Family matters
From clover to ragwort, we outline some prevalent plants — and their family traits
Plant Families
FAMILY GRAMINEAE
Examples: Grasses such as perennial rye-grass, Italian rye-grass, Timothy, Meadow foxtail and Cocksfoot, and other cereal crops such as barley, wheat and oats.
Characteristics:
All members are monocots, having one cotyledon or seed leaf in the seed
The flower part of the grass plant is a collection of small flowers known as the ‘floret’ which is arranged in a structure called a spikelet. The arrangement of these spikelets around the stem of the grass plant is called the ‘inflorescence’ and it is this inflorescence which defines individual grasses
The fruit of the grass flower is known as the grain
Significance: Grass is the cheapest form of food available to the farmer and is conserved during the summer months as winter fodder for farm animals. The cereal crops such as barley, wheat, oats and maize are all used as animal feed and human consumption globally.
FAMILY CRUCIFERAE
Examples: Wallflowers, vegetables also known as the Brassicas such as broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbages and cauliflower, oilseed rape and bittercress.
Characteristics:
Floral parts are mainly in fours — four sepals, petals and stamens, with the flower in the shape of across
Significance: Some such as bittercress are weeds but the majority are vegetables and of significant importance in the agricultural industry.
FAMILY COMPOSITAE
Examples: Dandelions, daisies, thistle, ragwort, lettuce and artichoke.
Characteristics:
Each flower is a collection of florets
Leaves vary in appearance and texture
Significance: Many such as thistle and ragwort are weeds but some such as lettuce and artichoke are vegetables. This plant family also includes shrubs, which are aesthetically important in gardening.
Plant Families
FAMILY LILIACEAE Examples: Garlic, onions, chives, leeks and hyacinths
Characteristics:
Members of this family are monocots
Floral parts are in multiples of three: six petals/sepals, six stamens and three carpels
Many members have storage organs such as bulbs and rhizomes
Significance: Many members such as garlic, onions and chives are used extensively in the food industry while others such as hyacinths are important in horticulture. FAMILY APIACEAE (UMBELLIFERAE) Examples: Celery, carrots, parsnips, parsley and dill
Characteristics:
The inflorescence of this plant is a collection of flowers in an ‘umbrella’ shape, hence the former name — Umbelliferae
The flowers are very small, but each consists of sepals, five petals, five stamens and two carpels
Significance: The family includes herbs such as parsley and dill, vegetables such as carrots and parsnips and weeds such as hogweed.
FAMILY ROSACEAE
Examples: Apple, plum and pear trees, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries and hawthorn and blackthorn.
Characteristics:
Flower blooms are large Petal numbers vary
Significance: This family includes trees that bear fruit and bushes that bear berries. In addition, blackthorn and hawthorn provide natural forms of fencing on many farms. FAMILY POLYGONACEAE Examples: Dock leaf
Characteristics:
Tiny green flowers with 6 petals
Rough textured leaf
Significance: Many species exist, but the two most common are the curled leaf and the broad leaf dock. One plant can produce up to 60,000 seeds which will
Plant Families
germinate when conditions are favourable. Dock seeds which do not germinate immediately can remain in the ground for up to 70 years and then germinate when conditions are suitable. High potassium levels favour their growth. In addition to competing with grass for space, nutrients and light, docks are unpalatable and little quality as a feed. FAMILY LAMIACEAE (URTICACEAE) Examples: Mint, sage, basil and the common nettle
Characteristics:
Square stem, around which the flower circles
Significance: Common herbs such as mint, sage and basil are important for the food industry. The common nettle is a weed which when in the growth stage is unpalatable to livestock. Nettles however are rich in iron, and can be used in herbal medicine. FAMILY RANUNCULACEAE Examples: Buttercups (above) and lesser celandine
Characteristics:
Invasive by nature, buttercups thrive on poor soil conditions such as wet compacted land
Usually flower in the spring, but flowers can be found throughout the summer
Significance: All Ranunculus species are poisonous when eaten fresh by cattle, horses and other livestock. More often than not, the plant is left uneaten due to its bitter taste but poisoning may become a problem where buttercups are abundant in over-grazed land. Symptoms include bloody diarrhoea, colic and severe blistering around the mouth. The toxin responsible is ‘glycoside ranunculin’ and is more abundant in the flower of the plant. Its effects are more prominent in wet weather. Once the plant is cut and dry, the toxin disappears so including it in hay or haylage will rule out any adverse effects. Buttercups may also be described as ‘indicator species’ — a species which shows the conditions in a habitat. The presence of buttercups along with moss and rushes, indicate a wet soil.