The Monocots: Part 1 Overview, Basal, and “Petaloid” Groups

1. The Monocots: Part 1Overview, Basal, and “Petaloid” Groups Spring 2011

2. Figure 9.1 from the text

3. Synapomorphies of Monocots • Root system adventitious • One cotyledon • Stems with scattered vascular bundles (no secondary growth); herbaceous • Leaves parallel-veined with a sheathing base • Flowers pentacyclic (5 whorls), trimerous • Sieve cell plastids with several cuneate protein crystals • Lots of molecular support for monophyly

4. Additional features of monocots • Leaves formed from the basal end of the leaf primordium • Usually with monosulcate pollen • Lack glandular teeth on leaves

5. Monocot characters • One cotyledon! MONOCOT NON- MONOCOT

6. Monocot characters Leaves: • parallel venation in most monocots [may be reversals with net-venation!] • sheathing base Trillium Smilax

7. Monocot characters Cuneate protein bodies in sieve cell plastids • “wedge-shaped” inclusions • function unknown

8. Monocot characters Adventitious roots: -derived from structures other than another root

9. Monocot characters Scattered vascular bundles in stem • numerous; actually complex organization • no vascular cambium (a few weird exceptions)

10. Monocot characters • Pentacyclic, trimerous flowers with 2 perianth whorls and two whorls of stamens

11. How many monocots? • ca. 3,000 genera • ca. 65,000 species • 22-25% of angiosperms • Include: • -aroids • -bananas • -lilies • -gingers • -orchids (20,000+ spp.) • -irises • -palms • -grasses (10,000 spp.)

12. Phylogeny of Monocot Groups Acorales Alismatales Asparagales Liliales Dioscoreales Pandanales Arecales Poales Commelinales Zingiberales Basal “Petaloid” Commelinoid

13. Basal and “Petaloid” Monocot Groups Order Acorales Acoraceae Order Alismatales Araceae Alismataceae Order Liliales Liliaceae Order Asparagales Agavaceae Alliaceae Amaryllidacaee Iridaceae Orchidaceae

14. Basal Monocots:Acorales: Acoraceae • Widespread, temperate throughout tropical regions • Aquatic herb • Diversity: 1-3 spp. in 1 genus (Acorus) • Flowers: typical of Araceae, coalesced into a spike-like spadix • Significant features: Sister to the rest of the monocots; contain ethereal oils. • Special uses: none • Family not required, but Acorus evolutionarily important

15. Acorus (sweet flag)– The most basal monocot! Aquatic.

16. “Petaloid” Monocots—Alismatales:Araceae(The Arum Family) • Cosmopolitan; greatest diversity in tropical regions • Terrestrial and aquatic herbs, vines, epiphytes, floating aquatics • Diversity: 2,830 species, 109 genera • Flowers: many, small; lacking extensive perianth, carpels 2-3; spatially separated in inflorescence or sometimes plants dioecious • Significant features: inflorescence – spadix subtended by a spathe (specialized leaf) • Special uses: many ornamentals; Colocasia as food • Required taxa: Arisaema, Lemna

17. Araceae—Arisaema Arisaema dracontium green dragon Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema sikokianum -spathe overlapping below, mostly arched above, striped or marked -spadix usually slender and elongate -flowers unisexual and only at the base of the spadix

18. Araceae Philodendron Monstera

19. Amorphophallus

20. Araceae: Lemna and friends • Reduced plant body: no stem or leaves; • sometimes no roots • Rarely flower Lemna ~ duckweed

21. Alismatales: Araceae Economic plants and products: • Colocasia esculenta • Taro “root” or dasheen • “poi” • 10% of the world uses asstaple (starch) in diet

22. “Petaloid” Monocots—Alismatales:Alismataceae(The Water Plantain Family) • Widely distributed • Aquatic & wetland rhizomatous herbs • Number of species: 80 species, 11 genera • Flowers: sepals & petals distinct, many apocarpous carpels • Significant features: rhizomatous • Special uses: ornamental aquatics • Required taxa: Sagittaria

23. Liliales: Liliaceae in the broad sense …are a garbage can taxon.

24. Figure 9.14 from the text Plus many members of Asparagales…

25. “Petaloid” Monocots—Liliales:Liliaceae(The Lily Family) • Widely distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere • Herbs, usually with bulbs or contractile roots • Number of species: ca. 600 species, in 16 genera • Flowers: tepals 6, distinct, carpels 3, stamens 6 • Significant features: Fruit a loculicidal capsule, sometimes a berry • Special uses: many ornamentals • Required taxa: Erythronium, Tulipa

26. Liliaceae - Lilium

27. Liliaceae Erythronium trout-lily -bulbs ovate to elongate -scapose herbs with 2 leaves (1 if non-flowering) -tepals 6, spreading to reflexed -native wildflowers

28. Tulipa -scapose herbs from tunicate bulbs -leaves 2-several on a stem -perianth campanulate to cuplike -tepals 6, erect -stigma prominently 3-lobed

29. Liliaceae Economic plants and products (horticultural): Tulipa tulip Lilium Easter lily

30. Asparagales vs. Liliales • Herbs to woody; • sometimes succulent • Tepals not spotted • Nectaries septal • Style usually 1, simple • Seed coat collapsed • to + present • Phytomelan crust • (seeds black) from dry • fruits; not in fleshy fruit • Herbs; not succulent • Tepals often spotted • Nectaries at base • of tepals/filaments • Styles 1 (trifid) or 3 • Seed coat present • No phytomelan crust • (seeds not black)

31. Figure 9.18 from the text

32. “Petaloid” Monocots—Asparagales:Agavaceae(The Agave Family) • Warm temperate to tropical regions of the New World; maximum diversity in Mexico • Rosette herbs, often with succulent leaves • Number of species: ca. 300 species in 8-13 genera • Flowers: tepals 6, stamens 6, carpels 3, fruits a loculicidal capsule • Significant features: large, paniculate inflorescence • Special uses: fiber, tequila, ornamentals. • Required taxa: Agave, Yucca, Hosta

33. Agavaceae – Agave and Yucca Agave Yucca

34. Agave: bat pollinated Yucca: moth pollinated

35. Perianth tubular-funnelform, 6-parted Stamens exserted beyond the perianth, anthers versatile Ovary inferior Capsule loculicidal Bat-pollinated Perianth of 6 flat, free tepals Stamens shorter than the tepals, anthers basifixed Ovary superior Fruit indehiscent (berry-like) or septicidal capsule Moth-pollinated Agave (L) vs. Yucca (R)

36. Agavaceae: Hosta -rhizomatous, scapose perennials -leaves with a distinct petiole -perianth tubular-funnelform, white, bluish or lavender -stamens 6, epipetalous or hypogynous -fruit a loculicidal capsule

37. Asparagales: Agavaceae Economic plants and products: Agave tequila

38. Asparagales: Agavaceae Economic plants and products: • Fiber for rope from species of Yucca and Agave • e.g., sisal hemp

39. “Petaloid” Monocots—Asparagales: Alliaceae(Onion Family) • Widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions; also semiarid. • Bulb-forming herbs • Number of species: ca. 645 species, in 13 genera • Flowers: Often showy, tepals 6, stamens 6, 3 connate carpels, ovary superior; fruit a loculicidal capsule. • Significant features: sulfur-containing compounds • Special uses: onion, garlic, leek, shallots, chives, used as food & seasonings; ornamentals • Required taxa: Allium

40. -scapose herbs with bulbs + contractile roots -basally clustered leaves -umbellate inflorescence with bracts -6 petaloid tepals + 6 stamens -loculicidal capsule + black seeds Alliaceae - Allium

41. Alliaceae Economic plants and products: • Allium species – • onions, leeks, garlic! Ornamentals

42. “Petaloid” Monocots—Asparagales: Amaryllidaceae(Amaryllis or Daffodil Family) • Widely distributed in temperate to tropical regions; maximal diversity in South Africa, Andean South America, and the Mediterranean • Bulb-forming herbs with contractile roots • Number of species: 870 species in 59 genera • Flowers: often showy; tepals 6; stamens 6, sometimes adnate to perianth; carpels 3, inferior ovary; fruit usually a loculicidal capsule • Significant features: special alkaloid compounds present • Special uses: many ornamentals (Narcissus, Hippeastrum) • Required taxa: Narcissus, Hippeastrum

43. Amaryllidaceae diversity

44. Amaryllidaceae Corona sometimes present Narcissus daffodil, jonquil, narcissus Hymenocallis spider-lily

45. Narcissus -scapose, perennial herbs from bulbs -perianth of 6 basally connate tepals, yellow and/or white -cuplike to trumpetlike corona present -stamens 6, epipetalous

46. Amaryllidaceae: Hippeastrum -perennial, scapose herbs from large bulbs -perianth of 6 basally connate tepals, white to pink to salmon or red -corona minute -stamens 6, epipetalous

47. “Petaloid” Monocots—Asparagales: Iridaceae(The Iris Family) • Widespread in tropical and subtropical regions; absent in Australia. • Herbs forming rhizomes, corms, or bulbs • Number of species: ca. 1,750 species, 67 genera • Flowers: radial or bilateral, showy; tepals 6, outer tepals often differentiated from inner; stamens (2) 3; carpels 3, fused into an inferior ovary; fruit a loculicidal capsule • Significant features: leaves equitant • Special uses: many ornamentals; saffron (Crocus sativus) • Required taxa: Iris

48. Iridaceae diversity

49. Iris -rhizomatous herbs -leaves equitant, in a fan -spathes 2 -style branches broad, petaloid, terminating in paired crests anthers appressed to style branches

50. “Petaloid” Monocots—Asparagales: Orchidaceae(The Orchid Family) • Widespread throughout the world; maximal diversity in tropical regions • Primarily epiphytes; some terrestrial herbs, occasionally vines • Diversity: ca. 19,500 species in 775-800 genera • Flowers: showy, usually resupinate, bilateral, the median inner tepal differentiated into a labellum (lip); highly modified androecial and gynoecial parts, fused into a column; pollen grouped into soft or hard masses (pollinia); ovary inferior; placentation parietal; fruit a capsule dehiscing with (1-)3 or 6 slits; seeds tiny, dust-like • Significant features: among the most specialized of all angiosperm flowers • Special uses: many ornamentals; Vanilla • Required taxa: family only