Aralia Californica Flower

''Aralia'' , or spikenard, is a genus of the family Araliaceae, consisting of 68 accepted species of deciduous or evergreen trees, shrubs, and rhizomatous herbaceous perennials. The genus is native to Asia and the Americas, with most species occurring in mountain woodlands. ''Aralia'' plants vary in size, with some herbaceous species only reaching tall, while some are trees growing to tall.

''Aralia'' plants have large bipinnate (doubly compound) leaves clustered at the ends of their stems or branches; in some species the leaves are covered with bristles. The stems of some woody species are quite prickly, as in '' Aralia spinosa''. The flowers are whitish or greenish occurring in terminal panicles, and the spherical dark purple berry-like fruits are popular with birds.

''Aralia'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the common emerald (''Hemithea aestivaria''). There are many colours of aralia flowers. The main flower is whitish aralia.

Some species, notably ''Aralia cordata'', are edible and are cultivated for human consumption.

Taxonomy

The taxonomic circumscription of the genus ''Aralia'' has varied greatly. Species formerly included in wider views of the genus are now included in such separate genera as '' Fatsia'', ''Macropanax'', ''Oreopanax'', '' Panax'', '' Polyscias'', '' Pseudopanax'', '' Schefflera'', and ''Tetrapanax''.

The genus ''Dimorphanthus'', formerly considered distinct by some, is now included within ''Aralia'' as a section within that genus.

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepts the following species:
*''Aralia apioides'' Hand.-Mazz.
*'' Aralia armata'' (Wall. ex G.Don) Seem.
*'' Aralia atropurpurea'' Franch.
*''Aralia bahiana'' J.Wen
*'' Aralia bicrenata'' Wooton & Standl.
*'' Aralia bipinnata'' Blanco
*''Aralia cachemirica'' Decne.
*''Aralia caesia'' Hand.-Mazz.
*''Aralia californica'' S.Watson
*'' Aralia castanopsiscola'' (Hayata) J.Wen
*'' Aralia chinensis'' L.
*'' Aralia continentalis'' Kitag.
*''Aralia cordata'' Thunb.
*''Aralia dasyphylla'' Miq.
*''Aralia dasyphylloides'' (Hand.-Mazz.) J.Wen
*'' Aralia debilis'' J.Wen
*'' Aralia decaisneana'' Hance
*'' Aralia delavayi'' J.Wen
*'' Aralia devendrae'' Pusalkar
*'' Aralia duplex'' R.Chaves
*'' Aralia echinocaulis'' Hand.-Mazz.
*''Aralia elata'' (Miq.) Seem.
*''Aralia excelsa'' (Griseb.) J.Wen
*''Aralia fargesii'' Franch.
*'' Aralia ferox'' Miq.
*''Aralia finlaysoniana'' (Wall. ex G.Don) Seem.
*'' Aralia foliolosa'' Seem. ex C.B.Clarke
*'' Aralia frodiniana'' J.Wen
*'' Aralia gigantea'' J.Wen
*'' Aralia gintungensis'' C.Y.Wu ex K.M.Feng
*'' Aralia glabra'' Matsum.
*'' Aralia glabrifoliolata'' (C.B.Shang) J.Wen
*'' Aralia henryi'' Harms
*''Aralia hiepiana'' J.Wen & Lowry
*''Aralia hispida'' Vent.
*'' Aralia humilis'' Cav.
*''Aralia hypoglauca'' (C.J.Qi & T.R.Cao) J.Wen & Y.F.Deng
*''Aralia indonesica'' Doweld
*''Aralia kansuensis'' G.Hoo
*'' Aralia kingdon-wardii'' J.Wen, Lowry & Esser
*'' Aralia leschenaultii'' (DC.) J.Wen
*'' Aralia malabarica'' Bedd.
*'' Aralia melanocarpa'' (H.Lév.) Lauener
*''Aralia merrillii'' C.B.Shang
*'' Aralia mexicana'' (C.B.Shang & X.P.Li) Frodin
*'' Aralia montana'' Blume
*''Aralia nudicaulis'' L.
*''Aralia officinalis'' Z.Z.Wang
*'' Aralia parasitica'' (D.Don) Buch.-Ham. ex Otto
*'' Aralia plumosa'' H.L.Li
*''Aralia racemosa'' L.
*'' Aralia regeliana'' Marchal
*''Aralia rex'' (Ekman) J.Wen
*'' Aralia scaberula'' G.Hoo
*''Aralia scopulorum'' Brandegee
*'' Aralia searelliana'' Dunn
*'' Aralia soratensis'' Marchal
*''Aralia spinifolia'' Merr.
*'' Aralia spinosa'' L.
*'' Aralia stellata'' (King) J.Wen
*''Aralia stipulata'' Franch.
*'' Aralia subcordata'' (Wall. ex G.Don) J.Wen
*'' Aralia thomsonii'' Seem. ex C.B.Clarke
*''Aralia tibetana'' G.Hoo
*''Aralia tomentella'' Franch.
*'' Aralia undulata'' Hand.-Mazz.
*'' Aralia urticifolia'' Blume ex Miq.
*''Aralia verticillata'' (Dunn) J.Wen
*''Aralia vietnamensis'' Ha
*'' Aralia wangshanensis'' (W.C.Cheng) Y.F.Deng
*''Aralia warmingiana'' (Marchal) J.Wen
*''Aralia wilsonii'' Harms
*'' Aralia yunnanensis'' Franch.

Fossil record

One fossil endocarp of †''Aralia pusilla'' has been described from a middle Miocene stratum of the Fasterholt area near Silkeborg in Central Jutland, Denmark. Several fossil fruits of ''Aralia rugosa'' and †''Aralia tertiaria'' have been extracted from bore hole samples of the Middle Miocene fresh water deposits in Nowy Sacz Basin, West Carpathians, Poland. Several ''Aralia'' macrofossils have been recovered from the late Zanclean stage of Pliocene sites in Pocapaglia, Italy.Messian to Zanclean vegetation and climate of Northern and Central Italy by Adele Bertini & Edoardo Martinetto, Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana, 47 (2), 2008, 105-121. Modena, 11 July 2008.

Notes

References

*Frodin, D. G. and R. Govaerts. 2003. World Checklist and Bibliography of Araliaceae. Kew, UK: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
*Wen, J. 2004. Systematics and biogeography of ''Aralia'' L. sect. ''Dimorphanthus'' (Miq.) Miq. (Araliaceae). ''Cathaya'' 15-16: 1–187.

External links

''Aralia''

{{Taxonbar, from=Q132636

Apiales genera
Flora of North America
Flora of Asia