This winter we’re categorizing plants in our database by family. This week’s post is plants in the Apocynaceae (Dogbane), Aquifoliaceae (Holly), Araceae (Arum), Araliaceae (Ginseng), & Aristolochiaceae (Birthwort) families.

Plants in the Apocynaceae family are mostly perennial herbs or vines with milky sap & opposite or whorled leaves. Members of the Aquifoliaceae family have toothed or spiny leaves & small unisexual flowers that occur on separate male and female plants. Members of the Araceae family have an unusual inflorescence called a spadix, consisting of numerous small flowers borne on a stalk & surrounded by a leaf-like bract called a spathe.

Photography by Ken Borgfeldt, Daudie & John Colson, David Heavner, Richard Holzman, Janice Irwin, Betty Jones, Penny Longhurst, Jim Poling, Lucy Prim, Randy Richardson, & Joe Standaert. Botanical plant names seem to change almost every day, but for now we use those approved by ITIS, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Plants that are non-native to North America are indicated by an asterisk (*) placed after the species name. Click on any picture to zoom & enter the slide show.