Family: Asteraceae
Family description:
Herbs or shrubs. Leaves alternate opposite or rosulate, exstipulate. Flowers small (florets), hermaphrodite, functionally male, female or sterile, in terminal or axillary, usually pedunculate capitila, surrounded by an invulucreof bracts. Capitulasolitary or in corymbose, less frequently racemose, inflorescences. Calyx-limb (pappus) absent or represented by a corrona, auricle, scales, setae or simple plumose hairs. Corolla of 3 main types: (a) tubular, with (3-)4- to 5-lobed limb, actinomorphic or rarely weakly zygomorphic; (b) tubular with a 2-lipped limb; (c) ligulate, with a short tube and the limb prolonged on one side into a usually 3- or 5-toothed ligule; Female florets sometimes without a corolla or with a filiform corolla. Stamens 5, epipetalous; anthers usually connate into a tube round the style, often caudate or saggitate at base and with apical appendages. Ovary inferior, 1-locular; ovule solitary, basal, anatropous. Style solitary, with 2 stigmatic branches. Fruit a cypsela (achene)The capitula vary greatly in size, but attempts to give measurements of the diameter or length are often subject to uncertainty owing to the tendency of lugules to be variously developed, to curl up in live state or to be distorted in pressing. In the following account the term "small", "medium", and "large" are used, except where the diameter can be unambiguously measured. Examples of a small, medium and large capitulum are those of Filago, Taraxacum and Heliantus respectively. The length of the involucre is measured from the base of the capitulum. Pappus-hairs are described as plumose when the length of the branches is at least 3 times the diameter of the main hair but much shorter than it.