The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of 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 eastern Asia, while they are absent in tropical and southern Africa.
Description
The flowering plants in this clade are mostly
and
: rarely
herbs. They include some ornamental garden plants grown in temperate regions. The
leaf are mostly opposite with no
stipules (appendages at the base of a leafstalk or
leaf), and may be either
evergreen or
deciduous. The
are tubular funnel-shaped or bell-like, usually with five outward spreading lobes or points, and are often fragrant. They usually form a small
Sepal with small
bracts. The
fruit is in most cases a berry or a
drupe. The genera
Diervilla and
Weigela have capsular fruit, while
Heptacodium has an
achene.
Taxonomy
Views of the family-level classification of the traditionally accepted Caprifoliaceae and other plants in the botanical order
Dipsacales 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) and the viburnums (
Viburnum), in the family
Adoxaceae instead; these were formerly classified here. 33 genera are currently accepted.
[
]
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 genera below, along with estimated numbers of species.
Subfamily Diervilloideae
Subfamily Caprifolioideae s.s.
Subfamily Dipsacoideae[Mayer, V. and Ehrendorfer, F. (2013), The phylogenetic position of Pterocephalidium and the new African genus Pterothamnus within an improved classification of Dipsacaceae. Taxon
]
/ref>
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Tribe Bassecoieae
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Tribe Dipsaceae
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Tribe Knautieae
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Tribe Pseudoscabioseae
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Tribe Pterocephalidieae
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Tribe Succiseae
Subfamily Scabiosoideae[
]
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Tribe Scabioseae
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Tribe Lomelosieae
Subfamily Linnaeoideae
Subfamily Morinoideae
Subfamily Valerianaceae
Uses
The plants belonging to this family are mainly hardy shrubs or vines of ornamental plant value, many of which are popular garden shrubs, notably species belonging to the genera Abelia, Lonicera, and Weigela. Valerianella locusta is cultivated for use in food.
A few, however, have become invasive weeds outside their native ranges (such as Lonicera japonica).
Other sources
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Flowering Plants of the World, 1987, Vernon H. Heywood, Andromeda Oxford Ltd.,
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Botanica, Gordon Cheers, Random House Australia,
External links