Araliaceae
Andrew Hipp
Key to Wisconsin Araliaceae
Author: Mary Ann Feist
- 1a. Leaves simple 2
- 1b. Leaves compound 3
- 2a. Plants an herbaceous perennial with floating or creeping stems Hydrocotyle
- 2b. Plants a broadleaf deciduous tree Kalopanax
- 3a. Leaves pinnately or ternately decompound; umbels compound Aralia
- 3b. Leaves palmately compound; umbels simple Panax
A family primarily of trees and shrubs that occur in the tropics and subtropics, with some herbaceous perennials occurring in temperate regions. Our native Araliaceae fall under the latter category, while our one non-native species is a small tree (Kalopanax). Hydrocotyle, formerly of Apiaceae, was transferred to Araliaceae based on molecular phylogenetic studies (Lowry et al., 2004, Plunkett et al., 2004).
