What is "asterids"

In the APG II system (2003) for the classification of flowering plants, the name asterids denotes a clade (a monophyletic group). Common examples include the forget-me-nots, nightshades (including potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers and tobacco), petunias, morning glory and sweet potato, coffee, lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, honeysuckle, ash tree, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, and a number of table herbs such as mint, basil, and rosemary.

Most of the taxa belonging to this clade had been referred to the Asteridae in the Cronquist system (1981) and to the Sympetalae in earlier systems. The name asterids (not necessarily capitalised) resembles the earlier botanical name but is intended to be the name of a clade rather than a formal ranked name, in the sense of the ICBN. This clade is one of the two most speciose groups of eudicots, the other being the rosids. It consists of:

• clade Asterids: order Cornales order Ericales clade Lamiids order Icacinales order Metteniusales order Garryales order Gentianales order Solanales order Boraginales order Vahliales order Lamiales clade Campanulids order Aquifoliales order Escalloniales order Asterales order Bruniales order Apiales order Paracryphiales order Dipsacales