Description:

• Trees, shrubs or herbs, sometimes scandent, sometimes dioecious
• Leaves alternate, very rarely opposite, usually petioled, sometimes sheathed, simple, digitately lobed or once or twice digitately compound; stipules adnate to petioles
• Flowers regular, bisexual or unisexual, in heads, umbels, spikes, or racemes, with the racemes panicled or umbellate, rarely flowers solitary; bracts and bracteoles usually present
• Calyx attached to ovary, annular or shortly cupular
• Petals usually 5, valvate or slightly imbricate
• Stamens as many as petals, rarely more; anthers ovate or oblong, 2-thecous
• Disc epigynous, variable
• Ovary inferior, 2-locular, with a solitary, pendulous ovule in each locule; styles as many as locules, distinct or connate at base
• Fruit a berry or drupe, or of 2 readily separable mericarps, sometimes flattened and membranous, oil tubes indistinct or absent
• Seeds sometimes solitary by abortion

Classification Notes:

• Based on evidence from DNA sequence data (Plunkett, Soltis & Soltis 1997) some genera of the Hydrocotyloideae under Apiaceae (Centella and Hydrocotyle) have been transferred to the Araliaceae

Nomenclature:

• Sonder: 568 (1862)
• Strey: 191 (1973)
• Burtt & Dickinson: 449 (1975)
• Strey: 515 (1975)
• Strey: 66 (1981)
• Cannon: 621 (1978)
• Reyneke: 241 (1981)
• Reyneke: 369 (1984)
• Reyneke & Kok: 317 (1987)
• Plunkett, Soltis & Soltis: 565 (1997)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera 59, species ± 800, fairly cosmopolitan, especially well represented in the Malaysian region
• Southern Africa: Genera 5, species ± 18, some naturalised

References:

• BURTT, B.L. & DICKINSON, W.C. 1975. The morphology and relationships of Seemannaralia (Araliaceae). Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 33
• CANNON, J.F.M. 1978. Araliaceae. Flora zambesiaca 4
• PLUNKETT, G.M., SOLTIS, D.E. & SOLTIS, P.S. 1997. Clarification of the relationship between Apiaceae and Araliaceae based on MATK and RBCL sequence data. American Journal of Botany 84
• REYNEKE, W.F. 1981. 'n Morfologies-taksonomiese studie van die familie Araliaceae in suidelike Afrika. D.Sc. study, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
• REYNEKE, W.F. 1984. A new species of Cussonia (Araliaceae) from the Transvaal. South African Journal of Botany 36
• REYNEKE, W.F. & KOK, P.D.F. 1987. Two varieties of Cussonia paniculata Eckl. & Zeyh. South African Journal of Botany 53
• SONDER, O.W. 1862. Araliaceae. Flora capensis 2
• STREY, R.G. 1973. Notes on the genus Cussonia in South Africa. Bothalia 11
• STREY, R.G. 1975. Araliaceae. A new species of Cussonia from the southern Cape. Bothalia 11
• STREY, R.G. 1981. Observations on the morphology of the Araliaceae in Southern Africa. Journal of Dendrology 1(3 & 4)

Resources:

• Key to Araliaceae genera

• Araliaceae genera: