COMPARATIVE ACCOUNT OF FAMILIES

ASPECT	MALVACEAE	FABACEAE	SOLANACEAE	LILIACEAE
CLASS	Dicotyledonae	Dicotyledonae	Dicotyledonae	Monocotyledonae
SUB-CLASS	Polypetalae	Polypetalae	Gamopetalae	-
SERIES	Thalamiflorae	Calyciflorae	Bicarpellatae	Coronariae
ORDER	Malvales	Rosales	Polemoniales	-
NO. OF GENERA	82	452	85	254
NO. OF SPECIES	1500	8500	2200	4075
TYPE OF DISTRIBUTION	Cosmopolitan Absent in cold regions	Cosmopolitan Abundant-Tropical regions	Discontinuous Abundant – Tropical regions	Cosmopolitan Abundant – Tropical regions
HABITAT	Mesophytes	Mesophytes Ulex – Xerophyte	Mesophytes Solanum surattense – Xerophyte	Mesophytes – Allium, Lilium, Gloriosa, Smilax,  Colchicum Xerophytes – Aloe, Asparagus, Ruscus, Yucca
HABIT	Mostly Herbs Shrubs – Gossypium Hibiscus Trees - Thespesia	Mostly annual  Herbs Shrubs/Trees Tendrillar climbers – Pisum, Lathyrus Twiner - Dolichos	Mostly Herbs Shrubs – Cestrum Trees are rare	Mostly perennial Herbs Shrubs/Trees – Aloe, Yucca, Dracaena
ROOT SYSTEM	Taproot system	Nodular taproot system	Tap root system	Adventitious root  system Fasciculated root -Asparagus
POSITION OF STEM	Aerial	Aerial	Aerial Underground-Solanum tuberosum	Underground Sub aerial – Aloe Aerial – Smilax, Yucca, Dracaena
STEM MODIFICATIONS	-	Tendrillar climbers – Pisum, Lathyrus Twiner - Dolichos	Stem tuber – Solanum tuberosum	Tunicated bulb – Allium cepa, Scilla, Scaly bulb – Lilium Intermediate bulb – Allium sativum Rhizome – Gloriosa Corm – Colchicum Cladodes – Asparagus Ruscus Bulbils – Lilium Suckers – Aloe
HAIRS ON VEGETATIVE PARTS	Stellate hairs	-	Hairs or Prickles are present	Absent
SALIENT ANATOMICAL CHARACTER	Mucilage cavities	-	Bicollateral vascular bundles	Collateral closed vascular bundles Anamalous secondary  growth – Yucca ,Dracaena
POSITION OF LEAVES	Cauline	Cauline	Cauline	Radical – Allium, Lilium Cauline – Smilax, Gloriosa
STIPULE	Stipulate	Stipulate	Exstipulate	Exstipulate or Stipulate (Smilax)
PETIOLE	Petiolate	Petiolate	Petiolate	Petiolate or Sessile –                      Gloriosa
SYMMETRY OF LEAVES	Dorsiventral	Dorsiventral	Dorsiventral	Isobilateral
PHYLLOTAXY	Alternate	Alternate	Alternate Appears to be opposite (or) Whorled at floral regions	Alternate Whorled - Trillium
MORPHOLOGY  OF LEAVES	Simple leaves Palmately lobed – Gossypium Multifoliate – Ceiba	Compound leaves Simple leaves – Crotalaria Unipinnate – Tephrosia Trifoliate – Dolichos	Simple leaves	Simple leaves
VENATION	Reticulate	Reticulate	Reticulate	Parallel Smilax – Reticulate
LEAF MODIFICATIONS	-	Pulvinous, Leaf bases Foliaceous stipules – Pisum, Lathyrus Entire leaf into tendril – Lathyrus Terminal leaflets into tendrils – Pisum Leaflets into spines – Ulex	-	Scales  leaves – Ruscus, Asparagus Spinous leaves –Asparagus Spinous leaf margin – Aloe Spinous leaf apex – Yucca Tendrillar stipules – Smilax Tendrillar leaf apex – Gloriosa Succulent leaves – Yucca Aloe Fleshy leaf bases – Allium, Lilium Reproductive leaves – Scilla
TYPE OF INFLORESCENCE	Solitory cyme Axillary – Hibiscus Terminal – Gossypium Simple raceme OR Compound raceme	Simple raceme OR Compound raceme Axillary simple raceme – Dolichos Terminal simple raceme – Crotalaria	Cymose Terminal solitary cyme – Datura Monochasial Scorpioid – Solanum	Simple raceme – Asparagus Compound raceme – Yucca, Aloe Simple umbel – Smilax, Allium Terminal Solitary cyme – Lilium Axillary solitary cyme - Gloriosa
BRACT	Ebraceteate	Bracteate	Bracteate or Ebraceteate	Bracteate
BRACTEOLE	Bracteolate (Epicalyx) Epicalyx absent in Abutilon , Sida	Bracteolate OR Ebracteolate	Ebracteolate	Ebracteolate
PEDICEL	Pedicellate	Pedicellate	Pedicellate	Pedicellate
TYPE OF FLOWER	Complete	Complete	Complete	Complete Incomplete – Simlax, Ruscus
SEXUALITY OF FLOWER	Bisexual	Bisexual	Bisexual	Bisexual Unisexual – Similax, Ruscus
MEROSITY	Pentamerous	Pentamerous	Pentamerous	Trimerous
SYMMETRY OF FLOWER	Actinomorphic	Zygomorphic	Actinomorphic	Actinomorphic
TYPE OF FLOWER BASED ON POSITION OF GYNOECIUM	Hypogynous	Perigynous	Hypogynous	Hypogynous
NO. OF SEPALS PER FLOWER	5	5	5	6 tepals Polyphyllous or Gamophyllous Odd tepal of outer whorl-- Anterior, Odd tepal of inner whorl—Posterior Valvate aestivation
NATURE OF CALYX	Gamosepalous	Gamosepalous	Gamosepalous
AESTIVATION  SEEN IN CALYX	Valvate	Valvate	Valvate
POSITION OF ODD SEPAL	Posterior	Anterior	Posterior
NO. OF PETALS PER FLOWER	5	5	5
NATURE OF COROLLA	Polypetalous	Polypetalous	Gamopetalous
AESTIVATION FOUND IN COROLLA	Twisted	Descendingly imbricate	Valvate/Twisted (Solanum) (Datura)
POSITION OF ODD PETAL	Anterior	Posterior	Anterior
SPECIAL CHARACTER SEEN IN COROLLA	At base petals are fused with staminal tube	Papilionaceous	-------------	Petaloid perianth
UNION OF PETALS	Only Adhesion	No Adhesion No  Cohesion	Both Cohesion and Adhesion	Commonly No- cohesion Cohesion – Aloe Commonly No –Adhesion Adhesion – Asparagus
NO. OF STAMENS PER FLOWER	Many	10	5	6
NO. OF ANTHER LOBES PER FLOWER	Many (No. of stamens = No. of Anther lobes)	20	10	12
NO. OF MCROSPORANGIA PER FLOWER	Many No. of stamens =  No. of  Microsporangia  2	40	20	24
RATIO BETWEEN ANTHERS ANTHERS LOBES AND MICROSPORANGIA	1 : 1 : 2	1 : 2 : 4	1 : 2 : 4	1 : 2 : 4
RATIO BETWEEN PERIANTH MEMBERS AND STAMENS	10 : Many	1 : 1	2 : 1	1 : 1
ANTHERS	Monothecous Extrorse, Excerted Dorsifixed, Reniform with Transverse dehiscence	Dithecous, Introrse Inserted, Basifixed with longitudinal dehiscence	Dithecous, Introrse Inserted, Basifixed with longitudinal OR Porous (Solanum)  dehiscence	Dithecous, Introrse Inserted, Basifixed with longitudinal dehiscence
UNION OF STAMENS	Both Cohesion (Monadelphous ) and Adhesion (Epipetalous)	Only cohesion (Diadelphous or Monadelphous)	Only Adhesion (Epipetalous)	Commonly NO cohesion and No Adhesion Adhesion – Asparagus (Epiphyllous)
SPECIAL CHARACTERS IN ANDROECIUM	Spinous, Polysiphonous pollengrains, closed staminal tube	Open staminal tube staminal tube is opened towards posterior side Position of single stamen - Posterior	Larger Anthers Stamens are alternate to petals	Outer whorls of  stamens are opposite to outer whorl of tepals and inner whorl of stamens are opposite to inner whorl of tepals
NO. OF CARPELS PER GYNOECIUM	3 – Many 5 – Hibiscus Many – Sida, Abutilon	1	2	3
NO. OF LOCULES IN AN  OVARY	3 – Many	1	2 1 – Capsicum 4 – Datura		3
RATIO BETWEEN CARPELS AND LOCULES	1 : 1	1 : 1	1 : 1 2 : 1 – Capsicum 1 : 2 - Datura		1 : 1
POSITION OF OVARY	Superior	Half-inferior Superior – Crotalaria	Superior		Superior
PLACENTATION	Axile	Marginal	Axile with swollen placenta		Axile
NO. OF STIGMAS	Carpels = Stigmas Carpels = Stigmas X 2	1	1		3
RATIO BETWEEN CARPELS, LOCULES AND STIGMAS	1 : 1 : 1 OR 1 : 1 : 2	1 : 1 : 1	2 : 2 : 1		1 : 1 : 1
NO. OF NECTAR GLANDS PER FLOWER	0 Hibiscus – Many	1	0		3
SPECIAL CHARACTER SEEN IN  GYNOECIUM	Style is enclosed by staminal tube	Curved stigma	Ovary is obliquely arranged at angle of 45		Septal nectaries
TYPE OF POLLINATION	Entamophily	Entamophily	Entamophily		Entamophily
CONTRIVANCES PROMOTES CROSS POLLINATION	Protandry Hibiscus – Herkogamy Selfsterility – Abutilon	Protandry Pollen propottency – Dolichos	Protandry Protogyny – Solanum		Protandry Protogyny – Colchicum Herkogamy – Gloriosa Dicliny –Smilax               Ruscus
COMMONLY SELF POLLINATED PLANTS	-	Pisum, Lathyrus	Nicotiana		-
FRUIT	Loculicidal Capsule – Gossypium, Abelmoschus Schizocarp – Sida Abutilon Berry – Malvaviscus	Legume / Pod Indehiscent pods – Arachis Samara – Pterocarpus Dalbergia	Berry – Solanum  Capsicum, Lycopersicon. Septifragal capsule – Datura, Nicotiana		Loculicidal capsule – Llilium. Septicidal capsule – Gloriosa Berry – Asparagus
SPECIALITY SEEN IN POLLINATION	-	Piston mechanism	-		Yucca – Symbiotic pollination
SEED	Dicotyledonous Endospermic or Non-endospermic	Dicotyledonous Non-Endospermic	Dicotyledonous Endospermic Embryos curved Straight embryo - Nicotiana		Monocotyledonous Endoppermic Embryos are straight or curved
ORNAMENTAL     PLANTS	Hibiscus rosasinensis, H.micranthus, Malvaviscus, Althea	Butea monosperma	Cestrum, Petunia		Asparagus,Yucca,Dracaena ,Gloriosa
FIBRE YIELDING PLANTS	Gossypium, H.cannabinus	Crotalaria	--------------		Yucca,Dracaena
MEDICINAL PLANTS	Abutilon, Sida	Derris, Trigonella	S.surattense, S.nigram, Datura stramonium		Allium, Aloe, Smilax, Gloriosa,Scilla, Colchicum
OIL YIELDING PLANTS	Gossypium	Arachis, Glycine, Derris[medicinal]	----------------		---------------------
VEGATABLES	Abelmoschus, H.cannabinus	Dolichus,Glycine, Trigonella	Solanum,Lycopersicon,Capsicum		---------------
ALKALOIDS	---------------	--------------	Nicotine-Nicotiana, Atropine- Atropa, Capsine-Capsicum		--------------
FODDER PLANTS	------------	Arachis, Crotalaria, Phaseolus	-------------		-------------
CONDIMENTS	-------------	Trigonella	Capsicum		--------------
GREEN MANURE	-----------	Tephrosia, Sesbania	-------------		----------------