Plants Around Tofino, BC

 

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VISITING TOFINO?
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Common Plant Families

This is - Like - Nature and Stuff

Solanaceae

The Nightshade Family


Inflorescence:

  • Determinate, cymose
  • Sometimes solitary, axillary

Flowers:

  • Usually actinomorphic
  • Perfect
  • Hypogynous
  • Generally showy

Calyx:

  • Synsepalous
  • 5 lobes

Corolla:

  • Sympetalous
  • 5 lobes
  • Rotate
  • Funnelform or salverform
  • Pilcate or convolute

Androecium:

  • 5 stamens
  • Epipetalous

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • 2-carpellate
  • Ovary superior
  • 2-locular
  • Style single
  • Stigma 2-lobed

Fruit:

  • Berry or specialized capsule

Economic uses:

  • Nicotiana (tobacco)
  • Datura (jimsonweed)
  • Capsicum (cayenne pepper, red and green pepper)
  • Lycopersicon (tomato)
  • Solanum (eggplant, potato)

Asteraceae

The Sunflower Family


Inflorescence:

  • Indterminate
  • Capitate (globular or head shaped cluster)
  • Heads often in paniculate
  • Heads subtended by an involucre

Flowers:

  • Epigenous

Calyx:

  • Absent or represented by a pappus

Corolla:

  • Sympetalous with 5 lobes usually tubular or ligulate (ray)

Androecium:

  • 5 stamens Epipetalous
  • Anthers basifixed
  • Connate forming a cylinder around the style

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary inferior, 1-locular
  • Ovule solitary

Fruit:

  • Achene
  • Endosperm absent

Economic Uses:

  • Cynara (artichoke)
  • Helianthus (sunflower)
  • Latuca (lettuce)
  • Taraxacum (dandelion)

Brassicaceae

The Mustard Family


Inflorescence:

  • Indetrminate
  • Racemose or corymbose

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic
  • Perfect
  • Hypogenous

Calyx:

  • 4 distinct sepals

Corolla:

  • 4 distnct petals

Androecium:

  • 6 stamens tetradynamous
  • Anthers basifixed

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary superior
  • Style absent or short
  • 2 lobed stigma

Fruit:

  • 2 valved silique or silicle
  • Openning from the base toward the apex

Economic uses:

  • Armoracia (horseradish)
  • Brassica (black mustard, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabe, Rutabaga, turnip)

Rosaceae

The Rose Family

Leaves:

  • Alternate

Inflorescence:

  • Varying from cymose to racemose
  • Terminal axillary

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic
  • Perfect
  • Perigynous (sometimes epigynous)
  • Cup-like hypanthium
  • Generally showy

Calyx:

  • 5 sepals
  • Bassally connate

Corolla:

  • 5 distinct petals

Androecium:

  • Numerous whorled stamens

Gynoecium:

  • Varying

Fruit:

  • Drupe, pome, or achene

Economic uses:

  • Fragaria (strawberry)
  • Prunus (almond, apricot, cherry, peach, plum, prune)
  • Pyrus (pear)
  • Rubus (blackberry, raspberry)

Fabaceae

The Pea Family


Leaves:

  • Pinnately or bipinnately compound (sometimes palmately compound)

Inflorescence:

  • Varying

Flowers:

  • Usually perfect
  • Slightly perigynous
  • Typically showy

Calyx:

  • Synsepalous
  • 5 lobes

    • Corolla:

  • 5 petals
  • Valvate or imbricate

Androecium:

  • Often 10 stamens
  • Filaments distinct or 9 diadelphous

    • Gynoecium:

  • Ovary superior
  • 1 carpel
  • 1 style
  • 1 stigma

Fruit:

  • Legume
  • Typically flattened
  • Embryo with large cotyledons

Economic uses:

  • Arachis (peanuts)
  • Cicer (chick peas)
  • Glycine (soybeans)
  • Pisum (peas)
  • Vicia (faba beans)
  • Medicago (alfalfa)
  • Trifolium (clover)

Verbenaceae

The Verbena Family


Inflorescence:

  • Indeterminate
  • Sometimes subtended by an involucre

Flowers:

  • Zygomorphic
  • Perfect
  • Hypogenous
  • Showy

Calyx:

  • 5 lobes or teeth
  • Synsepalous

Corolla:

  • 5 lobes
  • Sympetalous
  • Salverform
  • Often bilabiate

Androecium:

  • 4 stamens
  • Didynamous
  • Epipetalous
  • Anthers dorsifixed
  • Filaments distinct

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary superior
  • 1 style
  • 1 stigma

Fruit:

  • Drupe or schizocarp
  • Endosperm absent

Economic uses:

  • Lippia (verbena oil)
  • Ornamental uses (13 genera)

Polygonaceae

The Buckwheat Family


Leaves:

  • Simple
  • Usually entire
  • Usually alternate

Inflorescence:

  • Determinate
  • Cymose

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic
  • Usually perfect
  • Hypogenous
  • Small
  • Subtended by persistant bract

Perianth:

  • Usually 5 or 6 tepals
  • Typically petaloid

Androecium:

  • 6 to 9 stamens (generally paired)

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary superior
  • Ovule solitary
  • Stigmas capitate or feathery

Fruit:

  • Achene
  • 2 or 3 carpels
  • Endosperm copious

Economic uses:

  • Fagopyrum (buckwheat)
  • Rheum (rhubarb)

Apocynaceae

The Dogbane Family


Inflorescence:

  • Determinate

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic
  • Perfect
  • Hypogenous to slightly perigynous
  • Showy

Calyx:

  • 5 sepals
  • Imbricate

Corolla:

  • 5 lobes
  • Sympetalous

Androecium:

  • 5 stamens
  • Adnate or adherent to stigmatic head
  • Epipetalous
  • Filaments short connate into a tube

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovaries superior to slightly inferior
  • 1 stigma

Fruit:

  • 1 or 2 follicles

Economic uses:

  • Catharanthus (antileukemia drug)
  • Rauvolfia (hypertension drug)

Onagraceae

The Evening-primrose Family


Inflorescence:

  • Indeterminate
  • Racemose

Flowers:

  • Usually perfect
  • Epigynous
  • Often showy with nectarferous disc

Calyx:

  • Usually 4 distinct reflexed sepals

Corolla:

  • Usually 4 distinct petals
  • Often clawed

Androecium:

  • 8 or sometimes 4 stamens
  • Filaments distinct

Gynoecium:

  • 1 piltil
  • Ovary inferior
  • 1 style (slender)
  • 1 stigma

Fruit:

  • Usually a capsule but sometimes a berry or nutlet

Economic uses:

  • Ornamental

Cucurbitaceae

The Squash Family


Inflorescence:

  • Determinate

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic
  • Imperfect
  • Epigynous
  • Showy

Calyx:

  • 5 lobes
  • Synsepalous
  • Tubular

Corolla:

  • 5 lobes
  • Sympetalous

Androecium:

  • Basically 5 stamens (often seems like 3 or 1 due to modifications)

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovules numerous
  • Usually 1 style
  • Usually 3 stigmas

Fruit:

  • Usually a berry or modified berry with leathery or hard pericarp

Economic uses:

  • Citrullus (watermelon)
  • Cucumis (cantaloupe, cucumber, honeydew)
  • Cucurbita (gourds, pumpkins, squashes)
  • Loofah sponges (dried vascular system of fruit)

Sapindaceae

The Soapberry Family

Leaves:

  • Usually pinnately compound

Inflorescence:

  • Determinate

Flowers:

  • Usually hypogenous
  • Varying

Calyx:

  • 4 or usually 5 sepals
  • Often unequal

Corolla:

  • 4 or usually 5 distinct petals
  • Often clawed

Androecium:

  • Basically 10 stamens in 2 whorls (often reduced to 4 to 8)
  • Filaments distinct (often hairy)

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary usually superior
  • 1 to 3 stigmas

Fruit:

  • Varying

Economic uses:

  • Blighia (edible seeds)

Oleaceae

The Olive Family


Inflorescence:

  • Determinate
  • Cymose (sometimes appearing racemose)

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic
  • Perfect or sometimes imperfect
  • Hypogenous
  • Small

Calyx:

  • Usually 4 lobes
  • Synsepalous
  • Valvate

Corolla:

  • Usually 4 lobes
  • Usually sympetalous

Androecium:

  • Typically 2 stamens
  • Epipetalous
  • Filaments short and distinct
  • Anthers basifixed

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary superior
  • Style 1 or absent

Fruit:

  • Varying

Economic uses:

  • Olea europaea (olive)
  • Jasminum (jasmine)
  • Fraxinus (ash tree – lumber)

Scrophulariaceae

The Snapdragon Family


Inflorescence:

  • Varying

Flowers:

  • Zygomorphic
  • Perfect
  • Hypogenous
  • Typically showy

Calyx:

  • 4 or 5 sepals
  • Persistant

Corolla:

  • 4 or 5 lobes
  • Sympetalous
  • Imbricate

Androecium:

  • Typically 4 stamens Didynamous
  • Epipetalous

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary superior
  • Ovules numerous
  • Style simple
  • 1 or 2 stigma(s)

Fruit:

  • Usually a capsule

Economic uses:

  • Digitalis (used for cardiac glycosides)
  • Ornamentals

Geraniaceae

The Geranium Family


Inflorescence:

  • Determinate
  • Varying

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic to sometimes slightly zygomorphic
  • Perfect
  • Hypogynous
  • Showy

Calyx:

  • Usually 5 sepals

Corolla:

  • Usually 5 petals
  • Distinct
  • Androecium:
  • Usually 10 stamens in 2 whorls
  • Filaments basally connate
  • Anthers versatile

Gynoecium:

  • 1 pistil
  • Ovary superior
  • 5 styles usually basally connate
  • 5 stigmas

Fruit:

  • Usually a schizocarp

Economic uses:

  • Geranium oil (perfumes)
  • Ornamentals

Ranunculaceae

The Buttercup Family


Inflorescence:

  • Determinate
  • Varying

Flowers:

  • Actinomorphic but sometimes zygomorphic
  • Usually perfect
  • Hypogynous
  • Often showy

Calyx:

  • Typically 5 sepals
  • Distinct
  • Caducous
  • Often showy and petaloid

Corolla:

  • Usually 5 distinct petals or absent

Androecium:

  • Usually numerous stamens
  • Filaments distinct
  • Anthers basifixed

Gynoecium:

  • Ovaries superior
  • 1 stigma
  • 1 style

Fruit:

  • Varying

Economic uses:

  • Several poisonous and medicinal plants
  • Ornamentals

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