Araliaceae Juss.

Gemma Bramley, Anna Trias-Blasi & Richard Wilford (2023). The Kew Temperate Plant Families Identification Handbook. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Apiaceae: stipules absent, not woody, fruit usually a 2-carpellate schizocarp. Cornaceae: stipules absent, leaves usually simple, opposite, inflorescences not umbellate. Rosaceae, Prunus: glands on the leaves and/or petiole, ovary superior. Smilacaceae: monocotyledon, paired tendrils, flowers 3-merous, ovary superior. Pittosporaceae: stipules absent, stamens episepalous, ovary superior.

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs or climbers, sometimes epiphytic, rarely herbs, sometimes with spines, latex absent

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules often present, intrapetiolar, ligulate or sheathing base of petiole, leaving conspicuous scars

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pinnately to palmately compound or simple and lobed, rarely peltate, alternate (rarely opposite but not in the temperate taxa); petiolate, often clasping stem at base; margins entire to toothed; hairs often stellate, sometimes unbranched, rarely glabrous; often heteroblastic- Inflorescences terminal, rarely axillary, branched complexes; usually umbellate or capitate, sometimes racemose or spicate; ultimate units umbels or heads, sometimes racemes or spikes, flowers rarely solitary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers usually bisexual (dioecious when unisexual), actinomorphic; with or without caducous bracts; pedicels often articulated; calyx absent or present only as teeth or a cup 4–5(–10); petals 4–10(–12), free or connate at base, valvate or imbricate; stamens free, isomerous (rarely more numerous) and alternipetalous in a single whorl (rarely more whorls); inflexed in bud; often inserted on a disk; ovary inferior (superior only in tropics), syncarpous with 2–5(–12) locules, 1 ovule per locule; styles free or fused into a column

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually drupaceous with a single-seeded pyrene, sometimes baccate, rarely a schizocarp.

Distribution

Medium-sized family of 44 genera and 1,450 species. Cosmopolitan across a broad range of habitats, especially well represented in montane environments (largely tropical). The largest temperate genus is Hydrocotyle (175 species).

Note

Stipules or stipule scars conspicuous. Leaves often compound; alternate, spiral, crowded towards ends of branches. Inflorescence often with ultimate branch umbellate. Flowers usually small, bisexual, 5-merous; ovary inferior. Fruits usually drupaceous.

Description Author

Alison Moore

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution

A large family of 50 genera and c. 1400 species, distributed throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of the globe and less diverse in temperate regions; with six arborescent genera in New Guinea found from the lowlands, including coastal and beach forests, to subalpine shrubbery at 4000 m.

Recognition

Members of Araliaceae are recognised by the variously compound leaves with sheathing leaf bases and, especially, the inflorescences which can be umbellate to racemose but with the ultimate units being umbels or heads, with flowers possessing an inferior ovary; in addition, Araliaceae often have conspicuous leaf scars and prominent lenticels on leaves and stems.

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs, lianas, sometimes woody epiphytes, unarmed or with prickles/spines

Morphology General

Sap (clear or brown) sometimes present

Morphology General Indumentum

Hairs often present, stellate or simple trichomes or bristles. Stipules absent or forming a ligule or membranous border along the petiole. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, simple and often palmately lobed, palmately compound, or 1–3-pinnately compound, usually clustered at ends of branches, base of petiole often broad and sheathing stem

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence terminal or more rarely lateral, variously umbellate, compound-umbellate to racemose-paniculate, but ultimate units usually umbels or heads

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual or unisexual (andromonoecious or dioecious), actinomorphic, often 5-merous (can be 3 to numerous); pedicels often articulated below the ovary; calyx lobes small or absent; petals (3–)5(–20), free or rarely united, valvate or sometimes imbricate; stamens usually as many as the petals and alternating with them, sometimes numerous; anthers 2-celled, introrse, longitudinally dehiscent; disk present, epigynous, fleshy; ovary inferior, 1 to many celled; ovules pendulous, solitary (2 per locule but 1 abortive); styles and stigmas as many as the cells, free or partially united

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a drupe or berry, sometimes laterally compressed, exocarp fleshy, pyrenes cartilaginous or membranous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1 per pyrene, embryo small, endosperm smooth or ruminate.

Araliaceae, J. R. Tennant. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 0

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs, lianes or (rarely) ± herbaceous, sometimes epiphytic, unarmed (at least in East Africa), with a simple or stellate indumentum, or glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple or compound; lamina coriaceous or chartaceous, often in some genera with differences in texture and outline between those of juvenile and mature parts of the plant

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules usually present

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences generally ample, ultimate branching very often umbellate or racemose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, regular, often greenish-yellow, hermaphrodite, polygamous or dioecious

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx ± obconic, with tube adnate to ovary; free margin erect and very small

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 4–10, valvate, usually free, sometimes connate and calyptrate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens equal in number to the petals and alternate with them, rarely more numerous, inserted (with them) on a disk Anthers dorsifixed, dithecous, longitudinally dehiscent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary inferior with 2–8 locules; styles distinct throughout or connate below into a stylopodium; ovules solitary, pendulous from the apex of each locule

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a berry or a drupe, often with fleshy exocarp and an endocarp divided into distinct pyrenes or hardly distinct from the exocarp

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds with copious ruminate or smooth endosperm; embryo small and located near the hilum

Timothy Utteridge & Gemma Bramley (2020). The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook, Second Edition. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Note

Leaves usually alternate, spiral, often compound; conspicuous stipules or stipule scars. Ultimate inflorescence branch often umbellate. Flowers usually small, bisexual and 5-merous with an inferior ovary. Fruits usually drupaceous.

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Umbelliferae: stipules absent, not woody, fruit usually a 2-carpellate schizocarp. Cornaceae: leaves usually opposite and simple, stipules absent, inflorescences not umbellate. Rosaceae: Prunus: superior ovary, glands on the leaves and/or petiole. Smilacaceae: monocotyledon, paired tendrils on stem, ovary superior. Pittosporaceae: stipules absent, ovary superior.

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs or climbers; sometimes epiphytic, sometimes armed with spines (very rarely herbs, e.g. Hydrocotyle)

Morphology General Sap

Sap sometimes present, clear or brown

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules often present, intrapetiolar, ligulate or sheathing base of petiole, leaving conspicuous scars

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate (opposite only in Cheirodendron), spirally arranged (or distichous), usually palmately or pinnately compound; sometimes bi- or tripinnate, when simple often lobed or peltate; margins entire to toothed, often with stellate, dendroid or other branched hairs; mature leaves often differing markedly from juvenile forms

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences terminal, rarely axillary, branched complexes; usually umbellate or capitate, sometimes spicate or racemose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers actinomorphic, usually bisexual (dioecious when unisexual); calyx absent or present only as 4–5(–10) small teeth or a cup; petals 4–10(–12) free or connate at base, valvate or imbricate; stamens free, isomerous (rarely more numerous) and alternipetalous, often inserted on a disk; ovary inferior (rarely superior, e.g. Tetraplasandra), syncarpous with 2–5(–12) locules rarely many, 1 ovule per locule; styles free or fused into a column

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually drupaceous with a single-seeded pyrene, sometimes baccate, rarely a schizocarp.

Distribution

Medium-sized family of 40 genera, 1,450 species. Widespread throughout the tropics. Common genera include Schefflera (c. 600 species) and Polyscias (c. 170 species).

Ecology

Especially well represented in montane habitats

Description Author

Alison Moore

Araliaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit

Mostly woody

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, simple or compound; stipules often adnate to the petiole

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual, spicate, racemose, umbellate or capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx adnate to the ovary, small

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals valvate or slightly imbricate, usually free

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens free, alternate with the petals; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries

Disk epigynous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary inferior, 1–or more-celled; styles free or connate; ovules solitary in each cell, pendulous from the inner angle

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a berry or drupe

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds with copious endosperm and small embryo

Araliaceae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs, lianes, suffrutices (very rarely herbaceous outside the FZ area)

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate (rarely opposite), simple, pinnate or digitate; often coriaceous, glabrous or with a simple or stellate indumentum, the leaves of juvenile shoots often differing considerably from those of mature foliage; stipules frequently conspicuous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, hermaphrodite (monoecious or dioecious outside the FZ area), actinomorphic; arranged in umbels, racemes or in compound combinations of these structures

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx inconspicuous, with the tube adnate to the ovary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals (4)5(10), valvate or slightly imbricate, usually free but sometimes joined to form a calyptra

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens free, alternating with the petals and usually similar in number, but occasionally more numerous; anthers opening by longitudinal slits

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary inferior, with 2–8 locules; styles often forming a distinct stylopodium and only free at the apex, sometimes free throughout Ovules solitary in each loculus, anatropous, pendulous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a berry or drupe

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds endospermous, endosperm smooth or ruminate; embryo very small