Aster (Family Asteraceae)

The Asteraceae or Compositae, also referred to as the Aster, Daisy,
or Sunflower Family, is the largest family of vascular plants. The

family has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread

across 1620 genera, and 12 subfamilies. The largest genera are

Senecio (1,500 species), Vernonia (1,000 species), Cousinia (600

species) and Centaurea (600 species).

Most members of the Asteraceae are herbaceous, but a significant

number are also shrubs, vines and trees. The family is distributed

throughout the world, and is most common in the arid and semi-arid

regions of subtropical and lower temperate latitudes.

Many economically important products come from composites,

including cooking oils, lettuce, sunflower seeds, artichokes, sweet-

ening agents, and teas. Several genera are also very popular with

the horticultural community, these include marigolds, chrysanthe-

mums, dahlias, zinnias, and heleniums.

Back to Inventory of Herb/Forb Families and Species