Biol 324 Introduction To Seed Plant Taxonomy
Magnoliids: cinnamons (Canellales), laurels and avocados (Laurales), magnolias (Magnoliales), black peppers (Piperales)
Note:
Definite number of parts in some Laurales
Persea (avocado) - carpels single
Characters of Magnoliids
- Primitive characters: wood sometimes vesselless; pollen monosulcate; perianth parts sometimes numerous (sometimes in threes or absent), separate; stamens often numerous and spirally arranged; pistils usually simple.
- Derived characters: leaves with ethereal oil cells (shared with Austrobaileyales). Most Magnoliids have vessels, some have sepals and petals differentiated.
Examples of Magnoliales:
(1) Drimys - Winteraceae, e.g. Drimys winteri
- primitive features: vesselless wood, numerous spirally arranged stamens, simple pistils with a primitive structure.
- advanced features: monoporate pollen shed in tetrads, differentiated sepals and petals, single whorl of pistils
(2) Magnolia -Magnoliaceae, e.g. Magnolia grandiflora
- primitive features: numerous, separate parts, simple pistils, primitive stamens, monosulcate pollen, radial symmetry, spirally arranged parts, elongate receptacle
- advanced features include: somewhat differentiated calyx and corolla, vessels in wood, pistils somewhat fused in fruit, e.g. the agglomerated masses of magnolia fruits