Adoxaceae, commonly known as moschatel family, is a small family of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the order Dipsacales, now consisting of five genera and about 150–200 species. They are characterised by opposite toothed

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, small five- or, more rarely, four-petalled

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s in cymose inflorescences, and the

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

being a

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

. They are thus similar to many Cornaceae. In older classifications, this entire family was part of

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 cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and easte ...

, the

honeysuckle Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or Vine#Twining vines, twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely kno ...

family. ''

Adoxa ''Adoxa'' is the type genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. It contains at least 2 species of flowering plant, including the moschatel, for which the family is named. *'' Adoxa moschatellina'' L. *'' Adoxa xizangensis'' G.Yao Refer ...

'' (moschatel) was the first plant to be moved to this new group. Much later, the genera '' Sambucus'' (elders) and '' Viburnum'' were added after careful morphological analysis and biochemical tests by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. An additional monotypic genus '' Sinadoxa'' has been added based on molecular comparison with ''

''. Recent sources, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website, treat this family as Viburnaceae Raf., ''nom. cons.''Viburnaceae Raf. at ''Plants of the World Online'' (POWO) 18 March 2021
/ref> ''Adoxa'' is a small perennial

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

plant, flowering early in the spring and dying down to ground level in summer immediately after the berries are mature; the leaves are compound. The elders are mostly

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s, but two species are large herbaceous plants; all have compound leaves. The viburnums are all shrubs, with simple leaves.

Gallery

Image:Viburnum davidii.jpg, '' Viburnum davidii'' foliage and fruit Image:Sambucus racemosa2.jpg, '' Sambucus racemosa'' flowers Image:Sambucus nigra0.jpg, '' Sambucus nigra'' flowers Image:Elderberryfruit5081.JPG, '' Sambucus canadensis'' foliage and fruit File:Viburnum grandiflorum I IMG 7005.jpg, '' Viburnum grandiflorum''

References

External links

Adoxaceae of Mongolia in FloraGREIF

i
BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database
{{Authority control Asterid families Flora of Pakistan