Authors : P. K. Tete and A. A. Fulzele
Page Nos : 161-173
Description :
Asteraceae is one of the widest family in Angiosperms having significant economic values, such as production of oil, ornamental plant, secondary metabolites, etc. In family Asteraceae about 1,535 genera distributed in 13 tribes. The current work aims at studying the differences in stem anatomy and floral characters of these tribes. In the present study sixteen species belonging to ten tribes were documented, The Heliantheae, one of the tribes’ in this family is more dominant in Nagpur region, and in the present study six genera were recorded. This was followed by two genera in Cichorieae, and one genus each in the tribes Anthemideae, Astereae, Echinopeae, Eupatorieae, Gnaphalieae, Inuleae, Mutisieae and Vernonieae. Detailed study of the arrangement of vascular bundles and type of trichomes found on the stem was studied using free hand-sections. For the floral characters, ray floret, disk floret, shape of receptacle and the type of capitulum inflorescence was studied. An attempt was made for the development of a taxonomical key based on stem anatomical features highlighting the differences in the tribes. Microphotography of the floral components and anatomical study of the stem of these plants, revealed characters which are uutilized for creating a key for various tribes based on morphology as well as anatomical characters.
