pronounced: ar-al-ee-AY-see-eye
Aralia is the Latinized form of the old French-Canadian name for Aralie, or Schefflera urbaniana, a plant it slightly resembles. The family mostly consists of tropical trees and shrubs, and, less commonly, lianas or herbs.
There are no characteristics always present in Araliaceae. The leaves are anything from simple to lobed in various ways, and usually alternate, the petioles often sheathing at the base; the margins anything from entire to toothed. The flowers are most frequently unisexual, often in heads or umbels. The fruit may be a berry or a drupe that sometimes splits into one-seeded segments.
