1. The Monocots: Part 1 Overview, Basal, and “Petaloid” Groups
Spring 2014

2. Figure 7.1 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 tube member plastids with several cuneate protein crystals
Lots of molecular support for monophyly

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

5. Monocot characters
One cotyledon!
MONOCOT
NON-
MONOCOT

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

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

8. Monocot characters
Pentacyclic, trimerous flowers with 2 perianth whorls and 2 whorls of stamens and the gynoecium as 1 whorl

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

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

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 (11,000+ spp.)

12. Fig from Simpson

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

14. Basal and “Petaloid” Monocot Groups
Order Acorales
Acoraceae
Order Alismatales
Araceae*
Alismataceae
Order Liliales
Liliaceae*
Order Asparagales
Agavaceae
Alliaceae*
Amaryllidaceae
Iridaceae*
Orchidaceae*
*required families

15. 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

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

17. “Petaloid” Monocots—Alismatales: Araceae (The Arum Family)
Cosmopolitan; greatest diversity in tropical regions
Mainly terrestrial and some aquatic herbs, vines, epiphytes, floating aquatics
Diversity: 3,300 species, 104 genera
Flowers: many, small; lacking extensive perianth, carpels 2-3; if unisexual then 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 family

18. Araceae—Arisaema
Arisaema dracontium
green dragon
Arisaema triphyllum
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Arisaema
sikokianum
-Jack-in-the-pulpit is one of our common spring wildflowers

19. Araceae
Philodendron
Monstera

20. Amorphophallus (Corpse flower)

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

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

23. “Petaloid” Monocots—Alismatales: Alismataceae (The Water Plantain Family)
Widely distributed
Aquatic & wetland rhizomatous herbs
Number of species: 88 species, 15 genera
Flowers: sepals & petals distinct, many apocarpous carpels; flowers or floral axes often whorled
Significant features: rhizomatous
Special uses: ornamental aquatics
Family not required

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

25. Liliales
Nectaries at base of tepals
Spots on tepals
Extrorse anthers

26. “Petaloid” Monocots—Liliales: Liliaceae (The Lily Family)
Widely distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
Perennial herbs, usually with bulbs and 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; no onion-like odor
Special uses: many ornamentals
Required family

27. Liliaceae - Lilium

28. Liliaceae Erythronium trout-lily -native spring
wildflower of woodlands

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

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

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

32. 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)

33. Figure 7.32 from the text

34. “Petaloid” Monocots—Asparagales: Alliaceae (Onion Family)
Widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions; also semiarid.
Bulb-forming herbs with basal, usually narrow leaves
Number of species: ca. 600 species, in 13 genera
Flowers: Often showy, tepals 6, stamens 6, 3 connate carpels, ovary superior; inflorescence umbellate; fruit a loculicidal capsule.
Significant features: sulfur-containing compounds (onion odor)
Special uses: onion, garlic, leek, shallots, chives, used as food & seasonings; ornamentals
Required family

35. Alliaceae - Allium

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

37. “Petaloid” Monocots—Asparagales: Iridaceae (The Iris Family)
Widespread in tropical and subtropical regions; absent in Australia.
Perennial 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, opposite outer tepals; carpels 3, fused into an inferior ovary; fruit a loculicidal capsule
Significant features: leaves unifacial or terete, equitant
Special uses: many ornamentals; saffron (Crocus sativus)
Required family

38. Iridaceae characters Perennating structures Equitant leaves
Stamen position
opposite outer
tepals
Iridaceae characters

39. Iridaceae diversity

40. Iris (Greek for rainbow)
-style branches broad, petaloid,
terminating in paired crests
-anthers appressed to style branches

41. Iris in wetland habitats

42. “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. 20,000 species in 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) united by a stalk into a pollinarium; 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 family

43. Orchid growth habits
Epiphytic
Terrestrial

44. Orchid roots
velamen

45. Orchid
flower morphology
see Digital Flowers

46. Orchidaceae
pollinarium
Pollination
function of column & pollinia

47. Richard Dawkins talking about orchid pollination
Richard Dawkins talking about orchid pollination

48. Comet Orchid
(Angraecum
sesquipedale)

49.
Morgan’s Sphinx Moth
Endemic to
Madagascar

50. Asparagales: Orchidaceae
Economic plants and products:
Vanilla flavoring extracted
from immature capsules
of Vanilla planifolia

51. Some other cool Asparagales
Agavaceae
Amaryllidaceae

52. Agavaceae – Agave and Yucca
Hosta
Yucca

53. Agave: bat pollinated
Yucca: moth pollinated

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

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

56. Amaryllidaceae diversity

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