Family: Mimosaceae (Mimosa Family)
Lecture of: Sir Muhammad Ajaib
Department of Botany
G C University Lahore
Provided by: Taha Arooj
A Family of about 56 genera and nearly 2800 species, mainly distributed in tropics and subtropics of the world. In Pakistan this family is represented by 11 genera and 49 species in which only 4 genera and 18 species are native and the rest are introduced.
Vegetative Characters:
Habit: Herbs (Mimosa L.), shrubs and trees (Acacia Mill.)
Root: Taproot with root nodules.
Stem: Branched , herbaceous or woody.
Leaves: Bipinnate, rarely unipinnate, alternate, stipulate (stipule sometimes in form spines) and pulvinate.
Inflorescence: Mostly globose head or spike, rarely racemose or globose umbels; bracts small.
Flower: Actinomorphic, bisexual , hypogynous, pentamarous, sessile, heterochlamydeous.
Calyx: Sepals5 ( or 4), gamosepalous, valvate, toothed.
Corolla: Petals 5 (or 4), polypetalous, valvate aestivation.
Androecium: Stamens few to many, free or monoadelphous or adnate to base of corolla tube, usually 10 , some times more, brightly coloured; anthers versatile, often crowded by a deciduous gland.
Gynoecium: Monocarpellary, unilocular with ovules on marginal placentation, ovary superior, style filiform; stigma terminal.
Fruit: Legume (dehiscent) or lomentum (indehiscent) sometimes shizocarpic.
Seed: Non endospermic mostly ovate to orbicular.
Common Examples:
Timber Yielding
- Albizia lebbeck (L) Benth. Siris tree, Shrein
- Acacia modesta Wall. Phulai
Gum Yielding
- Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile commonly called Kikar or Babool. It gum is used in tanning industry.
Ornamental
- Mimosa pudica L. Touch-me-not
- Mimosa rubicaulis Lam.
