Family: CRUCIFERAE (BRASSICACEAE) MUSTARD FAMILY

Distribution: cosmopolitan in distribution, more common in temperate region of

northern hemisphere, this family includes 375 genera and 3250 species.

Habitat: terrestrial, Mesophyte, wild or cultivate for oil and vegetables.

Habit: annual or biennial (Raphanus sativus, Brissica rapa), or perennial herb

(Cheiranthus, Colchearia), possess pungent sulphur smelling.

Root: tap root system, sometime modified into napiform ( Brissica rapa), or fusiform
(Raphanus sativus).

Stem: aerial, erect or trailer (Coronopus), or highly reduced (Raphanus sativus,

Brissica rapa), or reduced as bud (Brissaca olaracea var capitata), branched,
cylindrical, solid, pubescent or glabrous.

Leaf: radical (Raphanus sativus, Brissica rapa), cauline and ramal, alternate,
exstipulate, petiolate, simple, lyrate, entire,glabrous or pubescent, unicoasted
reticulate venation.

Inflorescence: Racemose, Raceme, corymb (iberis amara)

Flower: ebraceate, pediceellate, actinomorphic or zygomorphic (Iberis amara),

complete, bisexual, tetramerous, hypogynous or perigynous (Lepidium), polycyclic,
cruciform, various colour.

Calyx: sepals four, polysepalous, arranged in two whorls, anterior and posterior are
in outer whorl, laterals are in inner whorl, petaloid, imbricate aestivation,
boat-shaped, deciduous, inferior.

Corolla: petals four, polypetalous, alternate with sepals, petal consist of claw and
limb, valvate aestivation, cruciform, in Iberis anterior two petals are larger than
posterior petals, petals reduced in Coroponus, absent in Lepidium, inferior.

Androecium: stamens six, tetradynamous, rarely two Senebiera, sixteen in

Megacarpea, polyandrous, didynanous (Coronopus didymus), anther dithecous,
basifixed or dorsifixed, nectary glands are present at base of filaments, inferior.

Gynoecium: carpel two, rarely three (Lepidium), four (Tetrapoma), bicarpillary,

syncarpous, ovary superior, unilocular but bilocular due to development of false
septum called replum, parietal placentation, style short, stigma capitate or bilobed.

Fruit: simple, dry, dehiscent, siliqua or silicula.

Seed: two cotyledons, ex-albuminous.

Floral formula:
Floral diagram:

Identifiying characters
Possess pungent sulphur smell
Lyrate leaf
Tetramerous and curciform flower
Four sepals are arranged in two whorls, boat-shaped
Petals consist of claw and limb
Tetradynamous stamens, nectary glands present at base of filament
Bilocular due to development of replum
Parietal placentation
Fruit is siliqua or silicula

Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Phanerogams
Sub-divison: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Sub-class: Polypetalae
Series: Thalamiflorae
Order: Parietales
Family: Brassicaseae (Cruciferae)

Economically important plants

Brassica rapa
Brassica juncea
Brassica campestris
Raphanus sativus
Brassica olaracae var. capitata
Brassica olaracae var. botrytis