ARALIACEAE: GINSENG AND OTHER ARALIA OF
THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST
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Araliaceae is a dicotyledon plant family related closely to Apiaceae
(Umbelliferae) owing to numerous common traits, notably those involving
their general appearance and inflorescence structure. These morphological
similarities result from the common evolutionary steps that these families
underwent in the past. The most recent list of members of the Araliaceae
includes about 900 species, while only eight species in five genera occur
in the Russian Far East:
Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. Aralia cordata Thunb. Aralia continentalis Kitag. Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. Acanthopanax (Eleutherococcus) sessiliflorus (Rupr. et Maxim.) S. Y. Hu Acanthopanax (Eleutherococcus) senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Maxim. Oplopanax elatus (Nakai) Nakai. The northernmost occurrence of most of these species in the Russian Far East extends along the Chinese and Korean borders, but continues to the south and east into Japan, southeast Asia, and the Indo-Malayan Archipelago. Panax ginseng and the two species of Acanthopanax presently grow preferentially in the Russian Far East. This chapter provides a general description of the family, reviews its taxonomic history, and examines the geographic distribution, chemical composition, and medicinal use of the most widespread representatives. List of illustrations: Fig. 1.1. A. L. d'Jussieu (1707-1778), original describer of the family Araliaceae. Fig. 1.2. K. I. Maximovich (1827-1891), one of the earliest Russian botanists to study species of Araliaceae in the Russian Far East. Fig. 1.3. I. V. Grushwitski (1916-1994), author of Ginseng (1961) and many other publications of members of the Araliaceae. Fig. 1.4. Leaf-shape variation in Araliaceae: 1. Merriliopanax chinensis; 2. Diplopanax stachyanthus; 3. Dendropanax ferrugineus; 4. Brassaiopsis acuminata; 5. Hedera helix; 6. Fatsia japonica; 7. Trevesia sphaerocarpa; 8. Aralia spinosa. Fig. 1.5. Leaf-margin patterns in some species of Araliaceae: 1. Kalopanax septemlobus; 2. Aralia elata; 3. Acanthopanax (Eleutherococcus) senticosus; 4. Acanthopanax (Eleutherococcus) sessiliflorus; 5. Oplopanax elatus; 6. Panax ginseng; 7. Aralia cordata; 8. Aralia continentalis. Fig. 1.6. Thorns of some species of Araliaceae: 1. Kalopanax septemlobus; 2. Aralia elata; 3. Oplopanax elatus; 4. Acanthopanax (Eleutherococcus) senticosus; 5. Acanthopanax (Eleutherococcus) sessiliflorus. Fig. 1.7. Geographic distribution of Araliaceae (after Grushwitski, 1961). |
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