ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF ORCHIDACEAE , ZINGIBERACEAE ,DIOSCORIACEAE

By,Pillai Aswathy viswanathPG 2 BotanySt. Thomas college kozhencherry

ORCHID FAMILY Bentham and hookers

placed the family under microspermae in the beginning of monocotyledons

It is the 2nd largest family (only after Asteraceae )of angiosperm

Comprising 788 genera and over 18500 sps.

About 128 genera and 700 sps. are found in India

Plants are perennial herbs , terrestrial or epiphytic or saprophytic

Family is known for the plants having most beautiful flowers

The orchid family is probably one of the most important of plant families from a horticultural point of view.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

Use as food The dried seed pods of

one orchid Vanilla planifolia, are commercially important as flavoring in baking, extensively used for flavouring food products such as ice cream, manufacture of perfume .

The underground tubers of terrestrial orchids mainly Orchis mascula are ground to a powder and used for cooking, such as in the hot beverage salep

Dried leaves of Jumellea fragrans are used to flavor rum.

Some saprophytic orchid species of the group Gastrodia produce potato-like tubers and were consumed as food by native peoples in Australia

Traditional medicinal uses Orchids have been used in 

traditional medicine in an effort to treat many diseases and ailments.

Roots of Vanda roxburghii are used for the treatment of scorpion bites and rheumatism

Dried tuberous roots of orchis lantifolia are used as nervine tonic

In America, Vanilla planifolia was used as useful herb for the treatment of fevers, impotence, rheumatism and to increase the energy of muscular systems

Vanda tessellata , leaves used in rheumatism and allied disorders, paste of leaves is used for fever

Brachycortis obcordata, Root Used in dysentery. Taken with milk as a tonic,

Trudelia cristata , roots & leaves paste is applied in cuts, wounds

Anoectochilus roxburghii , Whole plant, Consumed to treat tuberculosis

Bulbophyllum careyanum ,Leaves and Pseudobulb,fresh pulp of pseudo bulb is used in burns, powder of leaves is used to cause abortion

Horticulture Orchids have an enormous

importance in horticulture. Orchids are used as ornamental

plants for almost every occasion, both as pot plants and cut flowers.

Family is known for the plants having most beautiful flowers,both in colour and shape. Hence it has enormous ornamental value

Some important ornamental genera are Cypripedium ,

Habenaria, Catteleya, Vanda, Cymbidium,

Dendrobium, Epidendrum , Orchis, Epipactis, Coelogyne

Zingiberaceae

GINGER FAMILY The ginger family, of

flowering plants consisting of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, comprising about 52 genera and more than 1300 species, distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Zingiberaceae flower resembles an orchid because of its labellum (two or three fused stamens) joined with a pair of petal-like sterile stamens. 

Some plants of the family have considerable economic value

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

Medicinal use Some plants are medicinally

important curcuma domestica is used in stomachic, blood purifier and antiseptic

It also applied to sprains and wounds

Ginger has been used for its health benefits for over 5000 years and is a favorite medicinal as well as culinary herb.

The intake of ginger helps stimulate the secretion of mucus, quieting your cough and any scratchiness in your throat.

Ginger contains anti viral, anti toxic, and anti fungal properties, and is used for the prevention of and treatment against the common cold

Eating ginger may help to prevent cancer and aging disorders.

Also used for migraine headache Ginger can also be used for

reducing toothache The ancient Greeks used to eat

ginger after a large meal,in order to ease the digestion process

Ginger has proven to help lower your cholesterol levels and prevent the formation of blood clots.

Spices Important spice yielding plants are

Zingiber officinale , Curcuma longa , Curcuma angustifolia , Elettaria cardamomum ,Alpinia galanga, Amomum aromaticum

Ornamental plants Commonly cultivated ornamental

plants are Alpinia speciosa , Globba racemosa , Hedychium spicatum , Cautleya spicata

Other use The root stock of

Hedychium spicatum is used as a perfume

The ginger oil obtained from Zingiber officinale is used in perfumery

Dioscoriaceae

YAM FAMILY Dioscoreaceae is a family

of monocotyledonous with about 750 species in eight or nine genera.

The best-known member of the family is the Yam

Herbaceous or woody vines and shrubs, distributed throughout tropical and warm temperate regions.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE In  medicine, Dioscorea

alata has been used as a laxative and vermifuge, and as a treatment for fever,leprosy, tumors

D. alata is sometimes grown in gardens for its ornamental value.

Purple yam is used in a variety of desserts, as well as a flavor for ice cream, milk, Swiss rolls,cookies, cakes, and other pastries.

In the Philippines, it is known as ube and is eaten as a sweetened jam called ube halayá.

In Maharashtra, the stir-fried chips are eaten during religious fasting. Purple yam is also an essential ingredient in Undhiyu

Tuber and bulbils of  Dioscorea polystachya are edible

The tuber is sometimes used as an herbal tonic.

The tuber has been eaten for the treatment of poor appetite, chronic diarrhea, asthma, dry coughs, frequent or uncontrollable urination, diabetes

Leaf juice from D. polystachya can be used to treat snakebites and scorpion stings.