Characteristics and economic importance of Cruciferace

(Brassicaceae)
onlinesciencenotes.com/characteristics-economic-importance-cruciferace-brassicaceae/

Author February 5,
2018

This family is commonly known as mustard family andfollowing are the

characteristics of mustard plant.
The plants are terrestrial and cultivated for oil value which is normally pungent
smelling watery sap.
They are generally annual herbs with tap root system that may be branched.
Stem is erect and divided into nodes and internodes, herbaceous, cylindrical,
slightly hairy, and green with a pungent smelling juice.
Leaves are alternate, exstipulate, simple, radical and cauline. The lower leaves
are petiolate and lyrate while upper leaves are glabrous, sessile and entire with
acute apex and unicostate reticulate venation.
Inflorescence is either raceme or corymb.
Flowers are bisexual, hypogynous and tetramerous. They are ebracteate,
ebracteolate, pedicillate, actinomorphic, complete. Flowers are yellow in color
with the nectaries at the base.
Calyx is polysepalous. Sepals are 4 in number; arranged in two whorls, 2 outer
and 2 inner. They are imbricate, green in color and petaloid.
Corolla is polypetalous (with 4 petals). Petals are yellow in color, valvate,
unguiculate (clawed) and cruciform (cross like).

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 Androecium: Stamens are 6 in number, tetradynamous (2 outer short and 4
inner long), polyandrous and arranged in two whorls. At the base of each stamen
is present a green nectary gland. They are basifixed, dithecous and introse.
Gynoecium: There are two carpels (bicarpellary) and syncarpous. Ovary is
superior, unilocular but later on becomes bilocular due to the development of a
false septum called Placentation is parietal. The style is short and stigma bilobed.
Fruit is either siliqua or silicula.
Floral diagram with floral formula (mustard):

Important plants of the family:

1. Brassica campestris
(mustard)
2. Brassica oleracea botrytis
(cauliflower)
3. Brassica oleracea capitata
(cabbage)
4. Raphanus sativus (radish)
5. Cherianthus cheiri (wall
flower)

Economic importance:

As vegetables: Few plants

like radish, cauliflower,
cabbage etc. are used as
vegetables.
As a source of oil: Oil is
extracted from mustard
seeds, which is used for
cooking.
Brassica nigra (black
mustard) and Brassica hirta (white mustard) are used in pickles.
Leaves and stem of the vegetable yielding plants are used as fodder.
Rorippa indica has properties to cure asthma.
The extract of Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd’s purse) has the property of
controlling haemorrhage.
The leaves of Lepidium sativum (chamsoor) are used against syphilis.
Iberis amara (candy tuft) is grown as an ornamental plant.

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