Caprifoliaceae
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What is the Caprifoliaceae plant family?
The Caprifoliaceae, or honeysuckle family, is in the order Dipsacales and has roughly 42 genera and 890 species. The family contains many ornamental shrubs and vines and is mainly made up of north temperate species, but it also has some tropical mountain plants.
Members of the Caprifoliaceae are trees, shrubs, vines, or herbs. They can be identified by their opposite leaves, bilaterally symmetrical flowers, and fleshy fruits. The bark of woody taxa often peels off in thin flakes.
The evolutionary history of Caprifoliaceae has been disputed, and the family is broadly defined. Molecular and morphological evidence has resulted in the collective grouping of its members under Caprifoliaceae, though many were formerly classified in separate families.
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What types of plants are usually found in the Caprifoliaceae family?
The Caprifoliaceae family, also known as the honeysuckle family, contains about 42 genera and 890 species. This family consists primarily of north temperate species, but it also includes some tropical mountain plants.
Caprifoliaceae can be trees, shrubs, vines, or herbs. They are recognizable by their opposite leaves and bilaterally symmetrical flowers.
Examples include:
* Honeysuckle
* Diervilla
* Weigela
* Valeriana
* Valerianella3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where are Caprifoliaceae plants commonly found in the world?
The Caprifoliaceae family, also known as the honeysuckle family, consists of around 42 genera and 890 species. Most Caprifoliaceae species are found in the north temperate zone, but some can be found in tropical mountain regions.
The Lonicera clade, within Caprifoliaceae, is primarily found in the north temperate regions of East Asia and eastern North America. The Morina clade, another group within Caprifoliaceae, is native to Eurasia, spanning from the Balkans to China. The Diervilla clade has North American and East Asian species.
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What are some common examples of plants in the Caprifoliaceae family?
The Caprifoliaceae family, also known as the honeysuckle family, contains around 42 genera and 890 species. These are mostly north temperate species, though some are tropical mountain plants. They include trees, shrubs, vines and herbs, recognized by opposite leaves and fleshy fruits.
Some common examples of plants in the Caprifoliaceae family include:
* Honeysuckles (Lonicera), with about 180 species
* Snowberries (Symphoricarpos), with 18 species of deciduous shrubs
* Beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis)
* Viburnum, with about 175 species of shrubs and small trees3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How can you identify a plant that belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family?
To identify a plant from the Caprifoliaceae family, check for opposite leaves, which is a key characteristic. These plants, which can be trees, shrubs, vines, or herbs, feature bilaterally symmetric flowers. Other identifying features include an elongate style, a generally capitate stigma, and a nectary formed by densely packed hairs along the lower inner part of the corolla tube. The fruits are fleshy, often with few or single seeds, and the bark of woody members may peel in thin flakes.
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Why are Caprifoliaceae plants important to people and the environment?
The honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, contains roughly 42 genera and 890 species. Most species live in the north temperate zone, but some can be found as tropical mountain plants.
Caprifoliaceae includes trees, shrubs, vines and herbs, known for their opposite leaves. Some species are important to humans. For example, Morina persica seeds are consumed like rice in the Balkans. Also, the dried rhizome of Valeriana officinalisj (garden valerian) produces valerian, a natural sedative. Additionally, the ripened heads of Dipsacus sativus (Fuller's teasel) were once used to raise the nap of woolen cloth. Many species of Scabiosa (pincushion flower) are cultivated as ornamentals.
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Caprifoliaceae, the honeysuckle family of the order Dipsacales, comprising about 42 genera and 890 species. The family is well known for its many ornamental shrubs and vines. It is primarily composed of north temperate species but also includes some tropical mountain plants. The phylogeny (history of evolutionary development) of Caprifoliaceae has been contentious, and the family is broadly circumscribed. Many of its members were formally placed in discrete families, though molecular and morphological evidence has led to their collective grouping under Caprifoliaceae.
Physical description
Members of Caprifoliaceae are trees, shrubs, vines, or herbs and are recognizable by their opposite leaves. The plants have bilaterally symmetric flowers with an elongate style, a generally capitate stigma, and a nectary formed by densely packed hairs along the lower inner part of the corolla tube. They have an inferior ovary that produces fleshy fruits, often with few seeds or only a single seed. The bark in the woody taxa often comes off in thin flakes.
Major genera and species
Lonicera is the largest genus of the family, with about 180 species commonly known as honeysuckles. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a fragrant flowering vine that kills other plants by climbing over them and shutting out the light.
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The closely related genera Valeriana (about 200 species) and Valerianella (80 species) are distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and in Andean South America. They are characterized by the rank odour of their stems and leaves when dried. Several species are important in traditional herbal medicine.
Another important genus is Scabiosa, the pincushion flower genus, with about 30 species. It is related to teasel (Dipsacus), which has 15 species.
The genus Abelia has about 30 species, which are native to East Asia and Mexico. Given this unusual geographical distribution, the taxonomy of the genus is contentious. Mexican abelia (A. floribunda) is cultivated as an ornamental and has bright green oval leaves and small clusters of fragrant pinkish purple tubular flowers. It may reach 1.8 metres (6 feet) but usually is shorter. The glossy abelia (A. Γgrandiflora) has pinkish white blooms and is evergreen in warm climates.
Another widely cultivated genus is Symphoricarpos, commonly known as snowberries, with 18 species of deciduous shrubs. It includes common snowberry (S. albus) and coralberry (S. orbiculatus).
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Himalaya honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) has long leaves and produces drooping spikes of purple flowers with purple bracts. It is one of six species in its genus, all of which are native to temperate Asia.
The bush honeysuckle genus, Diervilla, has three species of shrubs, which are native to North America.
Beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) is the only member of its genus and is grown as an ornamental for its showy flowers.