Asteraceae
An Asteraceae is a flowering plant that is characterized by composite flower heads, consisting of many individual flowers, in a structure called an inflorescence.
- AKA: Compositae.
- Context:
- It ranges from being an Ornamental Plant to being a Medicinal Plant.
- Example(s):
- Daisies,
- Sunflowers,
- Asters,
- Lettuces,
- Artichokes,
- …
- Counter-Example(s):
- See: Botany, Horticulture.
References
2023a
- (ChapGPT, 2023) ⇒ https://chat.openai.com Retrieved: 2023-06-23.
- Q What is Asteraceae?
- A: Asteraceae is a large and diverse family of flowering plants commonly known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family. It is one of the largest plant families, consisting of more than 32,000 known species and found in various habitats around the world. Asteraceae is renowned for its wide range of flower forms, including daisies, sunflowers, asters, marigolds, chrysanthemums, and many other well-known garden plants.
The family is characterized by its composite flower heads, which are actually a combination of many individual flowers grouped together in a structure called an inflorescence. Each composite flower head typically consists of a central disc or disk florets and surrounding ray florets. The disc florets are usually tubular and often yellow or purple in color, while the ray florets are strap-shaped and may be white, yellow, pink, or other colors.
Asteraceae plants exhibit great variation in their growth habits, ranging from small herbs to shrubs and even some trees. They are found in diverse environments, including meadows, fields, mountains, deserts, and even aquatic habitats. Many species are valued for their ornamental flowers, and several others have medicinal or economic importance. Additionally, some Asteraceae plants, like lettuce and artichokes, are cultivated for their edible leaves or flower buds.
Due to their ecological and economic significance, Asteraceae plants have been extensively studied by botanists and horticulturists. The family plays a crucial role in ecosystems as a food source for insects and other animals, and some species have become invasive in certain regions. Overall, Asteraceae is a fascinating and important plant family, notable for its diversity, floral structures, and wide-ranging adaptability.
2023b
- (Aria) ⇒ Opera AI Aria Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- Q What is Asteraceae?
- A: Asteraceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family. It is one of the largest plant families, with more than 32,000 species distributed across the world. The family includes a diverse range of plants, including annual and perennial herbs, shrubs, and trees. Some of the well-known plants in the Asteraceae family are lettuce, dandelion, chamomile, artichoke, and marigold. The characteristic feature of Asteraceae plants is the flower head, which is actually a composite of many small flowers arranged in a radial or disc-shaped pattern. This family of plants has many uses, including as ornamental plants, medicinal plants, and as a food source for humans and animals.
2023c
- (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteraceae Retrieved:2023-6-19.
- The family Asteraceae (/ˌæstəˈreɪsi.iː, -si.aɪ/), alternatively Compositae,[1] consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae were first described in the year 1740. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the quantity of extant species in each family is unknown.
Most species of Asteraceae are annual, biennial, or perennial herbaceous plants, but there are also shrubs, vines, and trees. The family has a widespread distribution, from subpolar to tropical regions, in a wide variety of habitats. Most occur in hot desert and cold or hot semi-desert climates, and they are found on every continent but Antarctica. Their primary common characteristic is flower heads, technically known as capitula, consisting of sometimes hundreds of tiny individual florets enclosed by a whorl of protective involucral bracts.
The oldest known fossils are pollen grains from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) of Antarctica, dated to million years ago (mya). It is estimated that the crown group of Asteraceae evolved at least 85.9 mya (Late Cretaceous, Santonian) with a stem node age of 88–89 mya (Late Cretaceous, Coniacian).
Asteraceae is an economically important family, providing food staples, garden plants, and herbal medicines. Species outside of their native ranges can be considered weedy or invasive.
- The family Asteraceae (/ˌæstəˈreɪsi.iː, -si.aɪ/), alternatively Compositae,[1] consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae were first described in the year 1740. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the quantity of extant species in each family is unknown.
- ↑ Barkley, T.M.; Brouillet, L.; Strother, J.L. (2006). “Asteraceae". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 19. New York and Oxford. Retrieved 20 March 2022 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.