Commelinales
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What is the Commelinales order?
The Commelinales order is a group of flowering plants consisting of more than 800 species of mostly tropical and subtropical herbs. It is made up of five families: Commelinaceae, Pontederiaceae, Haemodoraceae, Philydraceae, and Hanguanaceae.
These plants are generally small to large herbs, often growing from rhizomes. Their leaves can be linear or differentiated into a petiole and lamina, arranged spirally or in two rows. The flowers vary, with diverse perianth structures, and the seeds have starchy endosperm. Many Commelinales are aquatic, found in marshy areas, especially within the Pontederiaceae and Philydraceae families.
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Which kinds of plants are included in Commelinales?
The Commelinales order includes more than 800 species of mostly tropical and subtropical herbs, distributed among five families:
* Commelinaceae (spiderwort family): Contains 652 species of terrestrial herbs and climbers, including Tradescantia (spiderwort genus) and Commelina (dayflower genus).
* Haemodoraceae (bloodwort family): Consists of 116 species, including kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos), found in Australia, South Africa, North and South America, and Asia.
* Pontederiaceae (water hyacinth family): Primarily aquatic plants mainly located in tropical areas, such as the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).
* Philydraceae
* Hanguanaceae: Includes the tropical Asian genus Hanguana.2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where are Commelinales plants commonly found?
Commelinales are mostly tropical and subtropical herbs with over 800 species in five families: Commelinaceae, Pontederiaceae, Haemodoraceae, Philydraceae, and Hanguanaceae.
The spiderwort family (Commelinaceae) is the largest, with 652 species of terrestrial herbs and climbers. Some, like Tradescantia and Commelina, are grown as garden and indoor ornamentals. The bloodwort family (Haemodoraceae) includes kangaroo paws native to Australia but can also be found in South Africa, the Americas, and Asia. The water hyacinth family (Pontederiaceae) are primarily aquatic plants in tropical areas. Many Commelinales are rooted or free-floating aquatics in marshy habitats, especially Pontederiaceae and Philydraceae members.
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What are some common characteristics of Commelinales plants?
Commelinales, commonly known as the spiderwort and pickerelweed order, consists of over 800 species of mostly tropical and subtropical herbs. These plants are grouped into five families: Commelinaceae, Pontederiaceae, Haemodoraceae, Philydraceae, and Hanguanaceae.
Key characteristics of Commelinales include their rhizomatous growth habit and variable flowers. They are generally small to large herbs with leaves that can be linear or differentiated into a petiole and lamina. The flowers exhibit variability, ranging from hypogynous to epigynous, bisexual or unisexual, and actinomorphic or zygomorphic, with diverse perianth structures. Their seeds contain starchy endosperm. Many species thrive as rooted or free-floating aquatics in marshy environments, particularly within the Pontederiaceae and Philydraceae families.
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Can you name a few families or well-known plants in the Commelinales order?
The Commelinales order includes more than 800 species of mostly tropical and subtropical herbs, distributed among five families: Commelinaceae, Pontederiaceae, Haemodoraceae, Philydraceae, and Hanguanaceae.
Well-known plants and families in Commelinales:
- Commelinaceae: Also known as the spiderwort family, this is the largest in the order. Some familiar members include the spiderwort genus (Tradescantia) and the dayflower genus (Commelina).
- Haemodoraceae: Known as the bloodwort family, this group includes kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos), which are native to Australia.
- Pontederiaceae: Also called the water hyacinth family, this family features aquatic plants such as pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).
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How do scientists classify and distinguish Commelinales from other plant orders?
Scientists classify and distinguish Commelinales, also known as the spiderwort order of flowering plants, by traits such as stomatal complexes with subsidiary cells, ultraviolet-fluorescent compounds in the cell walls, the Strelitzia-type of epicuticular wax, and starchy endosperm.
Commelinales consists of five families: Commelinaceae, Pontederiaceae, Haemodoraceae, Philydraceae, and Hanguanaceae. They are generally herbs with rhizomatous growth. Their leaves can be linear or differentiated into a petiole and lamina, arranged spirally or distichously. Flowers vary from hypogynous to epigynous, bisexual or unisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, with diverse perianth structures.
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Commelinales, the spiderwort and pickerelweed order of flowering plants, comprising more than 800 species of mostly tropical and subtropical herbs in five families: Commelinaceae, Pontederiaceae, Haemodoraceae, Philydraceae, and Hanguanaceae.
Commelinaceae, or the spiderwort family, is the largest family of the order, containing 652 species. Members are terrestrial herbs and climbers with a few epiphytes. Some are grown as garden and indoor ornamentals, such as members of Tradescantia, or the spiderwort genus (70 species), including the common spiderwort (T. virginiana) and the three wandering Jew plants (T. fluminensis, T. pallida, and T. zebrina); Commelina, or the dayflower genus (170 species), of which three are grown ornamentally (C. coelestis, C. diffusa, and C. erecta) for their blue flowers; Dichorisandra (30 species), especially D. mosaica and D. thyrsiflora, both grown as blue-flowered foliage plants; Callisia, especially C. fragrans, a fragrant waxy white-flowered hanging-basket plant; and Tradescantia spathacea, or Moses-in-the-cradle, grown as a potted plant for its purple-coloured leaves and unusual flowers.
Haemodoraceae, or the bloodwort family (116 species), includes the kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos) native to Australia, with other members of the family found in South Africa, North and South America, and Asia. The presence of phenalenones is responsible for the bright red colour of flowers and roots in some species.
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Pontederiaceae, or the water hyacinth family, primarily contains aquatic plants that occur mainly in tropical areas around the world. The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), a native of Brazil, has become a nearly pantropical weed of still waters. Some members of this family exhibit an interesting pollination mechanism (called heterostyly) in which an individual plant possesses flowers with either long styles and short anthers or short styles and long anthers, which seem to promote cross fertilization between plants in a population.
Until recently, the closest relatives of the tropical Asian Hanguana, the only genus in Hanguanaceae, were unclear. Molecular evidence suggests that this family is closest to Commelinaceae, although some contradictory morphological evidence suggests a relationship to the ginger order, Zingiberales.
Members of Commelinales are generally small to large herbs, commonly with rhizomatous growth. The leaves, which can be linear with a sheathing base or differentiated into petiole and lamina, are either spirally arranged or distichous. The flowers are quite variable from hypogynous to epigynous, bisexual or unisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, with conspicuous petals and a great variety of perianth structure and organization. The seeds possess starchy endosperm. Many members of Commelinales are rooted or free-floating aquatics that occur in marshy habitats, especially members of Pontederiaceae and Philydraceae.
Pontederiaceae, Haemodoraceae, Philydraceae, and Hanguanaceae were formerly included in the lily order, Liliales. However, the possession of similar characters with Commelinaceae—stomatal complexes with subsidiary cells, ultraviolet-fluorescent compounds in the cell walls, the Strelitzia-type of epicuticular wax, and their starchy endosperm—has resulted in reorganizing these five families together. With the gingers, grasses, and other advanced monocotyledons (that is, flowering plants characterized by a single seed leaf), they are now typically called Commelinids. For more information on the reorganization of orders under the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II (APG II) botanical classification system, see angiosperm.
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