Excluding Cartonemataceae
Habit and leaf form. Herbs. Plants succulent and non-succulent. Annual, or perennial; with a basal aggregation of leaves, or with neither basal nor terminal aggregations of leaves. Young stems often breaking easily at the nodes. Self supporting, or epiphytic, or climbing; stem twiners, or root climbers. Mesophytic, or helophytic. Leaves evergreen; alternate; spiral, or distichous; more or less fleshy (often), or `herbaceous'; petiolate, or sessile; sheathing. Leaf sheaths with joined margins. Leaves simple. Lamina entire; parallel-veined. Leaves eligulate. Lamina margins entire. Vernation involute, or plicate (rarely).
General anatomy. Plants with silica bodies, or without silica bodies. Accumulated starch other than exclusively `pteridophyte type'.
Leaf anatomy. Epidermis without differentiation into `long' and `short' cells; containing silica bodies (in several genera), or without silica bodies. Guard-cells not `grass type'.
The mesophyll containing mucilage cells (or mucilage canals, with raphides); containing calcium oxalate crystals. The mesophyll crystals raphides. Minor leaf veins without phloem transfer cells (Tradescantia). Vessels present; end-walls simple.
Stem anatomy. Young stems cylindrical, or oval in section. Primary vascular tissue in scattered bundles. Cortical bundles absent. Secondary thickening absent. Xylem with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple. Sieve-tube plastids P-type; type II.
Root anatomy. Root xylem with vessels. Vessel end-walls simple.
Reproductive type, pollination. Hermaphrodite, or andromonoecious, or dioecious. Floral nectaries absent (nectaries lacking). Autogamous or entomophilous (but without nectar). Pollination mechanism conspicuously specialized (with dimorphic stamens comprising concolourous fertilizing members, and specialised, bright yellow `food stamens' attractive to pollinators but producing little pollen. Moniliform hairs on the filaments may further delude visitors by simulating pollen), or unspecialized.
Inflorescence, floral, fruit and seed morphology. Flowers solitary (rarely), or aggregated in `inflorescences'; in cymes. The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences often a cincinnus; with involucral bracts, or without involucral bracts. Flowers regular, or somewhat irregular to very irregular. The floral asymmetry when present, involving the perianth, or involving the androecium, or involving the perianth and involving the androecium. Flowers cyclic. Perigone tube absent.
Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 6; free, or joined (then the inner tepals basally connate); 2 whorled; isomerous; different in the two whorls; blue, or violet, or purple, or white, or yellow (rarely). Calyx 3; 1 whorled; polysepalous, or gamosepalous (the sepals rarely connate basally); regular. Corolla 3; 1 whorled; polypetalous (usually), or gamopetalous (rarely); regular, or unequal but not bilabiate (sometimes with one petal different in colour and more or less reduced); blue, or purple, or white, or yellow (rarely). Petals clawed, or sessile.
Androecium 6 (usually - 3+3), or 3, or 1 (rarely). Androecial members free of the perianth; free of one another; usually 2 - whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens, or including staminodes. Staminodes 1-3. Stamens (1-)3, or 6; reduced in number relative to the adjacent perianth, or isomerous with the perianth, or diplostemonous. Anthers dorsifixed, or basifixed; versatile, or non-versatile; dehiscing via pores, or dehiscing via longitudinal slits; appendaged, or unappendaged. The anther appendages when present, representing expanded connective. Endothecium developing fibrous thickenings. The thickenings girdling. Anther epidermis persistent. Microsporogenesis successive. The initial microspore tetrads isobilateral, or decussate. Pollen grains aperturate; 1 - aperturate (usually), or 2-4 - aperturate; mostly sulcate; 2-celled.
Gynoecium 3; syncarpous; synstylovarious, or eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary 3 locular (usually), or 1-3 locular (sometimes apically one-locular, or 1-2 locules undeveloped). The `odd' carpel (where ascertainable) anterior. Styles 1; apical. Stigmas wet type, or dry type; papillate, or non-papillate; Group II type, Group III type, and Group IV type. Placentation axile. Ovules 1-50 per locule (i.e. to `many'); ascending; arillate; orthotropous to hemianatropous; bitegmic; crassinucellate (mostly), or pseudocrassinucellate. Outer integument contributing to the micropyle, or not contributing to the micropyle. Embryo-sac development Polygonum-type, or Allium-type, or Adoxa-type. Polar nuclei fusing prior to fertilization. Antipodal cells formed; 3; not proliferating; ephemeral, or persistent. Endosperm formation nuclear. Embryogeny asterad.
Fruit fleshy (rarely), or non-fleshy; dehiscent, or indehiscent (rarely); usually a capsule. Capsules loculicidal. Seeds copiously endospermic. Endosperm not oily (mealy). Seeds with starch. Cotyledons 1, or 2 (the second sometimes present, vestigial). Embryo achlorophyllous (1/1). Testa operculate (in the form of a characteristic callosity, the `embryostega', covering the embryo).
Physiology, biochemistry. Cyanogenic (rarely), or not cyanogenic. Cynogenic constituents tyrosine-derived. Alkaloids present (occasionally), or absent. Proanthocyanidins present, or absent; when present, cyanidin. Ellagic acid absent. Saponins/sapogenins present (Cyanotis), or absent (usually?). Aluminium accumulation not found. C3. C3 recorded in Commelina, Cyanotis, Tradescantia, Zebrina. Anatomy non-C4 type (Commelina, Cyanotis, Tradescantia, Zebrina).
Geography, cytology. Mostly sub-tropical and tropical. Widespread, mostly tropical and subtropical. X = (4-)6-16(-29).
Taxonomy. Subclass Monocotyledonae. Superorder Commeliniflorae; Commelinales. Species 500. Genera 38; Aetheolirion, Amischotolpe, Aneilema, Anthericopsis, Belosynapsis, Buforrestia, Callisia, Cochliostema, Coleotrype, Commelina, Cyanotis, Dichorisandra, Dictyospermum, Elasis, Floscopa, Geogenanthus, Gibasis, Gibasoides, Matudanthus, Murdannia, Palisota, Pollia, Polyspatha, Porandra, Pseudoparis, Rhoeo, Rhopalephora, Sauvallea, Siderasis, Spatholirion, Stanfieldiella, Streptolirion, Thyrsanthemum, Tinantia, Tradescantia, Tricarpelema, Tripogandra, Weldenia.
Economic uses, etc. Includes a few well known garden ornamentals and houseplants.
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