This document describes the poppy family (Papaveraceae). It is mainly distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and consists of 26 genera and 280 species. Some key features include annual to perennial herbs or shrubs with actinomorphic flowers arranged in cymes or solitary. Flowers have 2-3 sepals, 2+2 petals, 3+3 to many stamens, and 2-several fused carpels. The poppy Papaver rhoeas is described as an annual herb with red solitary terminal flowers, numerous stamens, and a capsule fruit.

1. FAMILY
PAPAVERACEAE
COMMON NAME ~ POPPY FAMILY

2. DISTRIBUTION
• It mainly consists of 26 genera and 280 species chiefly
distributed in northern hemisphere.
• Only 5 genera and 20 species have been so far
reported from India.
• Representatives of this family also occur in Europe,
South Africa, Australia and in Artic region also.
• Some are found as weeds throughout the world.

3. SALIENT FEATURES OF PAPAVERACEAE
• Annual to perennial.
• Herbs, shrubs rarely small trees.
• Actinomorphic flowers.
• Often cyme , solitary or raceme inflorescence.
• 2-3 calyx
• 2+2 petal arrangement
• 3+3 to numerous stamens
• 2- several fused carpels.
• Hypogynous flower.
• Genetic self incompatibility.

4. HABIT:

5. HABIT:-
• Annual or perennial herbs (DENDROMEDON) , shrubs, rarely
trees (BOCCONIA).
• Plants have latex which is white or yellowish in colour.
STEM:-
• Erect, herbaceous, branched, cylindrical and woody in
BOCCONIA.
LEAVES:-
• Radical simple, alternate, exstipulate, dissected (FUMARIA ,
CHELIDONIUM)

6. FLORAL CHARACTERS:
INFLORESCENCE:-
• Solitary terminal (PAPAVER), axillary raceme and panicles (BOCCONIA).

7. FLOWER:-
• Ebracteate, pedicellate, actinomorphic, complete, di-
or trimerous, hypogynous rarely perigynous
(ESCHSCHOLTZIA).
CALYX:-
• Sepals 2 or 3, polysepalous, caducous and inferior.
COROLLA:-
• Petals 2+2 or 3+3 or more, rolled or crumpled in bud,
polypetalous, brightly coloured.

8. ANDROECIUM:-
• Stamens four or indefinite (PAPAVER or ARGEMONE),
polyandrous, filament slender, anther dithecous extrorse
dehiscence.
GYNOECIUM:-
• Carpels two or more, syncarpous, ovary superior (slightly
perigynous in ESCHSCHOLTZIA), unilocular, parietal
placentation, ovules numerous, stigma sessile,persistent
forming a crown in fruit.
FRUIT:- Capsule rarely nut.

10. Papaver rhoeas (garden poppy)
• Habit:- Annual ornamental herb.
• Root:- branched tap root system.
• Stem:- straight and hairy, cylindrical, herbaceous
erect, fistular, branched, green.
• Leaves:-Alternate, pinnately lobed sessile, leaf base
sheathing, acute apex and unicostate reticulate
venation.

11. FLORAL CHARACTERS
• Inflorescence:- Solitary terminal.
• Flower:-Bisexual, radial, complete, hermaphrodite,
pedicellate, ebracteate, regular, actinomorphic, red
colour, di- or trimerous, hypogynous.
• Calyx:- 2 sepals, polysepalous, green, hairy, fall as flower
open, caducous, inferior.
• Corolla:- Petals 2+2, polypetalous, brightly red coloured
• Androecium:- stamens indefinite, polyandrous, arranged in
2-3 whorls, filament slender, anthers dithecous, extrorse,
basifixed.

12. • Gynoecium:- bicarpellary, syncarpous, superior, unilocular,
parietal placentation, numerous ovule, persistent sessile,
stigma.
• Fruit:- Capsule
• FLORAL FORMULA :-
Ebr ⊕ ♀ K2 C2+2 A∞ G(2)

13. FLORAL DIAGRAM

14. PRIMITIVE CHARACTERS OF PAPAVERACEAE
• Presence of shrub and tree.
• Leaves simple and alternate.
• Flower hermaphrodite, hypogynous and actinomorphic.
• Calyx, corolla free.
• Stamens numerous, free and produce abundant pollen.
• Carpels many and loosely united.
• Ovules anantropous and many an each placentum.

15. ADVANCED CHARACTERS OF PAPAVERACEAE
• Plants are mainly herbs.
• Gynoecium syncarpous.
• Calyx polysepalous eg. California poppy.
• Leaves are deeply inscised.
• Some members of family are perigynous eg. California poppy.

16. OTHER MEMBERS
• Argemone mexicana:- A prickly herb that grows
wild on roadside with yellow flower.
• Papaver somniferum:- Source of opium.
• Bocconia:- Tree with apetalous flowers.

17. FAMILY
NYTAGINACEAE
COMMON NAME ~ 4 O’CLOCK FAMILY

18. DISTRIBUTION
• Distributed tropical and subtropical regions, with few
representatives in temperate regions.
Boerhaavia diffusa Bougainvillea glabra

19. SALIENT FEATURE OF NYCTAGINACEAE
• Flower open in late afternoon.
• Mostly hermaphrodite rarely diclinous.
• United brightly coloured bracts.
• Petaloid perianth.
• Tepal 5
• Sepal 1-∞.
• Single carpel.
• Unique fruit ANTHOCARP.

20. HABIT:- Herb, shrub or
scandent or trees.
ROOT:- Tap root, branched.
STEM:- Herbaceous, or woody,
erect or even climbing e.g.
BOUGAINVILLEA
LEAF:- Alternate or opposite,
simple, those of each pair being
very unequal, ex-stipulate

21. FLORAL CHARACTERS
• INFLORESCENCE:- Cymose, biparous with a tendency to
monochasial development in higher branches.
• FLOWER:- Perfect or diclinous as in PISONIA by
suppression of stamen or pistil, hypogenous, actinomorphic,
rarely zygomorphic in anisomeris usually subtended by an
involucre of 3-5 separate or united brightly coloured bracts
that are often mistaken for sepals. In MIRABILIS, each flower
is surrounded at the base by an involucral bracts, each
subtending a flower, in BOERHAAVIA and others, involucral
leaves are reduced to teeth or scales.

23. • PERIANTH:- tepals 4-5, gamophyllous, tubular with wide spreading lobes,
often petalloid (infundibuliform), imbricate or twisted, contorted, connate in a
funnel shaped or tubular perigone, the base of which persists and enclosing
the fruit forming the so called anthocarp.
• ANDROECIUM:-Stamens variable 2-20, free, usually 5-8 or equal to
no. of petal but there may be fewer or more; filaments of unequal
length.
• GYNOECIUM:- One carpel, superior, unilocular with single
basal ovule; style long, simple.
• FRUIT:-Dry one-seeded ANTHOCARP( Achene surrounded by
persistent periath lobes) indehiscent.

24. Mirabilis jalapa
• HABIT:-Large perennial herb,
open in late afternoon.
• ROOT:- Branched tap root.
• STEM:- Herbaceous or woody,
aerial, branched, cylindrical,
green, swollen nodes.
• LEAF:- Simple, petiolate, opposite,
entire, ovate or acute, glabrous,
exstipulate, each pair being often
very unequal in size, net veined,
cauline and ramal.

25. FLORAL CHARACTERS
• INFLORESCENCE:- Cymose type, dichasial cyme with
tendency to monochasial cyme in higher branches.
• FLOWER:- Pedicellate, bracteate, involucre of 5-sepaloid
like bracts, bisexual, actinomorphic, complete, red, yellow
or white, hypogynous. Flower are arranged in cymes of
three of which only the middle flower develops.
• PERIANTH:- Tepals 4-5, petaloid, imbricate or twisted,
contorted, connate in funnel shaped or tubular, the base of
which persists and enclosing the fruit forming the
ANTHOCARP.

26. • ANDROECIUM:- 5 stamen, alternate to tepals, filament
unequal, anthers dithecous, basifixed, introrse.
• GYNOECIUM:- Single carpel, ovary free, superior,
unilocular, basal placentation, single basal erect ovule.
• FRUIT:- An achne, enclosed within the persistent perianth,
indehiscent.
• FLORAL FORMULA:-
Br Brl ⊕ ♀ P(5) A5 G1