This family comprises about 365 genera and 3250 species. 94
species of 38 genera have been reported in Nepal.
Distribution : The
family Cruciferae is cosmopolitan in distribution. Primarily, it is found
in temperate zone of northern hemisphere. The plant of this family are
cultivated for vegetables, oil yielding seed , ornamental purpose.
Habit : They are mostly herbs which may be annual
, perennial , biennial and rarely small shrubs. The plant posses pungent sap
having sulfur containing glucoside.
Vegetative characters :
- Root :
Tap root and branched. In some species , tap root is modified into napiform(Raphana
sativum) and fusiform (Brassica rapa).
- Stem :
Erect , herbaceous rarely wooded , branched or unbranched , solid , cylindrical, hairy. The
main stem is condensed very much in some sepecies like Brassica rapa , Raphana sativum etc.
- Leaves :
Radical , cauline , ramal, alternate , petiolate or sessile , simple , lyrate ,
unicostate , reticulate venetion , hairy.
Floral characters :
- Inflorescence : Racemose type , generally raceme or corymb or corymboseraceme.
- Flower - Ebracteate , pedicellate , complete , bisexual , actinomorphic
and rarely zygomorpohic, tertramerous , cruciform , hypogynous.
- Calyx :
Sepal - 4, polysepalous , arranged in two whorls 2+2, inferior , petalloid ,
imbricate aestivation.
- Corolla :
Petal - 4 ,polypetalous, each alternating with carpel , cruciform , valvate
aestivation , inferior.
- Androcieum : Stamen - 6, arranged in two whorls 2+4, polyandrous ,
tetradynomous, outer two short and inner 4 long stamen, green nectrarial gland
is present at the base of stamen, anther is dithecious, basifixed,
introse.
- Gynoceium : Carpel - 2 , bicarpellary , syncarpous , ovaries : superior ,
unilocular in the early stage and become bilocular due to developmebt of
false septum called replum, style is short and simple , stigma : capitate.
- Pollination : Cross , entomophilous , self sometime.
- Fruit :
Siliqua or Silicula.
- Seed :
Small , non-endospermic with curved embryo , cotyledon is oily.
Picture from biologydiscussion.com
