In this article we will discuss about:- 1. General Characters of Capparidaceae 2. Floral Formula of Capparidaceae 3. Number and Distribution 4. Range of Floral Structures 5. Common Plant 6. Affinity and Economic Importance.
General Characters of Capparidaceae:
Plants—chiefly herbs or shrubs, sometimes small trees (e.g., Crataeva) or climbing (e.g., Capparis), without latex. Leaves—usually alternate, simple or digitately 3-7 foliate, with or without stipules. Inflorescence—cymose, axillary or terminal, or racemose.
Flowers— slightly irregular, rarely irregular (e.g., Capparis), bisexual (but unisexual in Podandrogyne), hypogynous, tetramerous, bracteate, often with gynophore, sometimes with androphore. Sepals—generally 4, free (sometimes more or less united), valvate or imbricate. Petals—usually 4, free, imbricate.
Stamens—usually numerous, sometimes 8 or 6 (but not tetradynamous, e.g., Gynandropsis), rarely 4, free, with long filaments, sometimes supported on a stalk (androphore, e.g., Gynandropsis). Carpels—usually 2, sometimes 4; ovary superior, 1-celled with parietal placenta, but sometimes 2-chambered by replum (e.g., Capparis), usually supported on a long or short gynophore (excepting Cleome); ovules numerous and campylotropous. Fruit—siliquose (e.g., Cleome), capsule or berry (e.g., Capparis), rarely nut. Seeds—reniform, albuminous with curved embryo.
Floral Formula of Capparidaceae:
Number and Distribution of Capparidaceae:
This family consists of 46 genera and about 700 species which are abundantly found in the tropics and subtropics.
Range of Floral Structures in Capparidaceae:
This family also shows variations in their floral structure. Cleome tetrandra represents the most reduced type of flower, where two sepals are outer, and two inner are transverse. The four petals are found to be diagonally placed. Ovary consists of 2 carpels. Variations may occur from this plan by the multiplication of the median stamens alone, or both median and lateral, or by conversion of one or more stamens into petaloid staminodes.
Suppression of floral parts may sometimes occur. The flower of Cleome spinosa resembles that of a cruciferous one in its horizontal plan but the tetradynamous stamens never occur in the family Capparidaceae. The multiple stamens sometimes develop in certain genera by the serial and lateral splitting of the 4 stamens, e.g., Capparis.
Zygomorphy of flower is attained due to unequal development of members. In Pteropetalum, the posterior petals are larger than the anterior ones. In many species of Capparis, the posterior sepal develops a hood-like structure; in Emblingia the formation of a 4-lobed calyx takes place by the union of sepals below. The sepals are generally found to be free, but occasionally they are united below.
The members of corolla are generally free. But in the anomalous genus Emblingia, the petals are united. In many a genera the petals are lacking.
The pistil is carried upon the long gynophore. It consists of two, rarely several carpels, forming a 1-celled ovary. This 1-chambered ovary may sometimes become multilocular by the growth of parietal placentae inwards.
Common Plants of Capparidaceae:
(1) Cleome viscosa L. = Polanisia viscosa DC., a common glandular, weed, with yellow flowers, found everywhere.
(2) Gynandropsis pentaphylla DC. = G. gynandra Briq., a common weed of waste and cultivated places with white flowers.
(3) Capparis sepiaria L., a climbing plant chiefly found in scrubby jungles.
(4) Capparis horrida L. f., C. zeylanica L. = C. brevispina DC., caperbush (C. spinosa L.) are also common weeds.
(5) Crataeva religiosa Forst., (Syn. C. nurvala Buch.-Ham.), a small tree, commonly found in villages.
Affinity and Economic Importance of Capparidaceae:
Phylogenists are of opinion that the Capparidaceae and Cruciferae are two closely related families. The former is readily distinguished from the latter by the slightly irregular flower, with 6 to many stamens, the presence of gynophore (and sometimes of androphore) and 1-celled ovary.
Economic Importance of Capparidaceae:
Some plants (e.g., Crataeva, etc.) of this family possess medicinal properties. The dried flower-buds of Capparis spinosa are the ‘capers’ of economic use. Some species are ornamentals, such as, Capparis horrida, Cleome viscosa, Gynandropsis pentaphylla and Crataeva religiosa.
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