A personal Asteraceae or even, instead, personal Compositae, referred to as a aster, daisy or even helianthus personal, occurs as taxonomic group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. A cognomen is from either a genus Aster and refers to the star-shaped flower head of its members, typified well per daisy. A Asteraceae is the 2nd big personal in the Section Magnoliophyta, with occasionally 1,100 genera & on top 20,000 recognized mintage. Lone a orchid personal (Orchidaceae) is larger, by using astir 25,000 described metal money.

Plants belonging to the Asteraceae must part ALL the charted characteristics (Judd et al., 1999). None one traits, taken one by one, may be considered synapomorphic. Inflorescence: a capitulum or even flower head Syngenesious anthers, i.e. using the stames fused together at their edges per anthers, forming a tube Ovary with basal arrangement of the ovules Ovules one by the ovary Pappus (the tuft of hairs in the fruit) A fruit is an achene Sesquiterpenes present in the essential oils, however iridoids lacking.

the usual characteristic of completely these plants, is that what inside most common idiom may exist as known as a "flower", is an inflorescence or even flower head; the densely packed cluster of several little, single flowers, usually known as florets (meaning "small flowers").

Plants in the personal Asteraceae often keep around of these or even each of 2 sort of florets. the outer perimeter of the flower head prefer that of a sunflower is composed of florets possessing a long strap-prefer petal, termed a ligule; which are actually a ray florets. A inner part of the flower head (or even disc) is composed of little flowers by using cannular corollas; these are a disc florets. A composition of asteraceous inflorescences varies from either completely ray floret (prefer dandelions, genus Taraxacum) to all disc flowers (prefer pineapple weeds).

A composite nature and severity of a inflorescences one plants led early taxonomists to call for this personal the Compositae. Although a system governing naming conventions for plant families state that a title should are from either a type genus, in this instance Aster & so Asteraceae. Yet, a yearn prevailing title Compositae is as well authorized alternatively personal title (ICBN Art. Eighteen.Sixer).

A many genera come divided into astir Long dozen tribes. Merely one of these, Lactuceae, is considered distinct sufficiency to become a subfamily (subfamily Cichorioideae); the remainer, which come then mostly overlapping, are put in the subfamily Asteroideae (Wagner, Herbst, & Sohmer, 1990).

Uses
Commercially crucial plants in the Asteraceae include the food crops lettuce, chicory and sunflower. Guayule is a source of hypoallergenic latex.

Numbers of members of Asteracae come copious nectar producers and come utile for evaluating pollinator populations during their bloom. Centaurea (knapweed), Helianthus annuus (household helianthus), & a few coinage of Solidago (goldenrod) come major "honey plants" for beekeepers. Solidago produces comparatively high protein pollen, which helps honeybees overwinter.