Araliaceae is a family of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s, also known as the
Aralia family (after its
type genusIn biology, the phrase type genus is used differently depending on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological nomenclature, a type genus is "The nominal genus that is the name-bearing type of a nominal family-group taxon."...
AraliaAralia , or Spikenard, is a genus of the plant family Araliaceae, consisting of 68 accepted species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, and some rhizomatous herbaceous perennials. The genus is native to Asia and the Americas, with most species occurring in mountain woodlands...
) or
Ivy family. The family includes 254 species of
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s,
lianaA liana is any of various long-stemmed, usually woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in order to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist...
s and perennial
herbaceousA herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
plants into 2 subfamilies. Species usually bear
pinnatePinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
ly or palmately compound leaves, and usually have small flowers produced in large panicles.
The family is closely related to
ApiaceaeThe Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, commonly known as umbellifers. It includes cumin, parsley, carrot, coriander/cilantro, dill, caraway, fennel, parsnip, celery, Queen Anne's Lace and other relatives. It is a large family with about 300 genera...
and
PittosporaceaePittosporaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family includes approximately 200 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in 9-10 genera. The species of Pittosporaceae range from tropical to temperate climates of the Afrotropic, Indomalaya, Oceania, and Australasia ecozones.-Genera:* Auranticarpa...
, and the boundaries between these families and other members of
ApialesThe Apiales are an order of flowering plants. The families given at right are typical of newer classifications, though there is some slight variation, and in particular the Torriceliaceae may be divided. These families are placed within the asterid group of eudicots as circumscribed by the APG II...
are still uncertain.
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Araliaceae is a family of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s, also known as the
Aralia family (after its
type genusIn biology, the phrase type genus is used differently depending on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological nomenclature, a type genus is "The nominal genus that is the name-bearing type of a nominal family-group taxon."...
AraliaAralia , or Spikenard, is a genus of the plant family Araliaceae, consisting of 68 accepted species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, and some rhizomatous herbaceous perennials. The genus is native to Asia and the Americas, with most species occurring in mountain woodlands...
) or
Ivy family. The family includes 254 species of
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s,
lianaA liana is any of various long-stemmed, usually woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in order to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist...
s and perennial
herbaceousA herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
plants into 2 subfamilies. Species usually bear
pinnatePinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
ly or palmately compound leaves, and usually have small flowers produced in large panicles.
The family is closely related to
ApiaceaeThe Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, commonly known as umbellifers. It includes cumin, parsley, carrot, coriander/cilantro, dill, caraway, fennel, parsnip, celery, Queen Anne's Lace and other relatives. It is a large family with about 300 genera...
and
PittosporaceaePittosporaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family includes approximately 200 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in 9-10 genera. The species of Pittosporaceae range from tropical to temperate climates of the Afrotropic, Indomalaya, Oceania, and Australasia ecozones.-Genera:* Auranticarpa...
, and the boundaries between these families and other members of
ApialesThe Apiales are an order of flowering plants. The families given at right are typical of newer classifications, though there is some slight variation, and in particular the Torriceliaceae may be divided. These families are placed within the asterid group of eudicots as circumscribed by the APG II...
are still uncertain. Some recent systems included Araliaceae in an expanded Apiaceae but this has not been widely followed. Molecular phylogenies suggest that at least some of the genera traditionally included in Apiaceae as subfamily Hydrocotyloideae appear to be more closely related to Araliaceae, and the inclusion of
HydrocotyleHydrocotyle sometimes called water pennywort, Indian Pennywort, Marsh Penny, Thick-leaved Pennywort and even White Rot...
and
TrachymeneTrachymene is a genus of herbs in the family Apiaceae. The species are native to Australia, Malesia, New Caledonia and Fiji.Species include:*Trachymene anisocarpa
*Trachymene bialata
B.L.Burtt ...
in Araliaceae has been recommended (Chandler & Plunkett 2004).
The generic level classification of Araliaceae has been unstable; in particular, numerous genera have been synonymized under
ScheffleraSchefflera is a genus in the flowering plant family Araliaceae. The plants are trees, shrubs or lianas, growing 1-30 m tall, with woody stems and palmately-compound leaves. The circumscription of the genus has varied greatly...
. Recent molecular phylogenies have shown that this large pantropical genus is polyphyletic and it is likely that it will be divided once again into several genera in the near future.