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Learn about the comparison between Liliaceae and Musaceae.
Comparison # Liliaceae:
1. Habit-Generally perennial herbs, rarely shrubs or trees and occasionally climber (Smilax).
2. Root-Adventitious, fibrous, sometime tuberous (Asparagus).
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3. Stem-Herbaceous or woody aerial or underground (rhizome or bulbs) aerial, erect or climbing; in Ruscus and Asparagus, branches modified into leaf-like phylloclades.
4. Leaf-Radical or cauline, simple, sessile, sheathing leaf-base, parallel venation, rarely reticulate (Smilax), exstipulate or stipulate (Smilax).
5. Inflorescence-Raceme, panicle or corymbose umbel or corymbose cyme.
6. Flower-Pedicellate, regular, rarely zygomorphic (Gilliesia), bisexual, unisexual (Smilax), trimerous, hypogynous.
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7. Perianth-6, in two whorls, gamophyllous, sometimes free (Tulipa).
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8. Androecium-Stamens 6, in two whorls, free, rarely only 3 stamens (Ruscus), epiphyllous, inferior.
9. Gynoecium-Carpels 3, syncarpous, ovary superior, trilocular, axile placentation, ovules many.
10. Fruit-Capsule or berry.
11. Seed-Small, endospermic.
Comparison # Musaceae:
1. Habit-Usually perennial herbs, rarely trees (Ravenala).
2. Root-Adventitious.
3. Stem-Underground. In Musa, the so called apparent erect stem is formed by long stiff leaf-sheaths, which are rolled around one another.
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4. Leaf-Simple, large, spiral unicostate parallel, entire or lamina splits, leaf-sheath rolled up and overlapping, exstipulate.
5. Inflorescence-Terminal pendulous spike or panicle subtended by bright coloured or green spathe-lake bracts.
6. Flower-Large, often coloured unsexual (Musa) or bisexual (Ravenala) zygomorphic, epigynous, trimerous.
7. Perianth-6, arranged in 2 whorls, free or united, petaloid; in (Musa), the perianth lobes of the outer and inner whorls except the inner medium are united, forming a tube.
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8. Androecium-Stamens 6, free, usually 6 functional, 6th absent or rudimentary.
9. Gynoecium-Carpels 3, syncarpous, ovary inferior, 3-locular, ovules many, axile placentation.
10. Fruit-Berry or capsule, indehiscent or dehiscent.
11. Seed-Hard arillate (Ravenala) non-endospermic.
