Question

Describe Datura metel in technical terms. Draw the floral diagram and write the floral formula.

Answer 1

There are different parts of Datura plant which are explained as follows:

Habit: Large, erect and stout herb.

Root: Branched tap root system.

Stem: The stem is hollow, green and herbaceous with a strong odour.

Leaf: Simple, alternate, petiolate, entire or deeply lobed, glabrous showing unicostate reticulate venation and exstipulate

Inflorescence: Solitary and axillary cyme.

Flower: Flowers are large, greenish white, bracteate, ebracteolate, pedicellate, complete dichlamydeous pentamerous, regular, actinomorphic-bisexual and hypogynous.

Calyx: Sepals-5, green, gamosepalous showing valvate aestivation. Calyx is mostly persistent and odd sepal is posterior in position.

Corolla: Petals 5, greenish white, gamopetalous (folded like a fan) showing twisted, aestivation funnel shaped.

Androecium: Stamens 5, free from one another epipetalous, alternate the petals and are inserted in the middle of the corolla tube. Anthers are basifixed, dithecous with long filament, introrse and longitudinally dehiscent.

Gynoecium: Ovary superior, bicarpellary and syncarpous. Ovary basically bilocular but tetralocular due to the formation of false septa. Carpels are obliquely placed and ovules on the swollen axile placenta. Style simple, long and filiform. Stigma two-lobed.

Fruit: Spinescent capsule opening by four apical valves with persistent calyx.

Seed: Endospermous.

The floral diagram and the floral formulae have been represented in the image.