Polygonaceae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Polygonaceae |
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Polygonaceae
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The Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants. This group includes about 30 different types of plants, called genera, and around 1,000 different species. Most plants in this family are herbs or shrubs. Sometimes, you might even find small trees.
You might know some plants from this family already! They include buckwheat, which is used to make flour, and rhubarb, a plant often used in desserts. Other well-known members are sorrel and knotweed.
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What Are Polygonaceae Plants Like?
Most plants in the Polygonaceae family are perennial. This means they live for more than two years. Many are also herbaceous, which means they have soft, green stems that die back in winter. Their stems often have swollen parts called nodes. These nodes are where the leaves and branches grow.
The leaves of these plants are usually simple. This means each leaf has just one main blade. They grow alternately along the stem, meaning one leaf grows on one side, then the next leaf grows on the opposite side a bit higher up.
Special Leaf Feature: The Ochrea
A very special thing about Polygonaceae leaves is something called an ochrea. This is a unique, fused, sleeve-like structure that wraps around the stem at the base of each leaf. It looks like a little papery or leafy collar. If a plant doesn't have an ochrea, it might have bracts (small, leaf-like structures) around its flowers instead.
Flowers of Polygonaceae
The flowers of Polygonaceae plants are usually small. They are often bisexual, meaning each flower has both male and female parts. They are also actinomorphic, which means they are radially symmetrical, like a star. You can cut them in half in any direction and they will look the same.
The flowers have three to six sepals. Sepals are like small leaves that protect the flower bud. After the flower blooms and starts to form fruit, these sepals often get thicker and bigger. They grow around the developing fruit to protect it. These flowers do not have corollas, which are the colorful petals you see on many flowers. However, some of their sepals can be bright and look like petals.
Inside the flower, there are usually three to eight stamens. Stamens are the male parts that produce pollen. The ovary is the female part that holds the ovule (which becomes the seed). The ovary is usually superior, meaning it sits above where the other flower parts attach. It has one locule (a chamber) and only one ovule. The ovary ends in one to three styles, which are like stalks, and each style has a stigma at its tip. The stigma is the part that collects pollen.
See also
In Spanish: Polygonaceae para niños
