The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants commonly called the ginseng family. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguishable based on its woody habit, tropical distribution, and the presence of simple umbels.
The Panax (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. Panax species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. Panax is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and east North American distribution. Furthermore, this disjunct distribution is asymmetric as only two of the ~18 species in genus are native to North America.
Eleutherococcus senticosus is a species of small, woody shrub in the family Araliaceae native to Northeastern Asia. It may be colloquially called devil's bush, Siberian ginseng, eleuthero, ciwujia, Devil's shrub, shigoka, touch-me-not, wild pepper, or kan jang. E. senticosus has a history of use in folklore and traditional Chinese medicine. Root extracts of E. senticosus are sold as a dietary supplement or cosmetic, usually under the name Siberian ginseng.
Panax ginseng, ginseng, also known as Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng or Korean ginseng, is a species of plant whose root is the original source of ginseng. It is a perennial plant that grows in the mountains of East Asia.
Silene acaulis, known as moss campion or cushion pink, is a small mountain-dwelling wildflower that is common all over the high arctic and tundra and in high mountains of Eurasia and North America. It is an evergreen perennial flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae.
Ludwigia alternifolia, commonly known as seedbox, bushy seedbox, rattlebox, and square-pod water-primrose, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Onagraceae. It is native to central and eastern North America, growing in marshes, wet meadows, and swamps. It has yellow, four-petaled flowers and brown seed pods that are shaped like a cube.
Aralia nudicaulis is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family Araliaceae. It is native to northern and eastern North America.
Carduus crispus, the curly plumeless thistle or welted thistle, is a biennial herb in the daisy family Asteraceae. C. crispus is native to multiple different countries all over Europe and Asia, but it is also naturalized in North America. These plants have specific environmental conditions such as the type of soil and the amount of sunlight that must be met before they can grow. There is a breakdown of the species Carduus crispus that tells us the origin and the meaning of each part of the species' name. The leaves, flowers and fruit of this species are described, as well as, the medicinal and wildlife uses.
Callitriche stagnalis is a perennial aquatic vascular plant species. Also known as pond water-starwort, C. stagnalis, may thrive in a variety of aquatic and subaquatic habitats, specially those exhibiting slowly moving to non-moving water. Although C. stagnalis does not pose a threat to humans, its reproductive rate may pose a threat to native vegetation in areas where it has been introduced, as the resulting dense vegetative mats frequently out-compete native species.
Artemisia biennis is a species of sagebrush known by the common name biennial wormwood. It is a common and widely distributed weed, so well established in many places that its region of origin is difficult to ascertain. This species is most likely native to northwestern North America and naturalized in Western Europe, and eastern and southern North America.
Abortion in flowers and developing fruits is a common occurrence in plants.
Smilax glauca, the cat greenbriar or catbriar is a woody vine in the family Smilacaceae. It is native to central and eastern portions of the United States as well as Mexico, where it is a common and conspicuous part of the forest vegetation.
American ginseng is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family Araliaceae. It is native to eastern North America and introduced in China. The specific epithet quinquefolius means "five-leaved", which refers to the typical number of leaflets per leaf. It is one of a group of taxa known as "ginseng".
Suaeda maritima is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common names herbaceous seepweed and annual seablite.
Polygala sanguinea, known as purple milkwort, field milkwort, or blood milkwort is an annual plant in the Polygalaceae (milkwort) family. It is native to central and eastern North America.
Carex merritt-fernaldii, or Fernald's sedge, is a species of sedge from northeastern North America. It was first described by Kenneth Mackenzie in 1923. It is named after botanist Merritt Fernald.
Helianthus strumosus, the pale-leaf woodland sunflower, is a species of sunflower native to North America east of the Great Plains and is in the family Asteraceae. It is a native perennial sunflower that resembles other members of this family including the Pale Sunflower, Woodland Sunflower, Hispid Sunflower, and Jerusalem Artichoke. Pale-leaf sunflowers can be found in a diverse range of habitats including woodland areas, prairies, and meadows, providing that these habitats have access to partial sun.
Rhodiola rhodantha, common name redpod stonecrop or queen's crown, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae.
Valerianella radiata, synonyms Valerianella stenocarpa and Valerianella woodsiana, common name beaked cornsalad, is a plant native to the United States. It is an annual self pollinating flowering plant and besides being mildly edible there are no known uses. Valerianella radiata flowers from April- May.
Diphasic sex expression, is defined as the alteration of the primary sex during the lifetime of an individual found within dioecious and subdioecious species. This change in sex expression is a response to environmental cues such as sun exposure and rainfall or drought levels. Labile sex expression is a type of diphasic sex expression that is found among many perennial plant species, and is defined as the switch from male to female once the plant has reached a certain size. In species with labile sex expression this change occurs only once, where as a plant expressing diphasic sex tendencies can switch from season to season.
