Characters of Brassicaceae:

Flowers actinomorphic rarely zygomorphic, hermaphrodite; sepals four in two whorls of two each,
petals four, diagonally arranged-cruciform; stamens six, tetradynamous; gynoecium bicarpellary,
syncarpous, parietal placentation, bilocular due to the formation of flase septum (replum); fruit siliqua
or silicula.
A. Vegetative characters:
1. Habit:
Generally herbs, annual (Brassica, Capsella) or biennial or shrubs. Common Indian herbs are Eruca,
Alyssum, Nasturtium, Lepidium, Coronopus etc. Vegetative reproduction is by bulbils (Dentaria
bulbifera) or by coral roots.

2. Roots:
Tap root, swollen on account of stored food materials. It may be conical (Radish), fusiform or napiform
(Turnip).
3. Stem:
Herbaceous, erect, cylindrical (Iberis, Brassica) rarely woody or some times reduced (Raphanus &
Brassica species), glabrous or hairy, solid and branched.
4. Leaves:
Alternate or sub-opposite, simple, exstipulate (Brassica campestris). May be cauline or radical
(Raphanus), generally sessile, hairy, entire and with unicostate reticulate venation.
B. Floral characters:
1. Inflorescence:
Raceme (Brassica campestris) corymbose raceme (Iberis) or corymb.
2. Flower:
Pedicellate, ebracteate, hermaphrodite, actinomorphic rarely zygomorphic (Iberis and Teesdalia),
hypogynous, complete or incomplete (Lepidium) and tetramerous.
3. Calyx:
Sepals 4 arranged in two whorls of two each, polysepalous (2 antero-posterior and 2 lateral), 2 lateral
sepals may be saccate, imbricate aestivation, inferior.
4. Corolla:
Petals 4, alternate with sepals, polypetalous, petals arranged in the form of across known as cruciform.
This arrangement is characteristic of the family Petals usually clawed, petals generally equal rarely
unequal (Iberis, Teesdalia) or sometimes petals may be replaced by stamens (Capsella bursa pastoris).
5. Androecium:
Stamens 6, arranged in two whorls, outer two stamens short and inner four long (2+4), tetradynamous,
polyandrous, anthers dithecous basifixed, introrse. Disc like nectaries, variable in number, present at the
base of stamens. In some cases the number of stamens is variable – 16 (Megacarpaea), 4 (Cardamine
hirsuta), 2 (Coronopus) etc.
6. Gynoecium:
Bicarpellary rarely tricarpellary (Lepidium sativum), syncarpous, ovary superior, unilocular, becomes
bilocular due to the development of false septum called replum: parietal placentation, ovules many,
style short, stigma simple or bifid. The crucifer carpel has been a puzzling subject for the morphologists
and their attention attracted towards its for a long time. According to some there are only two carpels
while others hold that there are four carpels.
7. Fruit:
Siliqua or silicula, sometimes lomentum (Raphanus); when the valves separate in a siliqua the seeds
remain attached to the replum.
8. Seed:
9. Pollination:
Self or cross pollinated; flowers are visited by insects due to the presence of nectaries. Cleistogamy is
found in Cardamine chenopodifolia. Anemophilous pollination is found in Pringlea.
C. Floral formula:
1. Distribution of Brassicaceae:
This family is also called Brassica family. The family includes 375 genera and 3200 species according to
Willis. It is distributed all over the world but mainly confined to the Mediterranean region and north
temperature regions.
2. Economic Importance of Brassicaceae:
This family is of considerable economic importance.
a) Food:
The plants of this family which are cultivated as vegetable crops are:
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (H. Phul gobhi), B. oleracea var. capitata (H. Band gobhi), B. oleracea var.
caulorapa (H. Gand-gobhi), Brassica campestris var. sarson (white mustard), Brassica rapa (H. Shalgam),
Raphanus satiuus (H. Muli), are edible and cooked as vegetables.
b) Oil:
The seed of B. campestris (or white mustard) yield mustard oil or Karwa-tel which is widely used as a
cooking medium. B. nigra (H. Kalirai) and B. juncea (H. rai) also produce oil.
After extracting oil the cake is left behind which is highly nutritious as a cattle feed; the oil cake is also
used as soil fertilizer. Raphanus seeds also produce a pungent oil which is often used in adulteration of
sarson oil; this oil has digestive properties.
c) Medicines:
The leaves and tender shoots of Lepidium sativum are used in liver complaints, asthma, cough and
bleeding piles. Rorippa montana is an appetizer and a stimulant. The seeds of Cheiranthus cheiri are
used in bronchitis and fever. The flowers are used in paralysis and impotency. Lobularia is used for
gonorrhoea. Iberis amara is used in rheumatism and gout.
d) Ornamentals:
Some plants are grown in gardens for their beautiful flowers viz. Cheiran thus cheiri (wall flower), Iberis
amara (candituft) Lobularia, Matthiola (stock), Hesperis (rocket), Alyssum, Lunaria (honesty) etc.
Primitive characters:
1. Leaves simple and alternate.
2. Flowers hermaphrodite, hypogynous and actinomorphic.
3. Calyx and corolla free.
4. Stamens polyandrous.
5. Ovules anatropous.
Advanced characters:
1. Plants are generally herbs-annual or biennials.
2. Leaves exstipulate.
3. Flowers ebracteate and sometimes zygomorphic (Iberis).
4. Gynoecium bicarpellary and syncarpous.
5. Fruit simple.
Affinities of Brassicaceae:
Rendle placed this family under the order Rhoedales; Bentham-Hooker placed it under the cohort
Parietales. The family is related to the Papaveraceae on one hand and to the Capparidaceae on the
other. Bentham & Hooker and Hutchinson (1948, 1964) hold the view that Brassicaceae is derived from
the Papaveraceous ancestors whereas Eames, Arber, Hayek and Puri believe it to have a Capparidaceous
alliance.
The three families, Capparidaceae, Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) and Papaveraceae have in common the
features of tetramerous perianth, bicarpellary syncarpous gynoecium and parietal placentation. These
characters gave problematic issues as to whether the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) originated from the
Capparidaceae or descended from the Papaveraceae.
The anatomy and morphology of stamens and carpels of cruciferous flower bears testimony to a
papaverous ancestory. But in Brassicaceae the stamens are tetradynamous and not in Papaveraceae.
Comparison of floral diagram indicates that Brassicaceae is closely allied to Capparidaceae. But in
Brassicaceae gynophore and variable number of stamens are absent where as these are the prominent
characters of Capparidean flowers.
Within the Rhoedales reduction seems to have taken place in the number of stamens. In the
Papaveraceae there are numerous stamens but in its two subfamilies reduction has occurred. In the
Hypecoideae there are only four stamens; in the Fumarioideae the stamens are arranged in two bundles
each with one dithecous and two monothecous anthers.
In the Capparidaceae the number of stamens range between several (as in Capparis) to six (as in
Gynandropsis). Finally in Cleome there are only four stamens. The floral diagram of Cleome spinosa with
six stamens is remarkably similar to that of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae).
In this family the general condition is tetradynamous but may be reduced to only two (as in Coronopus).
Celakovasky considers the above view as most satisfactory.
Cronquist (1968) too considers that the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) evolved from the Capparidaceae.