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.

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