In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Characters of Pedaliaceae 2. Distribution of Pedaliaceae 3. Economic Importance 4. Affinities.
Characters of Pedaliaceae:
Herbs with opposite leaves, and mucilage containing glandular hairs; flowers zygomorphic, hoypogynous; calyx and corolla 5, fused, corolla bilabiate; stemens 4, epipetalous, sometimes 2; carpels 2, syncarpous, 4-loculed or incompletely 4-loculed, axile placentation; fruit a capsule, beaked or barbed.
A. Vegetative characters:
Habit:
Annual or perennial herbs, rarely shrubs.
Root:
Tap and branched.
Stem:
Erect, herbaceous, branched with mucilage containing glandular hairs.
Leaf:
Simple, entire or lobed, opposite or the uppermost sometimes alternate, exstipulate with mucilage glands.
B. Floral characters:
Inflorescence:
Usually solitary in axils or simple axillary dichasial, rarely recemose.
Flower:
Zygomorphic, hypogynous, rarely epigynous (Trapelia), hermaphrodite, pedicellate, complete.
Calyx:
Sepals 5, rarely 4, gamosepalous, valvate.
Corolla:
Pelals 5 or 4, gamopetaous, tubular, 5-lobed or somewhat bilabiate, (upper 2, lower 3).
Androecium:
Stamens 4, epipetalues distinct, didynamous (only 2 fertile stamen in Trapelia), the fifth (posterior) represented by a small staminode, anthers – bithecous, introrse, dehiscing langitudinally.
Gynoecium:
Bicarpellary, syncarpous, superior (inferior in Trapelia) bi or tetralocular due to false septa, axile placentation, 1 or more ovules in each locule, ovule anatropous; style one and slender; strigma bilobed.
Fruit:
Loculicidal capsule or nut, often spiny or with wings, hooks or thorns, beaked or barbed.
Seed:
Smooth with a thin fleshy endosperm and a small straight embryo.
Pollination:
Entomophilous.
Floral formula:
Distribution of Pedaliaceae:
Sesamum family comprises of 16 genera and 60 species, mostly maritime or desert plants.
Economic Importance of Pedaliaceae:
1. Food:
The seeds of Sesamum indicum (H. til) yield oil. The seeds of white seeded variety are edible-and largely eaten in the form of sweetmeat. The oil is used for culinary purposes.
The leaves of Ceratotheca sesamoides and Pedailium mures are used as vegetables.
The oil of black seeded varieties of Sesamum indicum is used for burning and anointing the body and manufacture of soaps and perfumes.
2. Medicinal:
The seeds of Sesamum indicum are used in piles, dysentery and urinary trobules. They are also applied to ulcers in the form of poultice.
The decoction oiPedalium fruit is used for urinary complaints, spamatorrhoea, and impotency. The infusion of leaves and stem are also useful for veneral diseases such as gonorrhoea, dysuria etc. The roots have antibilous properties.
3. Ornamental:
Ceratotheca triloba is cultivated domestically as an ornamental plant to a limited extent.
Affinities of Pedaliaceae:
The Pedaliaceae is closely allied to Scrophulariaceae and Lamiaceae (Labiatae), but is distinguished by the usually beaked or barbed fruits, 4-localed or incompletely 4-loculed bicarpellary ovary and axile placentation.
Common plant of the family:
1. Sesamum, indicum L.:
Sesame or Gingelly (H.Til) an oil-seed crop.
Important Type of Pedaliaceae:
1. Seasamum indicum (Fig. 84.1):
Habit:
Annual herb, 1 to 2.5 ft feet high cultivated in rainy season.
Root:
Tap and branched.
Stem:
Erect, herbaceous, branched, with mucilage containing glandular hair, angular.
Leaf:
Simple, entire, opposite, uppermost alternate, existipulate.
Inflorescence:
Cymose, solitary axillary.
Flower:
Pedicellate, hermophrodite, hypogynous, zygomorphic, complete, whitish, pinkish ebracteate, complete.
Calyx:
Sepals 5, gamosepalous, valvate, hairy.
Corolla:
Petals 5, gamopetalous, bilabiate, tubular, 5 lobed, upper 2 and lower 3.
Androecium:
Stamens 4, didynamous, epipetalous, posterior most staminode, anthers bithecous, sagitate, introrse.
Gynoecium:
Bicarpellary syncarpous superior, tetralocular due to false septum, axile placentation, style filiform, stigma bilobed.
Fruit:
Loculicidal capsule, short beak.
Seed:
Small, smooth, black or white.
Floral formula:
