Araliaceae Ginseng Family Characteristics Family characterized by flowers

Araliaceae Ginseng Family

Characteristics • Family characterized by flowers in umbels or clusters with 5 stamens and 5 petals • Sepals are either small or absent • Fruit develops below where petals attach • Many species are cultivated for their leaves and the roots of the genus Panax, the ginsengs, are used for medicinal reasons

Wild Sarsparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) �Flowers are in round clusters about 1 to 2 in across and are white or greenish with 5 petals and 5 white-tipped stamens �Usually 3 clusters of flowers that branch off of a naked stem �Leaves are compound in groups of 3 -7 and each leaflet is 35 in long. They are oval with finely toothed edges �Leaves tower over the shorter stem of flowers and hides them �Fruit is a berry that is green and when it ripens it becomes dark purple

America Spikenard (Aralia racemosa) �Perennial that grows up to 3 m tall �Leaves are large, up to 80 cm, ternately divided (consisting of 3 leaflets) �Each leaflet approx. 15 cm long, acuminate to round at the base with double serrate margins �Flowers are in branching cluster of umbels up to 20 cm long, white to greenish in color, perfect, and have 5 petals and 5 stamens �Fruit is a cluster of round drupes that are red when immature and dark purple when ripe

Sources � "Araliaceae. " Absolute Astronomy. 2009. Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http: //www. absoluteastronomy. com/topics/Araliaceae>. � Chayka, K. "Aralia nudicaulis (Wild Sasparilla). " Minnesota Wildflowers. 2010. Minnesota Wildflowers, Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http: //www. minnesotawildflowers. info/flower/wild-sarsaparilla>. � Goertz, Derek. "Aralia racemosa. " Northern Ontario Plant Database. 2010. Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http: //www. northernontarioflora. ca/description. cfm? speciesid=10014 78>. � Pictures � http: //www. minnesotawildflowers. info/flower/wild-sarsaparilla � http: //www. ct-botanical-society. org/galleries/aralianudi. html � http: //www. ct-botanical-society. org/galleries/araliarace. html