Family: Rubiaceae

Family: Rubiaceae

Popular name: The Madder Family

Taxonomic Position According to Cronquist

Botanical Description of the Family

Habit: Trees, shrub and sometime herb as well. Most plants of this family grow in the tropics, many of them as shrubs or trees.

Root: Tap root system

Stem: Branched, rarely with hooks or spines

Leaves: Opposite, sometimes verticillate, simple entire, stipulated

Inflorescence: Mostly terminal, sometime axillary, usually dichasial

Flower: Pentamerous, hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic

Calyx: Adnate to the ovary

Corolla: Corolla campanulate, infundibular, silver shaped

Androecium: Number of stamens are equal to number of corolla lobed

Gynoecium: Pistil syncarpous

Fruit: Usually capsule, sometimes berry or drupe.

Seeds: seeds usually with copies endosperm, sometimes winged.

Table 1: Crop plants of Rubiaceae Family