**Description and Taxonomy:**
– Apiaceae plants are mostly annual, biennial, or perennial herbs with variable-sized leaves arranged alternately.
– Leaves may emit a distinct odor when crushed, and flowers are typically grouped in terminal umbels.
– Fruits of Apiaceae are schizocarps that split into two mericarps.
– The family was first described by John Lindley in 1836 and is closely related to Araliaceae.
– Apiaceae is firmly placed within the Apiales order in the APG III system, although traditional fruit morphology-based classification has been challenged by molecular phylogenetic analyses.
– Subfamilial and tribal classification within Apiaceae is undergoing revisions.
**Classification and Genera:**
– Apiaceae was initially proposed to be divided into four subfamilies, with Apioideae being the largest.
– The number of accepted genera varies, with around 446 genera listed in different sources like Plants of the World Online and GRIN Taxonomy.
– Molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed parallel evolution of fruit characters within the family, potentially necessitating reclassification of some genera.
– The subfamilies can be further classified into tribes and clades, contributing to the ongoing taxonomic revisions within Apiaceae.
**Ecology and Uses:**
– Apiaceae plants serve as food and host plants for insects like the black swallowtail butterfly and the 22-spot ladybird.
– These plants are cultivated best in cool-season gardens and are beneficial as companion plants in gardening.
– Soil temperature significantly impacts the growth of Apiaceae plants.
– Some species within the family are toxic and have been used globally for various purposes, including as arrow poisons, incense sources, and even for suicides.
**Toxicity and References:**
– Many Apiaceae species produce phototoxic substances, leading to skin inflammation upon sunlight exposure.
– Some species contain cytotoxic polyynes, and the family includes poisonous plants like poison hemlock and water hemlock.
– References by experts like Stevens, Heywood, and Taylor provide valuable insights into the characteristics and uses of Apiaceae plants.
**Further Reading and Resources:**
– Additional resources and references by experts like Constance, Cronquist, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service offer in-depth information on classification, evolution, and potential dangers associated with Apiaceae plants.
– Studies on chemical patterns, evolutionary patterns, and relationships within Apiaceae provide a broader understanding of the family’s characteristics and significance.
Apiaceae (/eɪpiːˈeɪsiˌaɪ, -siːˌiː/) or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus Apium and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants, with more than 3,800 species in about 446 genera, including such well-known and economically important plants as ajwain, angelica, anise, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip and sea holly, as well as silphium, a plant whose exact identity is unclear and which may be extinct.
| Apiaceae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Apiaceae: Apium leaves and tiny inflorescences, Daucus habit, Foeniculum inflorescences, Eryngium inflorescences, Petroselinum root. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae Lindl. |
| Type genus | |
| Apium | |
| Subfamilies | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Umbelliferae | |
The family Apiaceae includes a significant number of phototoxic species, such as giant hogweed, and a smaller number of highly poisonous species, such as poison hemlock, water hemlock, spotted cowbane, fool's parsley, and various species of water dropwort.