Asteraceae
Sign in to saveAsteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the number of extant species in each family is unknown. The Asteraceae were first described in the year 1740 and given the original name Compositae. The family is commonly known as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family.
AI overview
Asteraceae is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, containing over 32,000 species across more than 1,900 genera, and is commonly known as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family. This family matters because its enormous diversity and widespread distribution make it one of the most significant plant groups on Earth, rivaling only the Orchidaceae family in the number of species.
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Taxonomy · GBIF
FAMILY
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderAsterales
- FamilyAsteraceae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
23 sectionsContents
- Description<span class="anchor" id="Characteristics"></span>
- Roots
- Stems
- Leaves
- Inflorescences<span class="anchor" id="Flowers"></span>
- Floral heads
- Variations
- Floral structures<span class="anchor" id="Floral structures"></span>
- Fruits and seeds
- Pollen
- Metabolites
- Taxonomy
- History
- Phylogeny
- Paleontology and evolutionary processes
- Etymology and pronunciation
- Distribution and habitat
- Ecology
- Uses
- References
- See also
- Bibliography
- External links
Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the number of extant species in each family is unknown. The Asteraceae were first described in the year 1740 and given the original name Compositae. The family is commonly known as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family.
Most species of Asteraceae are herbaceous plants, and may be annual, biennial, or perennial, but there are also shrubs, vines, and trees. The family has a widespread distribution, from subpolar to tropical regions, in a wide variety of habitats. Most occur in hot desert and cold or hot semi-desert climates, and they are found on every continent but Antarctica. Their common primary characteristic is compound flower heads, technically known as capitula, consisting of sometimes hundreds of tiny individual florets enclosed by a whorl of protective involucral bracts.