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Lecture 12 - Flowering Plants and Civilization - FA22
Lecture 12 - Flowering Plants and Civilization - FA22
Lecture 12
Flowering Plant and Civilization
PLS 1 – Intro to Plant Science
Madera Community College
Origin of Cultivated Plants
• 1880s, Alphonse de Candolle, Swiss botanist published
Origin of Cultivated Plants
• Deduced that cultivated plants probably originated in
areas where their wild relatives grown
• 1916, N.I. Vavilov, a Russian Botanist and Geneticist –
Expanded on Candolle’s work for 20 years
• Concluded that
– most cultivated plants differ from their wild relatives
– Dispersal centers of cultivated plants are characterized by the
presence of dominant genes in plant populations
– Recessive genes become apparent toward the margins of a
plants distribution
Origin of Cultivated Plants
• Vavilov recognized 8 centers of diversity of cultivated plants, with some
plants originating in more than one center…..
https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/css/330/two/
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Origin of Cultivated Plants
• BUT with the help of analysis of plants at
the molecular level starting in the 1950s,
showed that many of the cultivated plants
NOT originate in Vavilov’s center!
• Agricultural Geneticist Jack R. Harlan –
University of Illinois – Concluded that
some crops DO NOT have centers of origin
Origin of Cultivated Plants
• Jack R. Harlan associated crop origins with Regions ‐ 6 major regions
that cultivated crops originated from
www.researchgate.net
Origin of Cultivated Plants
Near‐Eastern Region
• Encompasses the Mediterranean
area, northern Europe, Turkey, the
Balkans, Pakistan, and Iran
• Barley, wheat, garden pea, lentil,
chickpea, asparagus, beet, carrot,
turnip, olive, stone fruit (cherry,
plum, apricot), apple, pear, onion,
garlic, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce,
parsley, pistachio, flax, clover
www.researchgate.net
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Origin of Cultivated Plants
Chinese Region
• Many of the cultivated plants
believed to have originated in this
region apparently came from the
temperate and southern pars of
China
• Bamboo, peach, litchi, walnut,
persimmon, ginger, ginseng, gourds,
camphor, tea, soybean, horseradish,
cucumber
www.researchgate.net
Origin of Cultivated Plants
African Continent
• Most African plants appear to have
originated from Ethiopia, West
Africa, and other areas between the
Sahara and the Congo
• Yam, sorghum, okra, oil palm,
baobab, the sweet melons, coffee,
some cotton, and castor bean
www.researchgate.net
Origin of Cultivated Plants
South Asia and the Islands of the
Pacific
• This region encompasses South Asia,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Melanesia, the
Philippines, and thousands of islands
extending across the southern Pacific
Ocean
• Sugar cane, eggplant, mango,
banana, citrus fruits, safflower,
nutmeg, clove, cardamom, turmeric,
black pepper, hemp fiber, coconut,
taro, rice, sesame, onion, jack fruit
www.researchgate.net
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Origin of Cultivated Plants
North America
• Few cultivated plants believed to
have originated from here
• Those that did came from primarily
tropical and subtropical areas
• Sunflower, tobacco, strawberry
www.researchgate.net
Origin of Cultivated Plants
South Central America
• No real distinction between South America
and areas to the north with respect to
some of the cultivated plants originating in
the New World
• Exp‐Common garden beans wild relatives
appear to have been distributed
throughout parts of both North and South
America
• Corn, peanut, white (Irish) potato, lima
bean, common bean, cashew, pineapple,
papaya, avocado, red pepper, tomato,
cotton, quinoa, cacao (chocolate), guava,
sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, rubber,
prickly pear, chayote, vanilla, cassava
www.researchgate.net
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
• >300 families of flowering plants!
• Many still undergoing extensive reorganization on the basis of DNA,
chemical, and cladistical information
• Flowers and fruits more reliable and stable indicators of hereditary
information ‐ therefore most plant families have been distinguished from
one another mostly on the basis of flower and fruit parts and structure.
• Some families only include a few species, others include thousands!
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Dicot Plant Families
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
• The Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae)
• ~1,500 members – nearly all herbaceous
• Flowers have petals that vary in number,
numerous stamens and several to many pistils
• Petioles slightly expanded at the base
• Most members of this family are at least slightly
poisonous
– European Buttercup causes blistering on the skin of
sensitive individuals
– The Asian monkshood called wolfsbane – wolf hunters
would poison these animals with a juice obtained from
wolfbane root
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Laurel Family (Lauraceae)
• ~1,000 members
• Primitive flowers – have no petals, but have 6 sepals
that are sometimes petal‐like
• Stamens occur in 3 or 4 whorls of 3 each
• Most are tropical evergreen shrubs and trees with
aromatic leaves
– Powdered cinnamon is the pulverized bark of a small three
native to India and Sri Lanka
– Avocados – fruits have more energy value by weight than
red meats & rich in vitamins and iron
– California bay – Sometimes used as a substitute for sweet
bay, Christmas wreaths, hard wood polishes well and is
great for making bowls, ornaments, and other things
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Poppy Family (Papaveraceae)
• ~800 members
• Most members of this family are herbs distributed
throughout temperate and subtropical regions
north of the equator
• Many are planted as ornamentals
• Poppies tend to have numerous stamens, but most
have a single pistil
• Most also have a milky colored sap
• Sepals fall off as the flower opens
– Opium poppies – Morphine, known for their medicinal
purposes – Heroin is a derivative of opium
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
• ~2,500 members
• Original Latin name – Cruciferae – describes the four
petals of the flowers that are arranged in the form
of a cross
• Flowers also have 4 sepals, usually 4 nectar glands,
and 6 stamens (2 that are shorter than the other 4)
• Mostly distributed throughout the cooler regions of
the Northern Hemisphere
Selected Families of Flowering
Plants
The Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
• Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts,
radish, turnip
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Rose Family (Rosaceae)
• >3,000 members of trees, shrubs, and herbs
distributed throughout the world
• Flowers have a basal parts fused into a cup, with
petals, sepals, and numerous stamens attached
to the cup’s rim.
• Roses – favorite of gardeners for centuries
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Rose Family (Rosaceae)
• Economically important family:
– stone fruit (cherries, apricots, peaches, plums), pom
fruits (apples and pears) aggregate fruits
(strawberries, blackberries, loganberries, raspberries)
being grown annually
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Legume Family (Fabaceae)
• ~13,000 members (3rd largest)
• Flowers range in symmetry from radial
(regular) to bilateral (irregular) botanycompanion.wordpress.com
• Irregular flowers have a boat‐shaped keel
composed of two fused petals that enclose
the pistil, two wing petals, and a larger
banner petal
• Stamens are usually fused in the form of a
tube around the ovary
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Legume Family (Fabaceae)
– Peas, beans (garbanzo, lima, kidney, garbanzo,
mung), soybeans, lentils, peanuts, alfalfa, sweet
clover, jicama, licorice.
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Spurge Family (Euphorbiaceae)
• ~7,500 members
• Widespread North and South of the equator
• Stamens and pistils are produced in separate
flowers that often lack a corolla and are
inconspicuous
• The female flower is elevated on a stalk called a
gynophore and surrounded by many small male
flowers
– Spotted spurge‐ economically important weed in crops
of CA
– 100 million tons of Cassava harvested in South
America, Africa, and eastern Asia
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Cactus Family (Cactaceae)
• ~2,000 members
• Native only to the Americas
• Showy flowers with numerous stamens, petals, and
sepals
• Sepals are often colored like the petals, and the ovary
develops into a berry
• The leaves of many are often reduced in size or in the
form of spines, with fleshy, flattened, cylindrical stems
• Can tolerate high temperatures
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Cactus Family (Cactaceae)
• Prickly pear fruits and pads sold in American
supermarkets
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
• ~3,000 members
• Easy to distinguish through their angular
stems that are square in cross section
• Opposite leaves, and bilaterally symmetrical
(irregular) flowers
• Most produce aromatic oils in the leaves
and stems
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
• Rosemarry, thyme, sage, oregano, basil,
lavender, peppermints, and spearmint
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)
• ~3,000 members
• Concentrated in tropics of Central and South
America
• Flowers have fused petals, with the stamen
filaments fused to the corolla so that they
appear to be arising from it
• Have alternate leaves and occur as herbs,
shrubs, trees, or vines
– Tomato, white potato, eggplant, pepper, tobacco, and
petunia
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)
Tomato, white potato, eggplant, pepper, tobacco,
and petunia
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Carrot Family (Apiaceae)
• ~2,000 members
• Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere
• Small flowers that are numerous and arranged in
umbels
• Leaves are generally dissected, and the base of their
petioles usually form sheathes around the stem
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Carrot Family (Apiaceae)
– Dill, celery, carrot, parsley, caraway, coriander, fennel,
anise, and parsnip
– Pocket gophers are attracted by their aroma
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Pumpkin Family (Cucurbitaceae)
• ~700 members
• Most species are tropical/subtropical, many occur in
temperate areas of both the Northern and Southern
Hemisphere
• Plants are prostrate or climbing herbaceous vines with
tendrils
• Flowers have fused petals, and female flower has 3
pistils
• All flowers are unisexual
– Pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and
watermelons
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Pumpkin Family (Cucurbitaceae)
Pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and
watermelons
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
• ~20,000 members (2nd largest)
• Individual flowers are called florets‐usually
tiny and numerous but arranged in a
compact inflorescence so they look like a
single flower
• These flowers in the margins have greatly
developed corollas that extend out like
straps, forming what appear to be petals
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
• Lettuce, endive, chicory, Jerusalem
artichoke, globe artichoke, dahlia,
chrysanthemum, marigold, sunflower, and
thistle
Monocot Plant Families
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Grass Family (Poaceae)
• More numerous and more widely distributed than any
other plant family! But... Only ~12,000 members
• Includes 9 of the 10 most important crops in the world
• The calyx and corolla are represented by tiny,
inconspicuous scales, and the flowers are protected by
boat‐shaped bracts
• Stigmas are feathery
– Wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, corn, sugar cane
– >1 billion tons of cereals, feeding more than half the worlds
population, are harvested each year!
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Grass Family (Poaceae)
– Wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, corn, sugar cane
– >1 billion tons of cereals, feeding more than half the worlds
population, are harvested each year!
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Lily Family (Liliaceae)
• Abundant in tropical and subtropical
regions
• Large flowers typically, with parts in
multiples of 3, with the sepals and
petals frequently resembling each other
in color and form
– Many types of lilies and daffodils used
widely as ornamentals
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Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Lily Family (Liliaceae)
– Asparagus, meadow saffron, and Aloe
Selected Families of Flowering Plants
The Orchid Family (Orchidaceae)
• >35,000 members
• Flowers are exceptionally varied in size and form and so
are habitats
• Orchids have 3 sepals and 3 petals, with 1 of the petals
(the lip petal) differing in form from the other 2.
• The flowers of one Venezuelan species have a diameter
of <1mm, while a species in Madagascar has flowers
that are >45 cm long!
• Epiphytes – grow on bark of trees, but is NOT parasitic
• The stamen and the pistil are united in a unique single
structure ‐ column
Summary
• Describe how the following scientists contributed to plants and civilization; Alphonse
de Candolle, N.I. Vavilov, Jack R. Harlan
• Name and describe the 6 major regions that cultivated crops originated from
• Name and describe the 13 important dicot plant families discussed in this lecture.
Students should be able to do the following; name the families, roughly know how
many plants make up the family, know distinguishing characteristic and traits that
plants have in each family, be able to identify photos of plants to family.
• Name and describe the 3 important monocot plant families discussed in lecture.
Students should be able to do the following; name the families, roughly know how
many plants make up the family, know distinguishing characteristic and traits that
plants have in each family, be able to identify photos of plants to family.
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