Floral Formula of Fabaceae: Definition, Systemic Position, Diagram, How to Use, and Economic Importance

Floral Formula of Fabaceae Overview

Fabaceae (pea family) is a large angiosperm family. Leguminosae is another name for the family of plants known as legumes. It is readily available all around the world. It contains a variety of vital pulses, such as peas, soybeans, chickpeas, and others. The floral formula uses numbers, letters, and other symbols to describe the structure of a flower. The floral diagram may very well reflect the information offered by the floral formula. The floral formula's finest attribute is that it is unique to a family of plants, or it may be made more specific for a certain species, and it becomes the emblem for that particular family/species of blooming plants.

What is Fabaceae?

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae family of flowering plants, also known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a vast and agriculturally significant flowering plant family. It consists of trees, shrubs, and permanent or annual herbaceous plants that may be identified by their fruit (legume) and complex, stipulating leaves. With over 765 genera and nearly 20,000 recognized species, the family is widely dispersed and is the third-largest land plant family in terms of species, trailing only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae.

What is the Floral Formula of Fabaceae?

A floral formula is a quantitative and symbolic representation that displays the flower's morphological qualities by using various symbols, characters, and figures. It is the traditional approach for forming the structure of the flower. It reveals information on the number of whorls and their relative relationship to one another.

Floral Formula of Fabaceae

A large angiosperm family is the Fabaceae (pea family). The family is sometimes known as Leguminosae, and the plants are known as legumes. It is found across the planet. Many essential pulses, such as peas, soybeans, chickpeas, and others, are included. A floral formula is a symbolic representation of different floral items, their number, arrangement pattern, and connections. Fabaceae plant Pisum sativum (peas) with the Fabaceae floral formula-

％⚥K₍₅₎C₁₊₂₊₍₂₎A₍₉₎₊₁G₁

The following symbols represent the Fabaceae floral formula-

The floral formula uses these symbols to define the organs and their properties for a certain blooming plant, which is denoted by the letters, and the numbers provide the counts of the individual organs. If an organ is missing, a "0" is placed in the subscript, or the organ symbol is deleted from the formula, and if the number is "many" (between 10 and 12), the symbol " " is used. Another symbol that appears frequently in floral formulas is the "+," which is used to signify groupings of units or whorls.

For Example: To find the expression K₃₊₃in a floral formula, the given calyx has six free sepals and is organized into two separate whorls. Based on these attributes of the symbols, one can get a very good idea about the floral characteristics of any given floral formula. The floral formula is always written in an outside-in format, i.e..,

Bracteoles → Perianth or Sepals and Petals → Stamens → Carpels → Ovules

Systematic Position of Floral Formula of Fabaceae

The following are the systemic position of the floral formula of Fabaceae-

1. Kingdom: Plantae
2. Subkingdom: Tracheobionta
3. Super Division: Spermatophyta
4. Division: Magnoliophyta
5. Class: Magnoliopsida
6. Subclass: Rosidae
7. Order: Fabales
8. Family: Fabaceae
9. Leaves: Petiolate, pinnately compound, or simple; the base of the pulvinus leaf, we say; reticulate venation.
10. Stem: Straight or vertical; Fabaceae includes shrubs, herbs, trees, and shrubs.
11. Origin: Dicotyledons, taproot with root nodules

Read more about the Floral Formula of Liliaceae and Floral Formula of Solanaceae.

Floral Diagram of Fabaceae Family

The floral diagram of Fabaceae is provided below based on the floral formula of Fabaceae family-

The five sepals form the calyx, and the five petals form the corolla, which consists of a posterior standard, two lateral wings, two anterior wings forming a keel (enclosing stamens and pistil), the ten stamens fused into two androecium structures, and one superior ovary.

Read more about the Father of Biology and Gemmules.

How to use the Floral Formula of Fabaceae?

1. The presence or absence of bracts and bracteoles in flowers of various families is noticed and marked using specific letters.
2. The flower's symmetry is then recorded based on the location of the floral whorls in relation to the mother axis. 
3. Flowers can be arranged poly symmetrically (actinomorphically), dis symmetrically, mono symmetrically (zygomorphically), asymmetrically, or spirally. 
4. As a result, certain symbols in the floral formula indicate that the blooms have varying degrees of symmetry.
5. Following that, the flower's sex is indicated, indicating whether the plant is hermaphrodite (bisexual) or unisexual. 
6. Bisexual flowers have both male and female reproductive organs, whereas unisexual blooms have either stamens or carpels.
7. The number of floral members is then recorded, beginning with the calyx and ending with the gynoecium. 
8. Each part is represented by a different letter, such as "K" for the calyx,"C" for the corolla, "A" for the androecium, and "G" for the gynoecium. 
9. The number of each whorl is written after the following letters, beginning with K, C, and A, and ending with G.
10. If the specific whorl is joined, the number used following the letter is placed inside a bracket (). However, if the floral members remain unattached, the bracket is not applied. 
11. Drawing a curve from the top of the letters represents an association between the flowery whorls.
12. Drawing a horizontal line above, below, or in front of the letter G, which indicates the inferior, superior, or half-inferior position of the ovary, shows the location of the ovary.

Related Articles-

Difference between Spermatogenesis and Oogenesis.

Father of Botany and Father of Zoology.

Thallophyte and Bryophyta.

Economic Importance of Fabaceae Family

This family contains some commercially valuable plants. Here are a few examples-

1. Common ornamental plants are lupins and sweet peas.
2. Indigofera is a plant that is used in the dyeing process.
3. Pulses such as gram, moong, and soybeans are the major dietary sources.
4. Sesbania and Trifolium can be used to make fodder or cattle feed.
5. Soybean and groundnut oils are used to make cooking oil.
6. Sunn hemp supplies both wood and fibers.
7. The Mulethi plant's therapeutic value is well established.
8. This plant family is unique in that its root nodules contain nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria that may convert atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen or ammonia.

Conclusion

As a result, the Fabaceae family is a large plant kingdom family with a number of commercially significant species. The Fabaceae family is sometimes known as Leguminosae or Papilionaceae since it belongs to the legume or pea family. There are about 20,000 species of dicotyledonous Fabaceae plants found all over the world.

Points to Remember

1. The Fabaceae family's flowers are zygomorphic, bisexual, pentamerous, and hypogynous.
2. Five polypetalous leaves with vexillary aestivation make up the corolla.
3. The calyx contains five sepals that are either joined or gamosepalous with valvate or imbricate aestivation.
4. The original (prior) name of this family was Papilionoideae.
5. Except for Antarctica and the arctic highlands, the Fabaceae family is found all across the world.