What is Asteraceae?

The Asteraceae family, also referred to as the Compositae family, is one of the largest families of flowering plants. This family has about 25,000 different types of plants, including many different varieties of Daisy and Aster, as well as sunflowers, surfers, Goldenrod and Dahlia. Most of the plants in the family are herbs or shrubs, although several types of Asteraceae are trees or climbing vines. Members of this family of plants are often easily recognized because of their clusters of small flowers, called flowers that share the same container or stem. The plants of this family are found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica, but it seems that they are particularly successful in tropical areas.

Asteraceae is the name preferred by most botanists. This name comes from the Greek word "aster", which means a star, a reference to the shape of flowers found on plants in this family. The name Compositae was created with the discovery of the family at the end of the 18th century and is still considered valid. This name, which means "composite", applies to clusters of flowers that JSou characteristic of the family.

Since this family is so large, it is commonly divided into smaller groups called trunks. The three of the largest tribes are Senecioneae, Astereae and Heliantheae. The largest of these three is the Senecioneae, which includes many plant species that are often considered weeds, and many other species that are poisonous to livestock and other animals that try to eat them. Asteae is another largest tribe, and its members include many popular flowering families of the Asteraceae family, such as Aster and Daisy. Heliantheae is the third largest and includes many sunflower families.

Asteraceae are popular garden plants because of their numerous and often colorful flowers. In addition to Daisies and Asters, Chrysanthemums, Marigolds, Zinnias and Dahlias, all affairs are the flowering plants of the Asteraceae family, located in many gardens. The same familiesAnd it also includes a wide range of plants that are considered pests or weeds of many gardeners such as ragwort, Goldenrod, dandelions and thistles.

In addition to their use in gardens as decorative plants, the Aster family plants have a wide range of other uses. Salad and artichokes are members of this family who consume them as food plants. Sunflowers produce seeds that can be eaten as refreshments or used to make oils for cooking. Many other Asteroae family plants are used to cook herbal teas such as chamomile and port.