The Hydrangeaceae is a fairly large-sized family of woody ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs, native primarily to tropical, subtropical, and north temperate regions in Asia and North America, and locally in southeastern Europe. It is included in the order Cornales, with 19 genera and about 260 species, characterized by leaves in opposite pairs (rarely whorled or alternate), and regular, bisexual flowers with 4 (rarely 5–12) petals. The fruits are capsules or berries containing several seeds with fleshy endosperms and sometimes winged. There are several genera in this family residing in California such as Philadelphus, Carpenteria, Fendlerella and Jamesia. Many Hydrangea species are dioecious, with separate male and female plants and many of the genera are ornamentals. One of the distinctive characteristics of plants in the Hydrangeaceae family is the flowers, which grow in large clusters of star-shaped blooms. Each flower is bisexual, which means it contains both antheridia or male reproductive structures, and ovary and pistil, or female reproductive structures. The name of this plant family is derived from the Latin, hydor, meaning water, and aggeion, meaning vessel or cup, referring to the shape of the fruit.