ASTERACEAE

Asteraceae

Asteraceae or Compositae is an exceedingly large and widespread family of Angiospermae. The group has more than 23,000 currently accepted species, spread across 1,620 genera and 12 subfamilies. In terms of numbers of species, Asteraceae is rivaled only by Orchidaceae. . The main feature of the family is the composite flower type in the form of capitula surrounded by involucral bracts. The name "Asteraceae" comes from Aster, the most prominent genus in the family, that derives from the Greek ἀστήρ meaning star, and is connected with its inflorescence star form. As for the term "Compositae", more ancient but still valid, ...

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