Make dissections of specimens from four different plant families. Document your work with images (select at least 3 vegetative and 3 reproductive characters from each specimen and take photos):
Fabaceae (legume family): Big-leaved Lupine Lupinus polyphyllus
Habitat: open areas such as fields, slopes, along the road and other disturbed areas; doesn’t seem to require rich soil but grows tallest when it has plenty of sun and some moisture.
Inflorescence is an upright stalk (raceme) which is a few inches above the first leaves which are petiolate and palmately compound with over ten leaflets each.
Fruits are dehiscent pods, hairy on the outside with over half a dozen seeds.
10 stamens: 5 with long filaments, 5 with shorter filaments
5 purple or blue petals, fused into two connate petals and one unique petal that arcs over the stamens (how do the pollinators get inside?)
2 sepals
carpel, marginal placentation (attached on outer edge)
Onagraceae (evening primrose family): Fireweed Chamaenerion angustifolium
Habitat: open areas, especially disturbed areas after glaciation or fire
Inflorescence: upright spike (raceme)
Leaves are linear with a prominent central vein and indistinct secondary veins that are connected with each other toward the distal margin; petiole is greatly reduced
Fruits are dehiscent capsules with seeds too many to count; released with fuzz on them
8 stamens
4 bright pink petals
4 darker pink (magenta) sepals,
1 carpel, axillary placentation (attached at central column)
Rosaceae (rose family): Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus
Habitat: Roadside, upland of beaches and lakes
Inflorescence: single flowers in a loose cluster at end of a stem
Leaves are palmately lobed and soft to the touch
Fruits are aggregate
5 white petals
5 green and rusty red sepals: stamens appear fused to sepals so adnation?
Dozens of stamens which encircle dozens of carpels
Indehiscent
Placentation: ?
Number of seeds: ?
Campanulaceae (harebell family): Harebell Campanula rotundifolia
Habitat: uplands of beach in full sun, rocky soil
Inflorescence: single violet or periwinkle flowers, connation in petals
Leaves: narrow, linear, single main vein
Fruits: not evident yet but is said to be a “nodding capsule.” (Love that!)
5 sepals
5 stamens
appears to be a single carpel, but I am not sure
seeds are not yet evident, nor is placentation
