More flowering plant families 1
More flowering plant families 1 – St John’s Wort, Loosestrife, Rock Rose, Sea Lavender and Heath – are described here. To see how these families fit onto the evolutionary order of flowering plant families click HERE.
For a full alphabetical list of 42 flowering plant families click HERE
St. John’s Wort Family – Hypericaceae – has 600 species but the genus Hypericum, with nearly 500 species is the largest. There are thirteen native or introduced hypericum species growing wild in Britain. All have yellow petals. There are a number of popular yellow-flowered hypericum garden plants, e.g. St. John’s Wort ‘Hidcote’ shown here. Basic Flower Parts – 5 Sepals, 5 petals, many Stamens, 3 to 5 Styles
Loosestrife family – Lythraceae – has over 600 species and includes the Lythrum genus which has 38 species. Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria is a native wild flower found in damp places by rivers and ponds throughout Britain. Basic Flower Parts – 6 Sepals in calyx tube, 6 free petals, 12 Stamens, 1 Style
Rock Rose Family – Cistaceae – has 170 species in 9 genera of shrubs or rock garden plants, mainly found in the Mediterranean region. The two main genera are Cistus and Helianthemum, both called rock roses. Cistus are non-native shrubs with colourful papery flowers. Helianthemum are native and introduced ground-covering plants. Basic Flower Parts – 5 Sepals, 5 free petals, many Stamens, 1 Style
Sea Lavender Family – Plumbaginaceae – is also called the Leadwort or Plumbago family after the ancient belief that some species could cure lead poisoning (plumbum – Latin for lead). It has 24 genera and 700 species and includes the genera Armeria (thrift), Limonium (sea lavender or statice) Ceratostigma and Plumbago. Basic Flower Parts – 5 united Sepals, 5 united petals, 5 StamenS, 5 styles
Heath Family – Ericacea – of over 4000 species has a world-wide distribution. It includes Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Ericas (heath), Callunas (heather), Vacciniums (blueberries, cranberries, bilberries, cowberries etc.), Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree) and the Pieris shrub. Basic Flower Parts – 4 or 5 Sepals, 4 or 5 Petals , 8 or 10 Stamens, 1 Style