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RUBIACEAE Family Guide: Characteristics, Genera, Uses
- 2. CONTENT : SYSTEMATIC POSITION DISTRIBUTION & GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RUBIACEAE FLORAL CHARACTERS OF RUBIACEAE HABIT & HABITAT – Ixora coccinea LEAVES INFORESCENCE FLOWER - COROLLA - CALYX ANDROECIUM GYNOECIUM PLACENTATION FRUITS SEED
- 3. SYSTEMATIC POSITION : CLASS : Dicotyledons SERIES : Gamopetalae ORDER : Inferae FAMILY : Rubiales
- 4. DISTRIBUTION & GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RUBIACEAE This family includes 4800 to 5500 species. Family Rubiaceae belongs to order Rubiales of subclass gamopetalae in dicots. It is commonly called as coffee family, is large, mainly tropical, and quite readily recognizable. It contains about 611 genera and more than 13,150 species, which are found worldwide in most habitats. The main distinguishing features of the family are the characteristic stipules and inferior ovaries. Pollination of Rubiaceae flowers is almost always by animals, including insects, birds, and bats, and the flowers have a notably wide range of forms.
- 5. The species of Galium, Oldenlandia, etc., are frequently found in the temperate regions. The family is represented by several genera in our country, e.g., Cinchona, Coffea, Adina, Hamelia, Ixora, Galium, Gardenia, Rubia, Morinda and many others. Rubiaceae contains a variety of economically important plants. The fruits of a number of tropical Rubiaceae species are edible.
- 6. COMMON PLANTS : Coffea arabica (Coffee plant) Cinchona officinalis (Used for quinine production) Ixora chinensis (vetchi) Oldenlandia umbellate (Chaaya root) Morinda angustifolia
- 8. HABIT AND HABITAT: HABITAT : Terrestrial and rarely aquatic. HABIT : Majority of plants are either trees or shrubs. The climbing habit is also found in the family. Some climbers are herbaceous, whereas certain others are shrubby twiners. The epiphytes also occur, e.g., Myrmecodia. Certain species of Galium, Rubia, Oldenlandia, etc., are beautiful herbs
- 9. LEAVES : Simple Entire margin or slightly toothed. Decussate , rarely whorled , stipulates may be interpetiolar. Usually connate stipules Often bearing mucilage secreting colleters. COLLETERS – produce mucilaginous compounds to protect the young shoots
- 10. INFLORESCENCE: Usually the inflorescence is of cymose type, i.e., a dichasial or a panicled cyme. In Coffea arabica the flowers are found to be arranged in axillary cymes. The flowers of Oldenlandia are being arranged in panicle cymes.
- 11. FLOWER : The flowers are hermaphrodite, usually actinomorphic and either tetramerous or pentamerous. They are complete and epigynous. Sometimes the flowers become unisexual by means of reduction.
- 12. CALYX : The calyx consists of five or four sepals, gamosepalous. one or rarely more of the sepals become leaf like and white, yellow or variously coloured. The aestivation is valvate. Corolla: The corolla consists of five or four petals, gamopetalous. The corolla is tubular, campanulate or rotate. The aestivation is either contorted or valvate.
- 13. ANDROECIUM : It consists of five or four stamens. The stamens are epipetalous, i.e., they are inserted at or near the throat of the corolla tube. The stamens alternate with the petals. In irregular corollas, the stamens are of unequal length and bent. (i.e., the stamens are of different length). GYNOECIUM : Usually the gynoecium consists of two carpels, syncarpous. Generally the ovary is inferior, the ovary is bilocular, with parietal placentation.
- 14. PLACENTATION: In general, the placentation is axile. One to many ovules are found in each locule of the ovary. The style is simple with globose stigma. FRUIT: The fruit is a drupe, capsule or berry. They may be dry or fleshy. E.g., in Coffee and others; it is a capsule. Seeds: Generally the seeds are small and more or less winged, endospermic, the flat cotyledons of embryo lie face to face.
- 15. FLORAL DESCRIPTION ON Ixora coccinea : Habit: A large cultivated ornamental shrub. Stem: Erect, branched, solid, cylindrical, green, herbaceous or somewhat woody. Leaves: Cauline , simple, opposite, sessile, stipulate, ovate, smooth entire, acute, unicostate reticulate venation. Inflorescence: Cymose, corymbose cyme. Flower: Bisexual, actinomorphic, pedicellate, bracteate, bracteolate, complete, epigynous, tetramerous.
- 16. Calyx: 4 sepals, gamosepalous, superior, valvate aestivation. Corolla: 4 petals, gamopetalous, corolla tubular, twisted aestivation. Androecium: 4 stamens, epipetalous, inserted at the mouth of corolla, polyandrous, sessile, anthers bicelled, introrse, dorsifixed. Gynoecium: 2 carpels (bicarpellary), syncarpous, ovary inferior, bilocular, single ovule in each loculus, axile placentation, style very long, stigma single, bifid. Fruit: Berry.
- 18. ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE : Cinchona officinalis; The tree yields ‘quinine’ used for malarial fevers. It is grown in South India and Ootacamund. Coffea Arabica; Eng.-Arabian coffee; Verna- Kafi .This is a large shrub. The famous non-alcoholic beverage “coffee” is obtained from its seeds. This is a native of Abyssinia, but now cultivated in the Nilgiris, Karnataka, Coorg and Travancore. Coffea liberica; Eng.-Liberian coffee-A non-alcoholic beverage is obtained from its seeds. The bush is native of West coast of Africa, but now also cultivated in Karnataka and Travancore. Ixora chinensis; Eng.-Chinese Ixora-This is a beautiful small shrub grown in the gardens as an ornamental. Ixora coccinea; Eng.-Jungle flame Ixora; Verna- Rangan-This is a shrub, grown as an ornamental. This is a good hedge plant. Gardenia latifolia; Verna-Papra -This is a small tree, usually grown as hedge plant.