Class Dicotyledons, the family Moth (Legumes) - it is about the representatives of this systematic group of plants that will be discussed in our article. They have characteristic features that make them easy to distinguish from others. A wide range of distribution and widespread use in human life makes them an important object for study.
Life forms
Moth family plants are represented in nature by all existing life forms. These are grasses, shrubs, and trees. Everyone knows the small shoots of clover, which pleases us in the spring with its lush inflorescences. But acacia is a tall tree with a spreading crown.
Flower structure
Moths are a family of the class Dicotyledonous, which got its name due to the special structure of the flower. He is always irregular in shape. This means that its corolla is formed by petals of various shapes and sizes. Visually, it resembles a moth in flight. Hence the name of the family. The flower is five-membered. However, the petals are free, and the sepals grow together. The pistil is formed by one carpel. The number of stamens is 10. Depending on the type of plant, they can be fused or free. But in the majority of representatives of moth 9 stamens are connected, and one remains free.
Outwardly, the flower also resembles a boat. The upper lobe, which is also called the sail, is the largest. The two side ones are much smaller and fasten freely - the "oars". The lower petals fuse together, forming directly the "bottom of the boat."
Flowers can be single or collected in inflorescences. For example, in clover, this is the head, in lupine and peas, it is a brush, and in love, it is an umbrella.
Leaf structure
In the vast majority of cases, moths have complex leaves with another arrangement on the stem. At their base are paired stipules or spines.
Fruit type
The fruit of the Moth family is called "bean." From here comes the second name of the family. Sometimes it is called Legumes. This type of fruit belongs to the group of dry drop-downs. It is represented by two valves, on each of which there are many seeds.
Plants of the Moth family
Mimosa, alfalfa, rank, lupine, peanuts ... Moths are a family whose representatives are familiar to everyone and quite common. Their species composition totals about 18 thousand. Legumes can be found in different climatic zones - from hot deserts to the Far North. Their characteristic feature is that special nodule bacteria live on the roots . This coexistence is mutually beneficial. Moths get valuable nitrogen compounds from bacteria that they can absorb. Unicellular, in turn, are provided with organic substances created by plants during photosynthesis.
The value of legumes
Moths are a family of dicotyledons, whose representatives are widely used by humans. Legumes, which include soy, beans, lentils, are valuable food crops. In crop rotation, peas and melilot are involved as precursors to wheat and vegetables.
The fruit of the Mothylk family can be located underground. An example of this is peanuts. Its seeds contain a lot of protein, vegetable fats, starch and vitamins. Together with soy, they are valuable Pancake week crops.
Medicinal plants are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. Licorice infusions are used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, food poisoning. Many moths are valuable honeybees. Acacia, alfalfa are a valuable source of nectar - a favorite treat of bees.
Interesting to know
Moths are a family that can rightfully carry the title of one of the most ancient. Paleontologists suggest that peas began to be grown in the third millennium BC. And now on the planet, the territory of its crops reaches 10 million hectares.
Soy protein officially has a vegetable protein quality standard assigned to it by the UN International Commission on Food Resources. According to statistics, every third liter of vegetable oil produced in the world falls on this particular plant. And from soy flour they get "milk", which in taste does not differ from cow's.
Beans are a record-breaking plant for potassium compounds. That is why it is recommended for people with impaired renal function, cardiovascular system, with high blood pressure, joint diseases.
A substance that contains a clover legume is able to prevent blood clotting and is therefore used for thrombophlebitis, a disease in which clots form in the vessels.
Another valuable plant in the Moth family, which gives a lot of green mass, is simultaneously poisonous. It is a lupine that contains alkaloids. Previously, it was used only as a green fertilizer, but nowadays, non-toxic varieties are also bred.
Among the representatives of the Moth family there are giant plants. Some tropical trees reach a height of more than 80 m. The mighty support roots located on the surface of the soil help to keep such giants.
Thus, the main characteristic features of the representatives of the Moth family (Legumes) are the structure of the flower, which in appearance resembles a butterfly, and the presence of nodule bacteria that live in the tissues of the roots of these plants. Many of them are valuable fodder, Pancake week and leguminous crops, which are actively cultivated by man.