valvate aestivation, odd tepal anterior. Androecium : 6 Stamens arrange in two whorls 3 + 3, Polyandrous, Epiphyllous, Anther Dithecous, Basifixed or Versatile, Introrse.
Gynoecium : Tricarpellary, Syncarpous, Axile placentation, Trilocular, Stigma trifid. In onion gynobasic style is present.
Fruit : capsule, rarely berry Berry - e.g. Lily or Capsule e.g. Onion.
Seed : Endospermic.
Pollination : Entomophilous, Pollination through a specific insect e.g. By Pronuba Yuccasela in Yucca.
Economic Importance: Many plants belonging to this family are good ornamentals (tulip, Gloriosa), source of medicine (Aloe), vegetables (Asparagus), and colchicine (Colchicum autumnale).
Resonate the Concept
(1) Food : (i) Onion - (Allium cepa) : Edible part is bulbs and fleshy leaves. (ii) Garlic - (Allium sativum) : Bulbs. (iii) Asparagus officinalis : Fasciculated roots.
(2) Medicines : (i) Smilax zeylanica : Roots yield sarsperilla like drug for purifying blood, piles, leprosy, gonorrhoea. (ii) Allium sativum : Useful in Heart disease and rheumatism. (iii) Asphodelus tennuifolius : Its seed are useful in the treatment of ulcer and swelling. (iv) Crinum asiaticum : Extract of leaves is used in rheumatism and ear pain (v) Fritillaria cirrhosa : Drieds bulbs useful in Tuberculosis and Asthma (vi) Aloe : Used in skin disease and constipation.
(3) Other uses :
(i) Colchicum luteum and C. autumnale : Colchicine obtain from corm which is used in experiment to induce polyploidy. (ii) Indian bow string hemp (Sansivieria roxburghiana) : Fibres obtain from leaves which are useful for making ropes, nets, etc. (iii) Dragon’s blood plant (Dracaena draca) : Red coloured resin obtain from its stem. It is also called Dragon blood. Metals are polished by this resin. (iv) Phormium tenax : Its oil is used in making paints & Varnish.
