FIELD BOTANY – Lecture 07Dr. Donald P. Althoff

LEC 07

Families – Part IIIMonocots w/ Non-

Showy Flowers

Set III – all __________• Grass family• Sedge family• Rush family• Cattail family• Arrowhead family• Water Nymph family• Pondweed family• Duckweed family

Grass Family -- Poaceae

• Older family designation is Gramineae…which leads to the term _____________

• Graminoids = grasses and sedges and rushes (think narrow blades/leaves)

• Most are herbaceous but some woody (think bamboo)

• They _____ showy petals and sepals because they are _______________

• grass plants maintain 3 defining characteristics from other members of the plant kingdom:

petal-less flowers emerge between the bracts on leaf-less stems

leaves on grass plants take on a flat form and stretch out long and slender. At the stem, these leaves cling tightly and form a type of sheath.

the round stems remain hollow in the center. Thenodes, or joints, along the stem also appear swollen.

Grass Family

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Sedge Family

• TAXONICALLY: ____________ perennial graminoids (herbs and

forbs)• Species include: fox

sedgeGray’s sedge lake (hairy) sedgepalm (Muskingum) sedge

yellownut sedge

Sedge Family stem pattern

• _____…usually. Results in __________ stem • Stem is ______ (vs. grass which is hollow)• ___________sheath (vs. grass which is open)

Sedge Family stem pattern

• _____ “lumpy nodes” (vs. grasses) • _____ lack edges; example with

round stems is Scripus sp.……aka bulrushes..but some

panicled bulrush

Sedge Family key then…

• Sedges have ______ but grasseshave ______

• And look for “_____” stems

Squarrose sedge(Carex squarrosa)“squarrosa” is Latin for scruffy ...not 4-sided

Rush Family

• TAXONICALLY: ___________perennial graminoids (herbs and forbs)

• Species include:slender rushflatleaved rushalpine rushpoverty rushslimpod rushcommon rush

Rush Family patterns

• _______ stems. • Stem is ____ (vs. grass

which is hollow)• Flowers:

like ____… __ sepals __ petals __-parted stigma __-chambered ovary __-stamens (usually)

top down – cross-section

view

Rush Family why lily like?

• The __ sepals, __ petals, 6 stamens pattern

• The difference, though: rush flowers are ______ and ______

Cattail Family

• TAXONICALLY: _____________perennial herbs and forbs

• ____ a graminoid representative !• Species include:

broadleaf cattail (OH)narrow leaf cattail (OH)

southern cattail (not OH)

Cattail Family

• ____ leaves & “_________________” appearance• Male & female

parts _____ flower—they wither after releasing pollen

_______ flower—this portion matures into familiar “cattail”

Arrowhead Family

• TAXONICALLY: ________________perennial herbs and forbs

• _________ species!• Species include:

arrowheadwater plantain

burhead

Arrowhead Family

• __ white petals• __ green sepals

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Arrowhead Family

• __ or more simple pistils• ____ or more stamens

Arrowhead Family

• Leaves ______________• Leaves are _____• Considered a very

“__________” monocot

Water Nymph Family

• TAXONICALLY: _____________perennial herbs and forbs

• _______ species! __________ submerged• Species include:

brittle water-nymphwater nymph

Water Nymph Family

• Male (__________) and female (__________) flowers

• Leaves are _____ and ________• Leaf base: stipules or sheathed

Pondweed Family

• TAXONICALLY: _________________perennial herbs and forbs

• _______species species! Fresh & Saltwater spp.• ________ and _________ leaves• Species include:

pondweed xeel grass

ditch grass

Pondweed Family

• ___ pistils• __ stamens• _________= where sepals and

petals indistinguishable 1

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4

eel

grass

Duckweed Family

• TAXONICALLY: ______________perennial herbs and forbs

• __________ species• Includes world’s smallest flowering plant• Species include:

common duckweedgreater duckweedbogmatwater meal

Duckweed Family

• Leaves & flowers “______”

• Roots “_____” from floating plant

Duckweed Family

• Eaten by many bird and mammal species

• Easily “__________” as whole plants