Family Araliaceae
Description: Trees, shrubs, climbers, or scramblers [or rarely herbs, evergreen [or deciduous, glabrous or with branched (often stellate) or simple hairs (sometimes restricted to new growth).
Leaves alternate, [rarely opposite or whorled,] the bases often clasping the stem, simple, pinnately or palmately compound, margins entire or toothed or variously lobed; stipules usually inconspicuous, free [or fused to petiole] or absent.
Inflorescence rarely racemose, commonly a loose compound panicle or umbel, terminal [or rarely axillary]; flowers pedicellate or sessile, pedicels articulated near the receptacle or continuous with it. Flowers actinomorphic, usually small, bisexual or unisexual and then plants monoecious or dioecious, mostly 4- or 5-merous. Calyx lobed or reduced to a rim [or rarely absent, persistent in fruit. Petals 4 or 5 [rarely 3 or many, free or forming a calyptra [rarely forming a tube, usually not persistent in fruit, imbricate or valvate in bud. Stamens 4–many, often as many as petals and alternating with them, both inserted around an epigynous disk, usually not persistent. Ovary inferior or semi-inferior [or very rarely superior, surmounted by a secretory disk, commonly 2–5-locular [or 1 to many locular]; 1 ovule per loculus; styles as many as ovary loculi, free or variously fused, persistent.
Fruit laterally compressed or ± globose drupes or schizocarps; endosperm smooth or ruminate.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 80 genera, c. 1150 species, mainly tropical regions. Australia: 10 genera, c. 30 species, all States.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Araliaceae, Order: Apiales)
Wikipedia The family is included with the Apiaceae by some authors. A number of species, particularly of Hedera (Ivy) and Schefflera, are cultivated for their ornamental foliage or habit. The pithy stem tissue of Tetrapanax papyrifer (Hook.) K. Koch is the traditional material for making rice-paper.
Text by M. J. Henwood & R. O. Makinson
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Leaves simple, margins entire to deeply lobed | 2 |
| Leaves pinnately or palmately compound with 3 or more leaflets | 4 |
| 2 | Woody creeper (rarely shrubby with age), with aerial roots; mature leaves glabrous; styles fully fused | Hedera |
| Shrubs or small trees; mature leaves densely hairy on lower surface; styles free
Back to 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Leaves entire, venation (when visible) pinnate; stipules absent | Astrotricha |
| Leaves palmately lobed, venation palmate; stipules prominent, 2-ligulate
Back to 2 | Tetrapanax |
| 4 | Leaves 3-foliolate; climber or scrambling shrub with retrorse bristles; flowers sessile (or occasionally subsessile) in small racemose or paniculate inflorescences | Cephalaralia |
| Leaves usually more than 3-foliolate; shrubs or trees (sometimes epiphytic as juveniles), glabrous or glabrescent; flowers sessile or pedicellate, solitary or in umbels
Back to 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Leaves pinnately compound (divisions to the third degree); flowers pedicellate, solitary or in umbels | Polyscias |
| Leaves palmately compound; flowers sessile in umbels
Back to 4 | Schefflera |
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