Adoxaceae

Taxobox
name = Adoxaceae

---

image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Adoxa moschatellina"
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Dipsacales
familia = Adoxaceae
type_genus = "Adoxa"
type_genus_authority = L.
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision =
*"Adoxa"
*"Sambucus"
*"Sinadoxa"
*"Viburnum"

The Adoxaceae is a small family of flowering plants in the order Dipsacales, as now constituted comprising four genera and about 150-200 species. It is characterised by opposite toothed leaves, small five- or, more rarely, four-petalled flowers in cymose inflorescences, and the fruit being a drupe. They are thus similar to many Cornaceae.

In older classifications this family was entirely comprised into Caprifoliaceae (the honeysuckle family), "Adoxa moschatellina" (Moschatel) being the first plant to be put into this new group. Much later, the genera "Sambucus" (elders) and "Viburnum" were added after careful morphological analysis of biochemical tests by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. An additional monotypic genus "Sinadoxa" has been added based on molecular comparison with "Adoxa".

"Adoxa" is a small perennial herbaceous plant, flowering early in the spring and dying down to ground level in summer immediately after the berries are mature; the leaves are compound.

The elders are mostly shrubs, but two species are large herbaceous plants; all have compound leaves. The viburnums are all shrubs, with simple leaves.

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