Learn about the comparison between Musaceae and Orchidaceae.
Comparison # Musaceae:
1. Habit-Usually perennial herbs or rarely trees (Ravenala).
2. Roots-Adventitious.
3. Stem-Underground rhizome. In Musa, the so-called apparent erect stem is formed by long, stiff leaf-sheaths which are spirally rolled around one another.
4. Leaves-Simple, large, spiral, unicostate parallel, entire or lamina split, leaf- sheaths rolled up and overlapping.
5. Inflorescence-Terminal pendulous spike or panicle subtended by bright coloured or green spathe-like bracts.
6. Flower-Large, often coloured, unisexual (Musa) or bisexual (Ravenala) zygomorphic, epigynous, trimerous.
7. Perianth-6, arranged in two whorls, free or united, petaloid, in Musa, the perianth lobes of the outer and inner whorl, except the median one unite forming a tube.
8. Androecium-1/2 or 1 or 5 (rarely 6) stamens, others converted into petaloid staminodes, one or two staminodes may form labellium.
9. Pollen-No pollinia, pollen-grains powdery.
10. Gynoecium-Carpels 3, syncarpous ovary superior, 3-locular, ovules many on axile placentae.
11. Fruit-Berry or capsule, dehiscent or indehiscent.
12. Seed-Few to many, hard non-endospermic, arillate(Ravenala).
Comparison # Orchidaceae:
1. Habit-Perennial herbs, terrestrial or epiphytic, a few saprophytic and parasitic.
2. Roots-Adventitious of 3 kinds, i.e., absorbing roots, fleshy tuberous roots and aerial roots with velamen.
3. Stem-Erect, climbing or trailing often thickened into rhizome or pseudobulbs.
4. Leaves-Simple, alternate, opposite or whorled. entire, ovule or linear, thick and coriaceous, reduced to scales in saprophytic and parasitic species.
5. Inflorescence-Raceme or spike.
6. Flower-Zygomorphic, bisexual epigynous, white or coloured.
7. Perianth-6, in two whorl 3+3, distinguishable into sepals and petals, sepals similar, petals dissimilar, the median petal is the largest and forms the lip or labellum.
8. Androecium-Stamens 1 or 2 filaments adnate to the style forming a column, the gynostemium.
9. Pollen-Poll en-grains, frequently united, forming pollinia.
10. Gynoecium-Carpels 3, syncarpous, ovary inferior, 1-celled, ovules many or parietal placentae.
11. Fruit-Capsule.
12. Seed-Minute, light, non-endospermic, sometimes winged.