Plantlet The Blogging Platform of Department of Botany, University of Dhaka
Systematic position
Bentham and Hooker placed it in the sub-class Gamopetalae,the series Bicarpellate and Cohort Gentianales . According to Engler it belongs to the sub-class Metachlymadeae, the sub-order Gentianineae under the order Controtae.Hutchinson places it under the order Apocynales of the Phylum Lignosae.
Distribution
The family contains about 300 genera and 1300 species which are almost cosmopolitan mainly tropical with a few temperate ones.
Best safe and secure cloud storage with password protection
Get Envato Elements, Prime Video, Hotstar and Netflix For Free
Best Money Earning Website 100$ Day
#1 Top ranking article submission website
General charecters
Habit
Generally shrubby or woody climbers with lactiferous ducts.
Leaves
Simple, opposit or whorled, exstipulate, entire.
Inflorescence
Cymose or in panical.
Flower
Complete, bisexual, actinomorphic and hypogynous.
Calyx
Sepals 5(rarely 4), deeply lobed, divided almost to the base, united, imbricate.
Corolla
petals 5, united, usually salver or funnel shaped, the throat of the tube often with hairs, scales or other appendages, called corona, twisted.
Androecium
Stamens 5, alternating with corolla lobes epipetalous(attached to the throat) filaments very short, anthers 2-celled usually sagittate introse, free or adherent to the stigmatic surface by a viscid fluid, connective often prolonged apically, pollen granular, disc often present.
Gynaecium
Carpels 2, the 2 ovaries usually distinct, and united only by the thick stigmatic surfaces, clavuncle, carpels 5-8 in the premitive form, style usually 1(with a thickened head), placentation marginal in each ovary, stigma dumbel-shaped, ovary superior.
Fruit
Follicles, drupaceous, berries or capsule.
Seeds
Usually flat, winged or with a crown of hairs, endospermic, embryo straight.
Identyfying charecter
- Plants usually woody climbers with lactiferous ducts.
- Leaves opposit or whorled, exstipulate.
- Corolla 5-lobed, salver shaped.
- Carpels completely united or united by their styles and free below.
- Fruits follicular or indehiscent.
Important Plants of Apocynaceae Family
Economically it is a very important family. Plants described here in different banners are:
| Purpose | Plant name and comments | Image |
| Medicinal |
Rauwolfia serpentina Benth dried roots yield alkaloid used for lowering blood pressure. |
 |
|
Hollarrhena antidysantrica Wall root and steam bark used in treatment of dysentry. |
 |
|
|
Alstonia scholaris R. Br. bark is used in treatment of diarrhea. |
 |
|
| Edible |
Carissa caranda L. fruits used as food |
 |
| Rubber yielding | Carpodinus lanceolatus |
 |
| Fibre yielding | Apocynum cannabinum |
 |
| Ornamental | Narium oleander |
 |
