Magnoliids
Clade of mesangiosperms
Food, Plant source foods, Flowering plats (angiospermae), Mesangiosperms
Consumption area(s): Earth
Note: For better understanding, please read the article on flowering plants (angiospermae) first. If you come across unfamiliar words, you can click on any highlighted term to open the glossary with definitions of key botanical terms.

Introduction
The Magnoliids, also known as Magnoliidae or Magnolianae, form a distinct group within the flowering plants. Comprising over 10,000 species, this lineage includes a wide range of well-known plants such as magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocados, and black pepper, among others. In terms of species diversity, they represent the third-largest clade of angiosperms, surpassed only by the eudicots and monocots.
Description of Magnoliids
The Magnoliid clade includes mostly woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, with fewer herbaceous species. These plants share a set of floral characteristics that identify them as primitive angiosperms. Their carpels are surrounded by tepals—floral organs that do not differentiate into petals and sepals—arranged in a spiral pattern.
They also feature numerous stamens that produce monocolpate pollen, meaning the pollen grains have a single groove. The ovules are typically enclosed within two integuments, and the seeds, once mature, usually contain a small embryo and a large endosperm, a trait associated with early-diverging flowering plants.
Classification of Magnoliids
This clade is divided into orders. Among them are:
- Cannellales (cinnamon)
- Laurales (laurel, avocado)
- Piperales (black pepper)
Photo(s):
1. Vengolis, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons