Araliaceae

Araliaceae
Aralia elata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Apiales
Family:	Araliaceae Juss.
Subfamilies and genera
Subfamily Aralioideae Anakasia Apiopetalum Aralia Arthrophyllum Astrotricha Boninofatsia Brassaiopsis Cephalaralia Cheirodendron Cromapanax Cuphocarpus Cussonia Dendropanax Eleutherococcus ×Fatshedera Fatsia Gamblea Gastonia Harmsiopanax Hedera Heteropanax Hunaniopanax Kalopanax Mackinlaya Macropanax Megalopanax Merrilliopanax Meryta Metapanax Motherwellia Munroidendron Oplopanax Oreopanax Osmoxylon Panax Polyscias Pseudopanax Pseudosciadium Raukaua Reynoldsia Schefflera Sciadodendron Seemannaralia Sinopanax Stilbocarpa Tetrapanax Tetraplasandra Trevesia Woodburnia Subfamily Hydrocotyloideae Azorella Centella Hydrocotyle Platysace Xanthosia
Synonyms
Botryodendraceae J.Agardh Hydrocotylaceae (Drude) Hyl., nom. cons.

Araliaceae is a family of flowering plants, also known as the Aralia family (after its type genus Aralia) or Ivy family. The family includes 254 species of trees, shrubs, lianas and perennial herbaceous plants into 2 subfamilies. Species usually bear pinnately or palmately compound leaves, and usually have small flowers produced in large panicles.

Overview

The family from tropical area origen is present in cooler climates too. They are in the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Pacific islands. Araliaceae bearing essential oils, or without essential oils can be resinous and heterophyllous. It presents many shapes, includes some trees and ivies as the Angelica-tree (Devil's Walking-stick, Aralia spinosa), the Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus), Hedera spp., including Hedera helix and herbs as ginseng Panax spp., a native of Korea and used as medical herb. Leaves are simple, or compound, sometimes lauroid (resembling Laurus) or peltate, or not peltate; when compound, ternate, or pinnate, or palmate.

The systematics of Araliaceae is currently under study, and taxonomic changes and novelties are to be expected (J. Wen, pers. comm.). Endemic Araliaceae are found in the Pluvial Montane Forest, Very Humid Montane, and Humid Lowland River Forest regions. They are present too in Laurel forest, Cloud forest and warm humid habitats. The family is closely related to Apiaceae and Pittosporaceae, and the boundaries between these families and other members of Apiales 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 Hydrocotyle and Trachymene 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 Schefflera. Recent molecular phylogenies have shown that this large pantropical genus is polyphyletic and some believe it should be divided again into several genera, though these would probably not correspond with the previously recognized genera.

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  Schefflera arboricola.

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  (Oplopanax horridus).

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  Eleutherococcus sieboldianus.

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  Hedera helix

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  Aralia spinosa

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  Osmoxylon lineare

See also

List of foliage plant diseases (Araliaceae)

References and external links

• Chandler, G.T. and G. M. Plunkett. 2004. Evolution in Apiales: nuclear and chloroplast markers together in (almost) perfect harmony. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 144: 123-147 (abstract).
• Frodin, D. G. and R. Govaerts. 2004. World Checklist and Bibliography of Araliaceae. Kew Publishing.
• Plunkett, G.M., Soltis, D.E. & Soltis, P.S. 1997. Clarification of the relationship between Apiaceae and Araliaceae based on MATK and RBCL sequence data. American Journal of Botany 84: 565-580 (available online; pdf file).
• Wen, J., G. M. Plunkett, A. D. Mitchell, and S.J. Wagstaff. 2001. The Evolution of Araliaceae: A Phylogenetic Analysis Based on ITS Sequences of Nuclear Ribosomal DNA. Systematic Botany 26: 144–167 (abstract).
• Araliaceae Resource Center