Asteraceae

Abstract

Asteraceae, also known as Compositae, commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, is an exceedingly large and widespread family of dicotyledonous flowering plants, in the order of Asterales, with about 32913 species in across 1911 genera. Plants are mostly herbaceous, with a significant number of shrubs, vines, or trees, with worldwide distribution from the polar regions to the tropics, and colonizing a wide variety of habitats, most common in the arid and semiarid regions of subtropical and lower temperate latitudes. Leaves are sometimes rosette basally, cauline ones usually alternate, and sessile or petiolate. Stipules are absent. Flowers are bisexual, female, male, solitary to numerous, surrounded by phyllaries, and form a capitulum. Corollas are 3- or 5-merous. Stamens are four or five. Ovary is inferior and 1-loculed. Ovules are one. Fruit is an achene. Seeds are endosperm scanty and embryo straight. Seventy-six species, belonging to different genera, are illustrated in the chapter.