Flowers are terminal and bloom singly or branched in cymes. There are usually 5-10 stamens or more and the carpels are united in a common superior ovary. Petals may be entire, fringed or deeply cleft and sepals may be free or united. Flowers are often white or pink, with 4 or 5 petals, and 5 sepals. Leaf blades are typically simple, lanceolate with entire margins, and without stipules. Species in Caryophyllaceae are relatively uniform and recognized by non-succulent stems, swollen stem nodes, and opposite leaves (rarely whorled). Many members are flowering ornamentals and some, such as Cerastium may be weedy. The pink or carnation family, Caryophyllaceae is a large family of temperate eudicots that are mostly annual, biennial or perennial herbs and a few subshrubs with woody stems. The leaves are alternate or opposite, rarely whorled, and often lobed or toothed and pinnately or palmately veined. Key identifying characteristics for Asteraceae include an inflorescence that is a composite head with disc florets, (ray florets may or may not be present), and an achene-like cypsela (fruit) with a fringe of hairs or papus. Most of its members are evergreen shrubs or subshrubs or perennial rhizomatous herbs, but tap-rooted or tuberous-rooted perennials, and biennial and annual herbs are also frequent. One of the largest families of flowering plants is the aster or sunflower family, Asteraceae. Images of the representative genera are available at this link to the KPU Plant Database. The morphological characteristics for some families and genera commonly found in landscapes and gardens are summarized below. One of the most comprehensive references for angiosperms is Flowering Plant Families of the World by V. In addition to shared morphological characteristics, the family taxon provides information about evolutionary adaptations for growth conditions as well as methods for propagation. As the group with the greatest number of closely related plants, the family taxon provides a starting point for narrowing the search for an unknown plant. While some plant families, such as Orchidaceae (orchid) and Asteraceae (sunflower family)have several hundred members, others such as Ginkgoaceae have a single member. ![]() ![]() Genera that share similar structures are grouped within a particular Family. Plant families are separated according to structural differences in flowers, fruit, and seed. ![]() Describe key morphological patterns characteristic to plant families.
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