ANGIOSPERMS

Angiosperms are flowering plants. They are the largest and most diverse group within the Plantae kingdom, with over 300,000 known extant species. This page will go over some of the numerous families of angiosperms. You will likely see many plants you recognize in this list. Before we jump in, take a look at this phylogeny of flowering plants by so you can see how the major clades in discussion relate to each other

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all angiosperms, that would be sooooooo long! I included the most prominent families that are relevant both in taxonomy and in human cultivation, with a clear bias towards Floridian plants.

Note: this page has a lot of images, so sections are disabled by default. It is not reccomended to enable multiple sections over a cellular network.

ANITA grade

ANITA grade angiosperms are the most primitive angiosperms. They are of particular interest to plant taxonomists because they help us imagine the evolutionary transition between gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Name	Common Name/Examples	Notable feature(s)	Botany	Photo
Amborellaceae	Amborella	New molecular data shows this may be the earliest angiosperm in evolutionary history	Leaves are two-ranked with distinctly rippled/serrated margins. Contains only tracheids, vessels are absent. Small white inflorescences	Source
Nymphaceae	Water Lillies	Aquatic plants with flat leaf blades floating on the surface	Plants aquatic, rhizomes anchored in muck in still water Leaves margins entire Flowers often showy, numerous parts, rising above surface of water Our native water lily in Florida is the Spatterdock!	Source
Austrobaileyales	Star Anise	Lack differentiation between inner and outer floral whorls	This one ends in “ales” and not “aceae” because it is an order, not a family Debated whether or not it has separate families inside, so the entire order is treated as one unit when discussing ANITA grade Often beetle-pollinated	Source

Magnoliids

The Magnoliids have evolved characteristics that are not present in the primitive ANITA grade flowers, but they are neither monocots nor dicots. The group can be categorized by trimerous flowers, pollen with one pore, and leaves with branching veins.

Name	Common Name/Examples	Notable feature(s)	Botany	Photo
Magnoliaceae	Magnolia	Trees with large, singly borne flowers and waxy leaves	Flowers with numerous spirally arranged organs On a long and tapered receptacle Stamens rapidly fall off	Source
Annonaceae	Paw Paws Custard Apples	Fruit a paw paw- large and fleshy with few large seeds Source	Small trees or shrubs Flowers trimerous Single and with fleshy perianth members	Source
Calycanthaceae	Sweetshrubs Spicebush	Single maroon flowers with numerous free petals	Only 10 known species, one can be found in SE USA Receptacle elongated	Source
Lauraceae (Note: This family is considered a dicot by many taxonomists, but it still is recognized as part of the magnoliid clade, so it deserves a spot here too.)	Laurels Sassafras Cinnamon Avocado	Trees or shrubs with simple leaves and aromatic compounds	Flowers small and in inflorescences Sassafras has leaves with 3 different shapes on the same individual	Source
Aristolochiaceae	Birthwort	Bizarrely shaped flowers, tubular at base and fleshy	Ant and beetle pollinated Rosettes with deep green, glossy leaves Flowers brown to maroon, often with short pedicels leaving them at ground height	Source

Monocots

With magnolids and ANITA grade out of the way, now we can focus on the two largest clades of flowering plants, monocots and dicots! If you don't know, "cot" is is short for "cotyledon" (i.e. an embryo leaf) so the main difference is, does the plant pop out of the ground with one leaf or two leaves? There are some other differences as well but the cotyledon is the main difference, and the one that these groups were named after

Source

ALISMATID MONOCOTS

Name	Common Name/Examples	Notable feature(s)	Botany	Photo
Araceae	Arums Peace Lily	Contains a SPADIX, a tightly packed inflorescence subended by a SPATHE (modified leaf)	Flowers unisexual, usually segregated on spadix Some varieties can generate heat Perennial Plants	Source
Lemnaceae (Note: Gets moved in and out of araceae)	Duckweed	Floating aquatic, looks like little green dots	World record for smallest flower Sometimes has spadix, but often reproduces vegetatively Flowers are microscopic	Source
Alismataceae	Water Plantains	Grows in wet conditions, loose inflorescences	Actinomorphic flowers Three white petals and numerous stamens Sepals not part of the showy perianth Large erect leaves	Source

LILOID MONOCOTS

Name	Common Name/Examples	Notable feature(s)	Botany	Photo
Lilaceae	Lillies	Showy flower with 3 sepals and 3 petals Ovary with 3 fused carpels	Flowers bisexual and actinomorphic Leaves usually linear	Source
Smilaceae	Smilax	Vines, usually prickly Unique leaf shape	Broad, alternate leaves with parallel venation Flowers small, white, and unisexual and actinomorphic	Source
Iridaceae	Irises	Showy, actinomorphic flowers 3 petals and 3 sepals (often looks like 6 petals) and grass-like leaves	Erect petals and relaxed sepals Petaloid style Leaves often folded	Source
Orchidaceae	Orchids	Stamens and style fused into a column. One large lower petal called a lip	Zygomorphic flowers Sepals often petaloid Two-ranked leaves	Source
Dioscoreaceae	Yams	Perennials, usually vines. Heart shaped leaves and often root tubers	Simple, broad, alternate leaves Net-veined Flowers in clusters borne from leaf axils	Source

COMMELINID MONOCOTS

Arecaceae	Palm trees	Erect, unbranching woody stem with large plicate leaves	Leaves often compound Inflorescences Fruit a one-seeded drupe or berry If branched, dichotomous	Source
Commelinaceae	Dayflowers Spiderworts	Sheathing leaves, succulent stems.	Stamens in two whorls of three Often blue flowers Bisexual flowers Varying symmetry	Source
Pontederidaceae	Pickerel Weed	Submerged, floating, or root emergent aquatic with purple racemes	Flowers bisexual and slightly zygomorphic Annual or perennial herbs	Source
Bromeliaceae	Bromeliads Air Plants Pineapple	Overlapping spirally arranged leaves that form a "cup"	Often epiphytic but not always Some varieties have lots of peltate or stellate trichomes that give a silvery appearance Flowers bisexual, usually showy with colorful bracts	Source
Typhaceae	Cattails	Inflorescence a dense cylindrical brown spike Divided into male flowers (above and deciduous) and female flowers (below and persistent)	Grass-like leaves Perennial, grow in wet places	Source
Eriocaulaceae	Hatpins Pigworts	Flowers packed into tight circular inflorescence, usually white	Basal, grass like leaves Flowers unisexual Found in wetlands, savannas, or pine forests	Source
Xyridaceae	Yellow Eyed Grasses	3-merous yellow flowers emerging from a "cone"	Basal, grass-like leaves Flowers are delicate and ephemeral	Source
Juncaceae Graminoid	Rushes	Grass like, but with hollow stems and brown inflorescence	Tufted herbs, can be found in boggy habitats Flowers bisexual and actinomorphic, with 3 sepals and 3 petals Leaves sometimes reduced to basal sheath	Source
Cyperaceae Graminoid	Sedges	Linear grass-like leaves, but with no ligule and a triangular stem	Flowers bisexual or unisexual Perianth reduced to scales or bristles, if not completely absent	Source
Poaceae Graminoid	Grasses Wheat Barley	Linear, alternate leaves with a ligule at base Source	Flowers tightly packed in spikelets Each small flower has 2 bracts outer=lemma inner=palea	Source
Zingiberaceae	Ginger Caramom Turmeric	Rhizomatic herbs with aromatic, often spicy compounds	Alternate, two ranked leaves 3 petals and sepals 2 stamens and 4 staminodes, with 2 of them large and connate forming a "lip" Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, and ephemeral	Source
Cannaceae	Canna Canna Lily	Rhizomatic herbs. 3 sepals, 3 petals,1 stamen, and 3-4 petaloid staminodes	Leaves alternate, two ranked, or spiral Flowers bisexual, ephemeral, and asymmetrical	Source

Dicots/Eudicots

WIP, stay tuned!

BASAL DICOTS

Ranunculaceae	Buttercups	Usually 5 petals, 5 green sepals, and numerous stamens	Includes Anemone Bisexual and radial	Source
Berberidaceae	Barberries	Anthers dehiscing by flaps	Biseriate stamens 6 sepals and 6 petals	Source
Papaveraceae	Poppy	Papery thin petals, crumbled in bud Milky sap	Sepals deciduous Numerous stamens Bisexual and radial flowers	Source
Fumiaraceae	Fumewort Bleeding Hearts	Everything that papaveraceae has, except zygomorphic	Gets moved in and out of papaveraceae by taxonomists... Flowers usually also pendant	Source
Caryophyllaceae	Carnation	Petals have a zig-zag "pinked" edge (named after pinking scissors)	Leaves opposite at swollen nodes 5 petals, sometimes deeply lobed and appear to be 10 petals Leaves often narrow and linear	Source
Phytolaccaceae	Pokeweed	Pink to purple stems, dark purple berries	Leaves simple and alternate Flowers small, actinomorphic, 5-merous, and bisexual	Source
Amaranthaceae	Amaranth	Inflorescences are determinate, terminal, or axillary	Leaves simple, variously attatched Flowers bisexual, very small and many	Source
Portulacaceae	Purslane	Succulent herb, radial and bisexual flowers	Leaves simple Variously attatched leaves	Source
Cactaceae	Cacti	Leaves reduced to spines Stems enlarged and fleshy, storing water	Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, with many perianth parts and stamens Ovary inferior	Source
Droseraceae	Sundew	Leaves covered in sticky glandular hairs that catch insects	Small, found in moist habitats Leaves spatulate to elongate in basal rosettes Flowers small and 5-merous	Source
Polygonaceae	Buckwheat	Ochrea at leaf nodes Source		Source
Saxifragaceae	Saxifrage	Leaves alternate and in basal rosettes	Flowers 5-merous, bisexual, and actimorphic Perigynous	Source
Crassulaceae	Stonecrop Succulents	CAM (Crassulean Acid Metabolism) Photosynthesis	Leaves often simple, variously arranged Flowers bisexual and radial Ovary superior Sepals and petals 4 or 5 Each carpel subended by a scale-like nectariferous gland	Source
Hamamelidaceae	Witch Hazel	Petals often long and "strap shaped"	Leaves simple, alternate, and often 2-ranked Flowers bisexual or unisexual Petals and sepals 4-5	Source
Altingiaceae	Sweet gum	Leaves often palmately lope Globose multiple fruit	Flowers unisexual, distributed on male (staminate) and female (carpellate) inflorescences that can be found on the same plant Shrubs and trees	Source

ROSID DICOTS

Geraniaceae	Geranium	Fruit with elastic dehiscent schizocarps that curl on the beak	Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, and 5-merous (although many cultivars were bred to have more petals) Leaves alternate or opposite, with paired stipules Sometimes aromatic	Source
Oxalidaceae	Wood Sorrel	Presence of oxalic acid Leaves often appear like shamrocks	Leaves alternate and compound Flowers bisexual and actinomorphic, 5 merous	Source
Euphorbiaceae	Euphorb Spurge	Flowers grouped in specialized inflorescences called cyathia	Often with milky sap Leaves mostly alternate Includes poinsettias	Source
Passifloraceae	Passionflower	A corona of thread-like filaments are present inside perianth	Leaves alternate, entire, or lobed Flowers actinomorphic and bisexual with a distinct configuration.	Source
Fabaceae	Legumes	Fruit is a legume Three subfamilies	FABOIDEAE/ PAPILIONIDAE: Flowers strongly zygomorphic and bisexual, 5-merous, papilionoid MIMOSIDAE: Flowers actinomorphic and bisexual, perianth reduced, stamens very long CAESALPINOIDAE: Flowers actinomorphic to weakly zygomorphic, petals held open	Source Source Source
Rosaceae	Roses	Leaves with paired stipules	Flowers naturally 5-merous, but many cultivars bred to have more petals Flowers actinomorphic and bisexual A hypanthium is often present but not always	Source
Urticaceae	Nettles	Trichomes ("urticaceous hairs") that are mineralized, sting like tiny shard of glass	Leaves alternate and spiral, OR 2-ranked and opposite Weedy herbs	Source
Fagaceae	Beech Oak	Staminate flowers in pendulous cymes Carpellate flowers in clusters of 1-3 with acorn caps	Leaves usually simple and spiral Often lobed leaves Flowers unisexual, plants monoecious	Source
Melastomataceae	Melastomes	Leaves with multiple midveins		Source
Onagraceeae	Evening Primrose	Hypanthium, ovary inferior, often 4-merous flowers	Leaves alternate or oppostie Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, and usually 4-merous	Source
Brassicaceae	Mustard Cruciferous vegetables	4 petals, 4 sepals, and 6 stamens	Flower small and bisexual, usually more or less actinomorphic Fruit a silique or silicie Leaves alternate and simple, often disected	Source
Malvaceae	Mallows	Filaments united into a tube or column that surrounds the style	Herbs and shrubs, rarely small trees Leaves simple, alternate, and with stipules Flowers actinomorphic, sepals 3 or 5, corolla of 5 valvate petals	Source
Anacardiaceae	Sumac Cashew	Stamens inserted beneath a disc surrounding the ovary	Leaves alternate, simple or compound Flower small, bisexual/unisexual, and actinomorphic includes poison ivy	Source

ASTERID DICOTS

Ericaceae	Heath	Urn Shaped flowers	Corollas often campanulate or urceolate Flower bisexual and actinomorphic Petals fused into a corolla tube with free lobes Stamens often twice as many as corolla lobes Anthers open by apical pores	Source
Sarraceniaceae	Pitcher Plants	Insectivorous Leaves tubular and vase-like	Flowers solitary Flower bisexual and actinomorphic Perianth and style usually tough and persistent	Source
Solanaceae	Nightshade Peppers Tomatoes Eggplant	Flowers 5-merous, petals reflexed	Actinomorphic and bisexual Anthers usually stick together with the style just protruding Alternate leaves with no stipules	Source
Convulvulaceae	Morning Glory	Corolla united into a trumpet shape tube that "untwists" as it opens	Climbing vines, herbs, shrubs, or trees Flowers 5-merous, actinomorphic, bisexual, and showy Leaves alternate and simple	Source
Apocynaceae	Dogbane Milkweed	Corolla lobes overlapping in a rotating manner in bud	Leaves opposite or whorled 5 united sepals, 5 united petals Often with milky sap	Source
Rubiaceae	Madder Coffee	Inferior ovary and reduced sepals	Leaves opposite or whorled with stipules Flowers 4, 5, or 6 merous. Actinomorphic and bisexual	Source
Scrophulariaceae	Pigwort	Zygomorphic, often two-lipped	Flowers 5-merous Simple leaves alternate, opposite, or whorled.	Source
Lamiaceae	Mint	Glandular hairs that release aromatic compounds Square stem	Opposite leaves in pairs that are perpendicular to each other Flowers zygomorphic	Source
Apiaceae	Carrots Parsley	Flowers in simple or compound umbels	Leaves usually highly disected Often aromatic	Source
Asteraceae	Sunflowers Daisies	Flowers in involucrate heads Reduced or absent sepal homolog (pappus)	Flowers usually 5-merous, actinomorphic, or zygomorphic Bisexual or unisexual Inferior ovary	Source