This family of trees and shrubs which are often prickly or climbing, comprises 55 genera and 700 species. The leaves are usually alternate and the flowers small, with parts in fives. Hedera helix, the European Ivy, has many garden cultivars and Fatsia japonica is much cultivated as a shrub for a shady spot. The roots of species of Panax are sources of the Chinese remedy, Ginseng.