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 (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the 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 th ...

, now consisting of five genera and about 150–200 species. They are characterised by opposite toothed

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

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

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 mechanis ...

s in cymose inflorescences, and 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 ...

being 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 (''kernel ...

. They are thus similar to many

Cornaceae The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, '' Alangium'' and ''Cornus''. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, a ...

. 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 ...

, the

honeysuckle 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 con ...

family. '' Adoxa'' (moschatel) was the first plant to be moved to this new group. Much later, the genera ''

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 ge ...

'' (elders) and '' Viburnum'' were added after careful morphological analysis and biochemical tests by the

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants (angiosperms) that reflects new knowledge about plant relationships disc ...

. An additional monotypic genus ''

Sinadoxa ''Sinadoxa corydalifolia'' is the only species in the monotypic taxon, monotypic plant genus ''Sinadoxa'', in the family Adoxaceae. It is Endemism, endemic to the Hengduan Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau in China. It is a perennial herb growing ...

'' has been added based on molecular comparison with '' Adoxa''. 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 o ...

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 (often also called a 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 tree ...

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 ''Sambucus racemosa'' is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder. Distribution and habitat It is native to Europe, northern temperate Asia, and North America across Canada and the United States. I ...

'' flowers Image:Sambucus nigra0.jpg, ''

Sambucus nigra ''Sambucus nigra'' is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, European black elderberry and tramman (Isle ...

'' flowers Image:Elderberryfruit5081.JPG, ''

Sambucus canadensis ''Sambucus canadensis'', the American black elderberry, Canada elderberry, or common elderberry, is a species of elderberry native to a large area of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, south to Bolivia. It grows in a variety of conditions ...

'' foliage and fruit File:Viburnum grandiflorum I IMG 7005.jpg, ''

Viburnum grandiflorum ''Viburnum grandiflorum'', variously called the cranberry bush, flowering viburnum, grand viburnum, and Himalayan viburnum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Viburnaceae, native to the Himalayan region. It grows in open forests. A sp ...

References

External links

Adoxaceae of Mongolia in FloraGREIF

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