Liliaceae
Characteristics
| Plants | herbs or undershrubs |
| Stem | modified to underground storage organs |
| Leaves | simple, cauline or radicle |
| Inflorescence | racemose, sometimes cymose |
| Flower | bisexual, regular, hypogynous Perianth- 6 in 2 whorls, Usually petaloid, imbricate |
| Androecium | stamens 6 in 2 whorls |
| Anther | versatile, extrorse and introrse |
| Gynoecium | carpel 3, United, ovary superior, 3 chambered, many anatropous ovules, in each chamber placentation – axile, style – 1, stigma 3 |
| Fruit | capsule or berry |
Example (Plants list)
| Plants | Allium cepa Allium sativum |
| Parts | underground fleshy leaf bases of scale leaves |
| Uses | used as vegetable and condiments |
| Plants | Asparagus racemosus |
| Parts | root fleshy fibrous root |
| Uses | in the preparation of jam and jelly |
| Plant | Yucca gloriosa |
| Parts | leaves |
| Uses | fiber |
| Plant | Colchicum luteum |
| Parts | corm |
| Uses | obtain a laboratory reagent known as colchicine |
| Plant | Aloe barbadensis |
| Parts | plant |
| Uses | medicinal |
Liliaceae & Orchidaceae family characteristics and example
Orchidaceae
Characteristics
| Plant | perennial, epiphytic or saprophytic or terrestrial herb |
| Leaves | thick and fleshy, simple distichous with closed sheath |
| Inflorescence | spike, raceme, panicle or solitary |
| Flower | bisexual, medianly zygomorphic, epigynous, bracteate |
| Perianth | 6 (3+3), differentiated into the outer calyx, inner corolla, imbricate, posterior Median member of inner perianth is different in size from |
| Androecium | stamens 1 or 2, dehiscence by longitudinal slits filament of the stamen United with the pistil to form a gynostegium; pollen grains united to form pollinia. Each pollinium bears a cord called caudicle which ends in a sticky disk, known as retinacula. |
| Gynoecium | carpels 3, united, ovary inferior, one chambered, placentation parietal; stigma 3, of which 2 are fertile and another terminal one is sterile known as rostellum. |
Plants list
| Plant | Vanilla planifolia |
| Part | dried pulpy fruits |
| Uses | yields vanilla – the essence for flavoring chocolate and confectionaries |
| Plant | Vanda roxburghii |
| Parts | roots |
| Uses | used for rheumatism and scorpion sting. |
