List by family
Acanthaceae
Branches are 4-6 angled or grooved with transverse ridges across the nodes. Leaves are opposite and simple. Flowers are zygomorphic with 4-5 sepals and a tubular corolla with 2 lips and 5 lobes. Stamens are of unequal length and fused to the corolla. Fruit is a 2-valved capsule.
Image: David Meagher
Image: David Meagher
Aizoaceae
Prostrate, scrambling herbs or shrubs with fleshy leaves and fruit.
Image: Freya Thomas
Amaranthaceae
Herbs or shrubs with opposite or alternate leaves. Flowers are usually in an inflorescence. Perianth is in a single whorl of 4 or 5 tepals. There are 1-5 stamens that often have broad filaments that are fused around the superior ovary. Fruit is usually dry and indehiscent.
Image: Gill Brown
Image: Gill Brown
Image: Gill Brown
Apiaceae
Plants with hollow stems, strong tap-roots, divided leaves, flowers in umbels and prolific seed production. Horticultural species include coriander, dill, fennel, and parsley.
Image: Mary Ellis
Apocynaceae
Shrubs, trees or climbers with smooth undivided leaves, sap often milky, flowers are small five-lobed and form a tube.
Image: Gill Brown
Image: Gill Brown
Araliaceae
Shrubs with small white or green flowers with five petals and five sepals, flowers arranged in umbels.
Image: Mary Ellis
Asparagaceae
The flowers for the group are mainly an undistinguished 'lily'-type and are often quite small. This family continues to be under taxonomic review.
Image: David Meagher
Aspleniaceae
Grow in forests as ground cover, epiphytes or among rocks. The rhizome is short and erect, covered with latticed scales, old stipe bases persist, lamina is simple or pinnate, sori linear along minor veins protected by indusium.
Image: Alison Kellow
Asteraceae
Flowerhead is composed of many sessile flowers attached to a common receptacle and is surrounded by a series of bracts. Individual flowers (florets) can be either tubular or ray florets. Fruit is an achene.
Image: Will Neal
Atherospermataceae
Small to medium trees with elliptic or lanceolate to oblanceolate. Flowers are mostly solitary in axils. Male and female flowers are separate. Males flowers have numerous stamens and sterile stamens, female flowers have numerous carpels with some sterile stamens.
Image: Mike Bayly