The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

of dicotyledonous

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 th ...

s consisting of about 860

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, in 33, to 42

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, with a nearly

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

. Centres of diversity are found in eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, while they are absent in tropical and southern

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

Description

The flowering plants in this clade 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 trees ...

s and

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") 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 themselv ...

s: rarely

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

. They include some

ornamental garden plants Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

grown in

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

. The

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

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). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

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

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

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

. The

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 mechani ...

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, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

. 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 particu ...

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 are strawberries, raspb ...

or 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'') ...

. 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 dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

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 th ...

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 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 ...

'') 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 membe ...

''), 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 rare ...

instead; these were formerly classified here. 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 selected genera below, along with estimated numbers of species. EB1911_Caprifoliaceae_-_Flowering_shoot_of_Lonicera_Caprifolium

EB1911_Caprifoliaceae_-_Flowering_shoot_of_Lonicera_Caprifolium

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 French surgeon Dr. Marin Diereville, who introduced the plant ...

'' (bush honeysuckle): 3 species *''

Weigela ''Weigela'' is a genus of between six and 38 speciesAll of the species listed in the 'Selected species' section are accepted by The Plant List, but most are still under review, and therefore subject to changes in status. of deciduous shrubs in ...

'': 10 species. Caprifolioideae ''s.s.'' *''

Heptacodium ''Heptacodium miconioides'', the seven-son flower, is a species of flowering plant. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus ''Heptacodium'', of the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. The common name "seven-son flower" is a direct translatio ...

'' (seven-son flower): 1 species *'' Leycesteria'': 6 species *''

Lonicera 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 contin ...

'' (honeysuckle): 180 species *'' Symphoricarpos'' (snowberry): 17 species *''

Triosteum ''Triosteum'', commonly known in American English as horse-gentian or, less commonly, feverwort, and, in Standard Chinese as (), is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Caprifoliaceae. A genus of six species in total, it has thr ...

'' (horsegentian): 6 species Linnaeoideae *''

Abelia ''Abelia'' is a previously recognized genus that contained about 30 species and hybrids, placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the genus was not monophyletic, and in 2013, Maarten Christen ...

'': 30 species *''

Dipelta ''Linnaea'' is a plant genus in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Until 2013, the genus included a single species, ''Linnaea borealis''. In 2013, on the basis of molecular phylogenetic evidence, the genus was expanded to include species ...

'': 4 species *'' Kolkwitzia'' (beautybush): 1 species *''

Linnaea ''Linnaea'' is a plant genus in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Until 2013, the genus included a single species, ''Linnaea borealis''. In 2013, on the basis of molecular phylogenetic evidence, the genus was expanded to include species f ...

'' (twinflower): 1 species Morinoideae *''

Acanthocalyx ''Acanthocalyx'' is a genus of about three species of plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, sometimes included in Morinaceae Morinoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, order Dipsacales. It was at one time recognized as t ...

'': 3 species *'' Cryptothladia '' *''

Morina ''Morina'' is a genus of the angiosperm family Caprifoliaceae. It is unofficially the provincial flower of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none) ...

'' *'' Zabelia'' Dipsacoideae *''

Bassecoia ''Bassecoia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Caprifoliaceae. It is also in the subfamily of Dipsacoideae. Its native range is Nepal to Southern Central China and Northern Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia, also kn ...

'' *''

Cephalaria ''Cephalaria'' is a genus of about 65 species of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to southern Europe, western and central Asia, and northern and southern Africa. They are annual or perennial herbaceous plants growing to 0.8 ...

'' *''

Dipsacus ''Dipsacus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. The members of this genus are known as teasel, teazel or teazle. The genus includes about 15 species of tall herbaceous biennial plants (rarely short-lived perennial plants ...

'' (teasel): 15 species *''

Knautia ''Knautia'' 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 ...

'' *'' Lomelosia'': 63 species *''

Pterocephalus ''Pterocephalus'' 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 cosmo ...

'': 25 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 r ...

'' (scabious, pincushion flower): 30 species *''

Succisa ''Succisa'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Caprifoliaceae. Species include the devil's-bit scabious, ''Succisa pratensis''. Species , Plants of the World Online accepted three species: *''Succisa pinnatifida'' La ...

'' *'' Succisella'' *''

Triplostegia ''Triplostegia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Caprifoliaceae. Its native range is Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from th ...

'' Valerianoideae *''

Centranthus ''Centranthus'' is a flowering plant genus comprising herbs and subshrubs native to Southern Europe. It is in the family Caprifoliaceae. There are about twelve species in the genus. Some ''Centranthus'' are known as introduced species in other p ...

'': 12 species *''

Fedia ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, ''Valeriana officinalis''. Species are native to all contine ...

'' *''

Nardostachys ''Nardostachys'' 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 cosmop ...

'': 3 species *''

Patrinia ''Patrinia'' is a genus of herbaceous plants in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). There are about 17 species native to grassy mountain habitats in China, Siberia and Japan. These are unassuming clump-forming perennial plants having thin, ...

'': 17 species *''

Plectritis ''Plectritis'' is a genus of plants in the honeysuckle 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 cosmopo ...

'' (seablushes): 5 species *''

Valeriana ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, ''Valeriana officinalis''. Species are native to all continen ...

'' (valerians): 125 species *'' Valerianella'' (cornsalads): 20 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 ''

'', ''

'', and ''

''. A few, however, have become

invasive weeds An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

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 eastern Asia. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species in a number of countries. Jap ...

'').

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
{{Taxonbar, from=Q156301 Asterid families