The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

dicotyledon The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, ...

ous

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 consisting of about 860

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in 33 to 42

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

, with a nearly

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of the surface of the Earth, in appropriate habitats; most cosmopolitan species are known to be highly adaptable to a range of climatic and en ...

. Centres of diversity are found in eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and eastern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, while they are absent in tropical and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Description

The flowering plants in this clade 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 and

vine A vine 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 themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

s: rarely

herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

. They include some ornamental garden plants grown in

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

. The

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, ...

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). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part of the anatomy ...

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

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

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 Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

. The

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 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 with small

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also loo ...

. 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 ...

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 of berries in the cul ...

or 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 ...

. The genera ''Diervilla'' and ''Weigela'' have capsular fruit, while ''Heptacodium'' has an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and Dehi ...

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 between 20 and 30 species of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly referred to as elder, with the flowers as elderflower, and the fruit as elderberry. Description Elders are mostl ...

'') 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 memb ...

''), 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. 33 genera are currently accepted. 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 genera below, along with estimated numbers of species. EB1911_Caprifoliaceae_-_Flowering_shoot_of_Lonicera_Caprifolium

EB1911_Caprifoliaceae_-_Flowering_shoot_of_Lonicera_Caprifolium

Subfamily 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 France, French surgeon Dr. Marin Diereville, who introduced the ...

'' – bush honeysuckle, 3 species *'' Weigela'' – 10 species Subfamily Caprifolioideae ''s.s.'' *'' Heptacodium'' – seven-son flower, 1 species *'' Leycesteria'' – 7 species *''

Lonicera Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or 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 known species include ...

'' – honeysuckle, 158 species *'' Symphoricarpos'' – snowberry, 15 species *'' Triosteum'' – horse gentian, 6 species Subfamily DipsacoideaeMayer, V. and Ehrendorfer, F. (2013), The phylogenetic position of ''Pterocephalidium'' and the new African genus ''Pterothamnus'' within an improved classification of Dipsacaceae. ''Taxon'', 62: 112-126. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.621010 **'' × Succisoknautia'' – 1 species **'' Triplostegia'' – 1 species *Tribe Bassecoieae **'' Bassecoia'' – 3 species *Tribe Dipsaceae **'' Cephalaria'' – 102 species **'' Dipsacus '' – teasel, 21 species *Tribe Knautieae **'' Knautia'' – 55 species *Tribe Pseudoscabioseae ** '' Pseudoscabiosa'' – 3 species *Tribe Pterocephalidieae ** '' Pterocephalidium'' – 1 species ** '' Pterothamnus'' – 1 species *Tribe Succiseae **'' Succisa'' - 3 species **'' Succisella'' – 5 species Subfamily Scabiosoideae *Tribe Scabioseae **'' Pterocephalus'' – 34 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 re ...

'' – scabious or pincushion flower, 68 species *Tribe Lomelosieae **'' Lomelosia'' – 63 species **'' Pycnocomon'' – 2 species Subfamily Linnaeoideae *'' Abelia'' – 6 species *''

Diabelia ''Diabelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in 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 cosmopolitan dis ...

'' – 4 species *'' Dipelta'' – 3 species *'' Kolkwitzia'' – beautybush, 1 species *'' Linnaea'' – twinflower, 1 species *'' Vesalea'' – 6 species Subfamily Morinoideae *'' Morina'' – 14 species *'' Zabelia'' – 8 species Subfamily

Valerianoideae Valerianoideae is a subfamily of plants. Genera * '' Centranthus'' - 12 species * '' Fedia'' * '' Nardostachys'' - 1 species * '' Patrinia'' - 14 species * '' Plectritis'' (Seablushes) - 5 species * '' Valeriana'' (Valerians) - 426 species * ' ...

*'' Nardostachys '' – 1 species *'' Patrinia'' – 14 species *'' Valeriana'' – valerians, 426 species *'' Valerianella'' – cornsalads, 28 species

Uses

The plants belonging to this family are mainly hardy shrubs or vines of ornamental value, many of which are popular garden shrubs, notably species belonging to the genera '' Abelia'', ''

'', and '' Weigela''. '' Valerianella locusta'' is cultivated for use in food. A few, however, have become invasive weeds 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 East Asia, including many parts of China. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species i ...

'').

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
{{Authority control Asterid families