Question

Claws are found in the petals of
A. Cruciferae
B. Fabaceae
C. Liliaceae
D. Solanaceae

Answer 1

Hint: The petals of different flowers have different variations. One of these variations is that some petals develop claws generally seen in the family of Brassicaceae which include the families of the mustard and cabbage origin.

Complete answer:
The type of petal present in a flowering plant tells a lot about the flower and its family. There are quite a several variations in the petals of different flowering plants. Usually, the petals are seen to be sharp or round edged. But, in some other plants, the petals have a sharp bottom along with thin hair-like projections.
Petals consist of two-part -the upper broad part which is similar to a leaf blade, hence known as the blade. The lower narrow portion is similar to a leaf petiole which is called the claw. Generally, the claw and petal are at right angles to each other.
This kind of arrangement is seen in the plants of the family Brassicaceae or Cruciferae.
The herbs of the mustard family range from annual to perennial types. They lack alternatively arranged stipules. There are four separate petals present in the calyx and corolla. The hairs present on the stem are either fork or star-shaped.
The petals are separable at the narrow bottom portions into claws and the upper portion remains broad. Six stamens are arranged tetradynamous in the androecium. The arrangement contains four long stamens and two short ones.
The gynoecium of these plants is syncarpous which is made of two united carpels containing the ovule. The ovary portion goes across the carpel making a false partition. This fruit is known as silique or sillicle. Thus the ones which contain clawed petals are the Cruciferae.
Fabaceae, Liliaceae, and Solanaceae do not contain petals with thin bottoms and therefore they lack claws in their petals.
So, the correct answer is “Option A”.

Note:
The Brassicaceae is the fourth largest family consisting of Cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, turnip, radish, and rapeseed have clawed petals. It has more than a hundred varieties and all of them are economically very important. Most of them are used as vegetables but there is an oil which is extracted from the seeds of mustard plant. They are also used as sources of vitamins and minerals.