Complex sentence: She was an expert in the plant genera of Ilex (Aquifoliaceae), Hemerocallis (Amaryllidaceae) and Panax (Araliaceae), the Chinese families of Orchidaceae, Compositae, and Malvaceae, and Chinese medicinal herbs and food plants.
Split into simpler sentences: She was an expert in the plant genera of "Ilex" (Aquifoliaceae), "Hemerocallis" (Amaryllidaceae), and "Panax" (Araliaceae). She also studied the families Orchidaceae, Compositae, and Malvaceae, and Chinese medicinal herbs and food plants.