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How do Menyanthaceae flowers differ from most other Asterales flowers?
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Asterales
True, or English, daisy (Bellis perennis).
Members of the Menyanthaceae family differ from most other members of the Asterales order in several key floral characteristics:
- Ovary Position: Unlike most other families in the order, which possess inferior ovaries, the flowers of Menyanthaceae have a superior or partly inferior ovary.1
- Pollination Mechanism: Menyanthaceae flowers lack the specialized plunger pollination mechanism that is characteristic of most other families within the Asterales order.12
- Symmetry and Structure: The flowers are regular (possessing many lines of symmetry) and are frequently heterostylous, meaning they exhibit two floral morphs on different plants with corresponding variations in style and stamen length.1
Despite these distinctions, Menyanthaceae remains classified within the Asterales due to shared traits such as the storage of carbohydrates as inulin.12