Description of the legume family. Flowering plants Classification of legumes table
Bean family - This is a huge family, including at least 18 thousand species, distributed throughout the globe. The family is represented all life forms: from very large to 80 m tall trees to tiny annual herbaceous plants a few centimeters in size. They play a significant role in the formation of plant communities, and are also widely used by humans.
Leaves in legumes complex, cirrus, ternate, rarely palmate with stipules, which persist throughout life. In some herbaceous plants of this family, the upper lobes of the leaf, and sometimes the entire leaf, can turn into a clinging tendril.
Inflorescences bean - simple and complex brushes (lupine, clover), heads (clover).
Flowers irregular, most often five-membered, with a double perianth. The calyx consists of five sepals fused together. Corolla consists of five petals. For legumes, the so-called butterfly type whisk. The upper petal, the largest, was named flag or sail. Side lobes are called wings or oars. The lower petals usually fuse in the upper part along the lower edge and form boat. Stamens 10. Most often, the stamens of nine stamens grow together, and the uppermost stamen remains free. Pestle 1.
Most Bean's Flower Formula:↗ H (5) L 1 + 2 + (2) T (9) +1 P 1.
Only one is characteristic of all legumes. type of fetus - bean. Their seeds are large, reserve nutrients are found in thick fleshy cotyledons. The seeds contain as reserve nutrients a large number of proteins, as well as starch and oil, which determines their great nutritional and feed value.
On the roots of most types of legumes can be seen noduleswhich are formed as a result of symbiosis with bacteria. These bacteria are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and synthesize nitrogenous compounds, which are then used by plants. When plants die off, a large amount of nitrogen enters the soil. Therefore, the cultivation of legumes significantly improves soil fertility.
Seeds of many legumes from ancient times widely are used in writing.
The most valuable cultivated plant among legumes is soybeans. This annual plant has been known in China for at least 4-5 thousand years. In addition to soybeans, plants such as beans, peanuts, or peanuts, peas.
Peas - A typical plant of the legume family, one of the oldest cultivated plants. The homeland of peas is the mountains of Afghanistan and Northwest India. Peas are an annual herbaceous plant. Complex pea leaves end in branched wuxikamithat cling to a support and support a thin weak stalk. The flower and fruit have a characteristic bean structure .
Great value bean like fodder plants, eg: clover, alfalfa, lupine. These plants are used as animal feed.
Widespread decorative bean plants:caragana, or yellow acacia (deciduous shrub, less often a tree 4 to 7 meters high), robinia, or white acacia (can reach twenty meters height) wisteria(tree climbing) and sweet pea. Many plants of this family grow in meadows, shrubs and groves (types of clover, sweet clover, ranks). Outwardly, they are little alike or not at all alike.
In the tropics are well known "Rain tree", or samanee saman. The rain tree is ubiquitous in the tropics. The gigantic flat crowns of these trees protect the streets of many settlements well from the scorching rays of the tropical sun, but are unlikely to protect them from the rain at night, as its leaves, like many other legumes, fold up at night, as well as during rain.
One of the most beautiful trees in the world belongs to legumes - delonix royal, which is sometimes called the "flame of the forest." Plant height reaches 10 m.
Fruit carob tree, reminiscent of bean pods, were a favorite delicacy among the peoples inhabiting the Mediterranean countries.
Peas, soy, sweet peas, lentils, peanuts, soy ... The names of these plants are known to everyone. In our article, we will consider the structural features of the autonomic organs and the legume flower formula.
General characteristics of the family
Legumes or moth plants belong to the class dicotyledonous. Systematics count them in nature for more than 20 thousand species. Most of them are valuable food and feed crops. Of particular importance is the ability of some species to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Legumes are represented by all life forms: herbs, shrubs and trees. Usually with on the stem. The bean flower is a systematic symptom.
Legend
In botany, there is such a thing as a flower formula. It is a symbol for parts of this generative organ. The numbers in this series indicate the quantitative indicators of the elements of the generative organ.
They are deciphered as follows:
- H - a cup. It is a collection of sepals surrounding the receptacle.
- In - a whisk. These are all flower petals.
- Oh - perianth. It consists of a cup and a nimbus.
- T is the number of stamens.
- P is the number of pistils.
Legume Flower Formula
Now we will decode this combination of characters with a specific example. The flower formula of moths or legumes is as follows: Ch5 L1 + 2 + (2) T (9 + 1) P1. This structure visually resembles a boat or a butterfly. This determines the name moth.
So, perianth representatives of this family consists of five sepals and petals. The structure of the latter is differentiated. The uppermost petal is large compared to the rest. It is called a sail. On both sides there are side petals - “oars”. The remaining pair fuses along the lower edge. So the "boat" is formed. Beans have one pestle. There can be ten stamens in one case, in another - nine of them grow together, and one remains free. Petals are sometimes called a butterfly with wings.
Flower type
The bean flower formula also carries additional information. Such structures are bisexual. This means that the flowers have a pistil and stamens. They can be single - large with bright and wide petals.
Another characteristic feature is symmetry. According to this characteristic, legume flowers are irregular or zygomorphic. This means that through them you can draw a single vertical plane.
In a number of cases, representatives of this family form inflorescences. Sometimes the flower formula of which was given above forms inflorescences. It can be a brush, head or whisk.
Pollination and seed formation
The bean flower formula indicates some of its differences in different species of the family. These features determine the method of pollination. For example, in clover, each petal is twisted into a long tube. Therefore, only bumblebees with a special proboscis can pollinate it. Legumes also attract bees and butterflies. Pea, lupine, astragalus, wiki self-pollination.
A feature of legume seeds is the lack of endosperm - a reserve nutrient. These are dicotyledonous plants. Therefore, their embryo consists of two cotyledons, an embryonic stalk, root and bud, which contains the primordia of the first leaves. Outside is a protective peel. The cotyledons are turned to each other with flat sides. They are connected in one of the parts. In this place, the embryonic organs are located.
The stock of substances is concluded directly in the cotyledons. Scientists have proven that lupine can be grown even from seeds that have lain in permafrost for a long time. And beans are characterized by underground germination. In a biological sense, this is very beneficial because it provides protection against animals, temperature extremes.
Fruits and seeds
The fruit of this family is called bean. It develops from carpel. Bob is a dry multi-seed. After ripening, it opens at the seam between the two wings. There are seeds on them. Unlike the pod, there is no vertical partition inside the bean.
Bean seeds have long been eaten. Peas and beans contain a large amount of protein, and soy and peanuts contain vegetable oils. Clover and alfalfa are indispensable because they are of great nutritional value. These plants are also of great importance as honey plants. White and yellow caragana, as well as mimosa are famous decorative species.
Value
Bean sprouts are a valuable green manure. They are plowed up and left on the surface of the soil, which contributes to its enrichment with organic matter and improves the structure. In the pharmaceutical industry, licorice, melilot, acacia are used as raw materials. Among wood, the most valuable is sandalwood.
Only on the roots of legumes do nodule bacteria settle. This is a special kind that is able to absorb atmospheric nitrogen. What are the benefits of such organisms? Nitrogen is a necessary element for the formation of the stem and leaves. And in the air this substance is enough - up to 78%. But plants cannot absorb atmospheric nitrogen. Nodule bacteria translate it into a form that dissolves in water and can be absorbed from the soil by the roots. The existence of these organisms is mutually beneficial: bacteria provide plants with nitrogen, and in return receive mineral nutrients.
So, the bean flower formula has the form Ch5 L1 + 2 + (2) T (9 + 1) P1. This structure consists of five carpels and the same number of petals. The latter differ in size and shape. As a result, the bean flower has an irregular shape and is zygomorphic. This means that only one axis of symmetry can be drawn through it. This type of symmetry is called zygomorphic. Visually, the flower of leguminous plants resembles a boat with oars and a sail or a butterfly. This determines the second name of this family - moths. All legume flowers are bisexual. They have one pestle. And the number of stamens is ten. In some of them, nine of them grow together, and one remains free.
Legumes are very useful for humans, as they are rich in fiber, contain vitamin A and B vitamins, iron, calcium, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and starch. Legumes contain even more protein than meat products, so they can replace meat with vegetarians.
The root system of legumes is the roots with nodules on them, formed when nitrogen-fixing bacteria enter. They capture nitrogen, through which the plant and soil receive nutrition.
And now some interesting facts about legumes:
- Since beans contain folic acid and potassium, they can have a cleaning effect for blood and for the body as a whole
- The content of vitamin B reduces the likelihood of heart disease, improves digestion. What is important for girls, the presence in the diet of this vitamin improves the condition of the hair: they acquire a more magnificent and stronger structure
- According to nutritionists, when consumed every day, 150 g of legumes will lower blood cholesterol
- Mediterranean countries are considered to be the birthplace of legumes, from where they subsequently spread throughout the world.
The most common legumes include:
- Lupine
A fairly popular legume product with a high content of fat and protein, which is of vegetable origin. That is why soy is part of many animal feeds. Also used as a substitute for animal products.
As already mentioned, soy contains proteins that are slightly inferior to the same proteins of animal origin, therefore it is often eaten by vegetarians who need to make up for the lack of proteins that were not able to enter the body due to refusal of meat food.
A common annual plant that occurs, without a small, everywhere. It is often a weed that grows along roads and where there is a lot of debris. Since it is able to grow in the most unexpected places, it is not picky about the soil, resistant to frost.
Flowers, as a rule, are single, purple or pink, less often - white. Broad yellow beans.
Everyone knows this type of bean culture. This is a real storehouse of various vitamins, such as B1, B2, B3, B6, C, E, K and PP. The beneficial properties of these vitamins can be found on the relevant Internet resources.
Beans, which can be different in size and color, are located in pods 6-20 cm long.
Lentils is considered one of the oldest cultivated plants.
The most common are red and brown lentils. After heat treatment, brown lentils acquire an unobtrusive nutty smell. And red lentils are used in Asian cuisine.
Since this culture does not contain fats, people who are overweight can eat it. The plus is that thanks to the carbohydrates contained in lentils, it gives a feeling of satiety for a long period of time.
This is a perennial herbaceous plant, the height of which varies from 30 to 70 cm. It has bright pink-purple flowers, gathered in the brush, catching the eye. The fruit is bob.
Light amber-colored honey is harvested from this plant, distinguished by its aroma and taste.
For our country, the cultivation of this type of bean is not typical. Mostly chickpeas are grown in Turkey, North America, Mexico.
It has a nutty flavor. It can be boiled or fried, served as a side dish, added to pilaf.
Chickpea fruits are small beans with a brown-green color and reminiscent in shape of an owl or lamb head. Compared with the same peas, it has larger sizes.
As it relates to bean culture, pea fruit is a bean, which can have a different shape and color, depending on the variety.
Has a hollow stem from light green to dark green in color, with clinging antennae. It contains only 55 kcal per 100 g of product, therefore it is considered a dietary product. However, in dried form, the number of calories increases sharply, so in this form peas are not recommended in large quantities for obese people.
Lupine
Also called - "wolf beans." It is distinguished by endurance and the ability to absorb substances that will subsequently enrich the soil.
The leaves of the plant are collected in 5-6 pieces per outlet; white, red or purple flowers form long brushes (up to 1 m). In height, lupins can reach 1.5 m. Inflorescences are similar to beans.
A well-known plant belonging to the legume family. It blooms from late spring to early autumn. It grows mainly in meadows, in forests in the meadow. It is found everywhere.
Has triple bright green leaves. When flowering, forms bright pink, less often - dark red, spherical heads.
This annual plant is capable of reaching a height of 180 cm. It has round white flowers with dark spots on the wings, collected in inflorescences.
The fruit is a bean. On one plant, 10-20 fruits can develop, and in some cases even more.
The advantage of fodder beans is the powerful attachment of the lower fruits, as this allows you to harvest using combines and other agricultural machines.
It bears the name - peanuts, the distinguishing feature of which is the development of fruits in the ground.
Aerial flowers are yellow-orange in color, are located once or 2-3 in the axils of the leaves. Underground flowers are small and colorless.
Cocoon-shaped beans with a fragile red or dark / light brown shell. Seeds are dark red or light pink, elongated oval or rounded.
Legumes are a large family of dicotyledon class. It includes more than 20 thousand species. Among legumes there are grasses, shrubs and trees. A number of representatives of herbaceous leguminous plants are valuable human foods (soybeans, beans, beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, etc.). Other representatives of the legume family: sweet peas, acacia, clover, clover, rank.
The main signs by which different representatives of legumes are combined into one family are the structure of their flower and fruit.
The bean flower in most species consists of 5 sepals, 5 petals, one pistil and ten stamens. Moreover, the structure of the flower is unique, it has bilateral, and not radial symmetry, like the flowers of other families. The largest flower petal is called a sail, two petals on the sides of the sail are paddles, the two lower petals fuse together to form boat. The pestle is, as it were, inside the boat and surrounded by stamens. In many types of legumes, 9 stamens are fused, and one stays free.
The name of legumes comes from the name of the fruit, which is formed in plants of this family. It's a fruit bean. It is a dry, usually multi-seeded fruit. The bean has two wings that open after ripening. Seeds grow on these leaves. It should be distinguished fruit bean and fruit pod. The pod has a septum between the leaves, and the seeds grow on the septum. Although often bean fruits are called pods, they are actually beans.
Herbs of the legume family often form nodules on the roots. In these nodules live bacteria that can absorb atmospheric nitrogen. They enrich the plant with nitrogen-containing organic substances. Legume, in turn, provides them with nutrients. Thus, a symbiosis occurs between the plant and the bacteria. Nodules on the roots are not a collection of bacteria, since the bacteria are very small. This is a division of root cells caused by bacteria, as well as an increase in their size. When the bean plant dies, it enriches the soil with nitrogen. Therefore, legumes are often used in soil remediation.
Legumes (and their seeds) contain a lot of protein.
According to the structure of the stems and leaves, the representatives of the legume family differ from each other. Inflorescences are often brushes (lupine) or heads (clover).
Cultivated bean plants
The legume family includes many plants of nutritional value to humans. The most famous are listed below.
Peas widely distributed, used by humans for food since ancient times. Its seeds germinate at a temperature just above zero, but require a lot of moisture (as well as the plant itself). Peas are valuable in the large amount of protein they contain. The root system is pivotal; nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria form on the lateral roots. The upper parts of the complex leaves of the pea are converted into antennae, with which it clings to the support. The structure of the flower is characteristic for legumes. Before flowering, self-pollination occurs.
Beans came to us from South America, where it has been cultivated since ancient times. Edible in different varieties of beans can be both the seeds and the fruit beans themselves.
Soya grown in many countries to produce soy protein, oil and starch. Many different food products are obtained from soy (it is a substitute for meat, dairy products, sweets, etc. are also made from it).
Beans (not to be confused with the name of the fetus) are often fodder plants. Usually their stem has a length of more than a meter. Beans are unpretentious.
Legumes are a huge family of dicotyledonous plants (trees, creepers, shrubs, shrubs and herbs) related to the order Beanaceae, class Dicotyledons, department Flowering, kingdom Plants, domain of Eukaryotes.
A person uses some plants from this family as food, some as ornamental, and some for land restoration.
What is a bean?
First of all, it is a fruit that has an elongated shape and consists of two thin cusps, between which seeds are located. The size of the legume fruit can fit in the palm of your hand, and can reach huge sizes.
Peas
Entada from the subfamily Mimosa
The legume family includes 24505 species of plants and it is divided into three subfamilies: Cesalpinium, Moth and Mimosa.
Cesalpinium (Caesalpinioideae)
1 Caesalpinioideae, which are mainly trees that grow in the tropics, with the exception of the genus Cassia, which includes shrubs and herbs, is very important for medicine. They are divided into four tribes: Cesalpinium, Cassium, Bagryanikov, Detariev.
a) Caesalpinieae (Caesalpinieae)
Caesalpínia (Caesalpínia) - named after the Italian doctor Andrea Cesalpino in 1703. It grows only in warm regions. This is an ornamental plant up to 6 meters high.
Caesalpinia-pulcherrima
Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Caesalpinia bonducella (Caesalpinia bonducella) - most often it is a liana, reaching a height of up to 15 meters. Mainly grows in Asia, Africa, South America. It is used in folk medicine, as an antifeverchal agent is obtained from its seeds.
Colvillea
Parkinsonia
Peltophorum
Eurasian Caesalpinia (Caesalpinia echinata) grows only in eastern Brazil. Due to felling in the wild, this type of tree can be found very rarely. On its trunk there are sharp growths. Therefore, it was called hedgehog.
In height it grows up to 30 meters. Previously, the trunk of this tree was used to obtain dyes. Belongs to valuable species of trees.
b) Cassieae - Cassieae
c) Crimson (Cercideae)
Scarlet grows in China.
Bauhinia (Bauhinia) is distributed around the world.
d) Detarieae
Brownea
Moth (Faboideae)
2 Moth (Faboideae), which grow mainly in the temperate zone in the form of herbaceous plants, many of which we eat, such as peas, beans, soybeans, peanuts. In the tropics, these are ligneous plants in the form of vines.
Wisteria (Wistéria) - climbing tree-like subtropical plants - deciduous vines. They grow in Japan and China, and are also used as ornamental plants around the world.
Robinieae Robinia
Mimosa (Mimosoideae)
3 Mimosa (Mimosoideae), numbering up to 1,500 thousand species and growing in subtropical and tropical zones. These are mainly medicinal trees and shrubs, the wood of which is very valuable to humans.
a) Acacieae - Acacia
Mostly grow in Mexico, Africa, Asia, Australia.
Acacia dealbata silver
Acacia pycnantha golden acacia is Australia's floral emblem
Acacia linifolia
Acacia_brachystachya
Acacia crescent (Acacia drepanolobium) grows in Africa. This is the only species of acacia on which ants live. They settle in bloated cavities of thorns. Air entering them emits a whistle and thereby scares away animals.
b) Ingeae
Albizia
Zygia
Archidendron
Calliandra
c) Mimose (Mimoseae)
Dichrostachys
Parkia
Pentaclethra
Elephantorrhiza
Mimosa pudica
Legume Plants
The legume family plays an important role in people's lives. Some species serve as a decorative decoration and give us a valuable species of wood, others are indispensable in medicine, and still others are very tasty and nutritious food.
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