Parnassiaceae

Taxobox
name = PAGENAME


image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Parnassia palustris" (Northern Grass of Parnassus)
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Celastrales
familia = Parnassiaceae
familia_authority = Gray
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Lepuropetalon" "Parnassia"

Parnassiaceae is a family of dicotyledon plants containing approximately fifty species in the genus "Parnassia"; a second genus, "Lepuropetalon", is also sometimes included.

They are herbaceous, perennial plants and are to be found in wetland areas in temperate to cool climates predominantly in the Northern hemisphere.

The leaf arrangement is either alternating or spiral, with a clustering at the base. The flowers are single, hermaphrodite, and have five actinomorphic (equal in shape and size) petals. The fruit is produced in a capsule.

The Parnassiaceae is sometimes treated as part of the Saxifragaceae, rather than as a separate family, though genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group shows that they are only distantly related to this family.