Vittae are associated with which plant family in this material?

• A. Lamiaceae
• B. Pinaceae
• C. Piperaceae
• D. Apiaceae

Answer: (D)

Vittae are oil-containing ducts located in the fruit wall. In many plant anatomy references, they are a distinctive feature of the Apiaceae family, where the pericarp and endocarp harbor conspicuous vittae filled with essential oils. This makes the fruit anatomy of Apiaceae recognizable and explains why it’s associated with vittae in the material you’re studying. The other families don’t feature vittae in the fruit walls as a defining trait: Pinaceae’s resin-related structures are mainly in wood and needles, not in the fruit; Lamiaceae relies on glandular oils in leaves and stems rather than vittae in the fruit; Piperaceae doesn’t present this fruit-wall oil-duct feature as a diagnostic trait.