The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s consisting of about 860

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, in 33, to 42

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...

, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

, while they are absent in tropical and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Description

The flowering plants in this clade are mostly shrubs and

vine A vine ( Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners thems ...

s: rarely

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

. They include some ornamental garden plants grown in

temperate regions In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

. The leaves are mostly opposite with no

stipules In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

(appendages at the base of a leafstalk or petiole), and may be either

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are tubular funnel-shaped or bell-like, usually with five outward spreading lobes or points, and are often fragrant. They usually form a small

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

with small

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

is in most cases a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

or a

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kerne ...

. The genera ''Diervilla'' and ''Weigela'' have

capsular In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry, though rarely fleshy dehiscent fruit produced by many species of angiosperms (flowering plants). Origins and structure The capsule (Latin: ''capsula'', small box) is derived from a compound (multica ...

fruit, while ''Heptacodium'' has an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not op ...

Taxonomy

Views of the family-level classification of the traditionally accepted Caprifoliaceae and other plants in the botanical order

Dipsacales The Dipsacales are an order of flowering plants, included within the asterid group of dicotyledons. In the APG III system of 2009, the order includes only two families, Adoxaceae and a broadly defined Caprifoliaceae. Some well-known members of ...

have been considerably revised in recent decades. Most botanists now accept the placement of two of the most familiar members of this group, the elderberries (''

Sambucus ''Sambucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry. The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due to ...

'') and the viburnums (''

Viburnum ''Viburnum'' is a genus of about 150–175 species of flowering plants in the moschatel family Adoxaceae. Its current classification is based on molecular phylogeny. It was previously included in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. The mem ...

''), in the family

Adoxaceae Adoxaceae, commonly known as moschatel family, is a small family of flowering plants in the order Dipsacales, now consisting of five genera and about 150–200 species. They are characterised by opposite toothed leaves, small five- or, more rar ...

instead; these were formerly classified here. Several other families of the more broadly treated Caprifoliaceae ''s.l.'' are separated by some but not all authors; these are treated as subfamilies in the listing of selected genera below, along with estimated numbers of species. EB1911_Caprifoliaceae_-_Flowering_shoot_of_Lonicera_Caprifolium

EB1911_Caprifoliaceae_-_Flowering_shoot_of_Lonicera_Caprifolium

Diervilloideae *''

Diervilla ''Diervilla'', or bush honeysuckle, is a genus of three species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae, all indigenous to eastern North America. The genus is named after a French surgeon Dr. Marin Diereville, who introduced the plant ...

'' (bush honeysuckle): 3 species *'' Weigela'': 10 species. Caprifolioideae ''s.s.'' *'' Heptacodium'' (seven-son flower): 1 species *''

Leycesteria ''Leycesteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae, native to temperate Asia in the Himalaya and southwestern China. It contains six or seven species of shrubs with short-lived stems with soft wood, growing ...

'': 6 species *''

Lonicera Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern latitudes in North America and Eurasia. Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified in both conti ...

'' (honeysuckle): 180 species *''

Symphoricarpos ''Symphoricarpos'', commonly known as the snowberry, waxberry, or ghostberry, is a small genus of about 15 species of deciduous shrubs in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. With the exception of the Chinese coralberry, '' S. sinensis'', wh ...

'' (snowberry): 17 species *'' Triosteum'' (horsegentian): 6 species Linnaeoideae *''

Abelia ''Abelia'' is a previously recognized genus that contained about 30 species and hybrids, placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the genus was not monophyletic, and in 2013, Maarten Christen ...

'': 30 species *'' Dipelta'': 4 species *''

Kolkwitzia ''Linnaea amabilis'', also known under the synonym ''Kolkwitzia amabilis'' and the English name beauty bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is a deciduous shrub grown as an ornamental plant. In China, where it ...

'' (beautybush): 1 species *''

Linnaea ''Linnaea'' is a plant genus in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Until 2013, the genus included a single species, ''Linnaea borealis''. In 2013, on the basis of molecular phylogenetic evidence, the genus was expanded to include species f ...

'' (twinflower): 1 species Morinoideae *''

Acanthocalyx ''Acanthocalyx'' is a genus of about three species of plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, sometimes included in Morinaceae, native to Sino- Himalayan Region. ;Species *''Acanthocalyx alba'' ( Hand.-Mazz. ) M.J.Cannon *''Acanthocalyx delavayi'' ...

'': 3 species *'' Cryptothladia '' *''

Morina ''Morina'' is a genus of the angiosperm family Caprifoliaceae. It is unofficially the provincial flower of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), ...

'' *''

Zabelia ''Zabelia'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. Species *'' Zabelia angustifolia'' (Bureau & Franch.) Makino *'' Zabelia biflora'' (Turcz.) Makino *'' Zabelia brachystemon'' (Diels) Golubk. *'' Zabelia buddleioides'' (W.W ...

'' Dipsacoideae *''

Bassecoia ''Bassecoia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Caprifoliaceae The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly co ...

'' *''

Cephalaria ''Cephalaria'' is a genus of about 65 species of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to southern Europe, western and central Asia, and northern and southern Africa. They are annual or perennial herbaceous plants growing to 0.8� ...

'' *''

Dipsacus ''Dipsacus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. The members of this genus are known as teasel, teazel or teazle. The genus includes about 15 species of tall herbaceous biennial plants (rarely short-lived perennial plants ...

'' (teasel): 15 species *''

Knautia ''Knautia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae. The common names are variants of "widow flower". Others are given the name "scabious", which properly belongs to the related genus (''Scabiosa''). The name ''Knautia'' come ...

'' *'' Lomelosia'': 63 species *''

Pterocephalus ''Pterocephalus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae of herbs and shrubs, comprising 25 species ranging from the Mediterranean, to central Asia, the Himalayas, western China, and tropical Africa. From Greek πτερον, ...

'': 25 species *''

Scabiosa ''Scabiosa'' is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious, but some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in r ...

'' (scabious, pincushion flower): 30 species *''

Succisa ''Succisa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae. Species include the devil's-bit scabious, ''Succisa pratensis''. Species , Plants of the World Online accepted three species: *'' Succisa pinnatifida'' Lange *''Succisa pr ...

'' *''

Succisella ''Succisella'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae. There are four or five species in the genus. They are all native to Europe; three are endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.Amich, F., Devesa, J. A., & Bernardos, S. (2004)Tax ...

'' *''

Triplostegia ''Triplostegia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Caprifoliaceae. Its native range is Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from th ...

'' Valerianoideae *'' Centranthus'': 12 species *'' Fedia'' *'' Nardostachys '': 3 species *'' Patrinia'': 17 species *'' Plectritis'' (seablushes): 5 species *''

Valeriana ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, ''Valeriana officinalis''. Species are native to all continen ...

'' (valerians): 125 species *'' Valerianella'' (cornsalads): 20 species

Uses

The plants belonging to this family are mainly hardy shrubs or vines of

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

value, many of which are popular garden shrubs, notably species belonging to the genera ''

'', ''

'', and '' Weigela''. A few, however, have become

invasive weeds An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced species, introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, i ...

outside their native ranges (such as ''

Lonicera japonica ''Lonicera japonica'', known as Japanese honeysuckle and golden-and-silver honeysuckle, is a species of honeysuckle native to eastern Asia. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species in a number of countries. Ja ...

'').

References

Other sources

*Flowering Plants of the World, 1987, Vernon H. Heywood, Andromeda Oxford Ltd., *Botanica, Gordon Cheers, Random House Australia,

External links

Caprifoliaceae in Topwalks
{{Taxonbar, from=Q156301 Asterid families