Family: Carrot [Umbelliferae / Apiaceae] |
Aegopodium |
Aethusa |
Ammi |
Anethum |
Angelica |
Anthriscus |
Apium |
Astrantia |
Berula |
Bifora |
Bunium |
Bupleurum |
Carum |
Caucalis |
Chaerophyllum |
Ciclospermum |
Cicuta |
Conium |
Conopodium |
Coriandrum |
Crithmum |
Cuminum |
Daucus |
Eryngium |
Falcaria |
Ferula |
Foeniculum |
Heracleum |
Imperatoria |
Laser |
Laserpitium |
Levisticum |
Ligusticum |
Meum |
Myrrhis |
Oenanthe |
Orlaya |
Pastinaca |
Petroselinum |
Peucedanum |
Physospermum |
Pimpinella |
Ridolfia |
Sanicula |
Scandix |
Selinum |
Seseli |
Silaum |
Silphium |
Sison |
Sium |
Smyrnium |
Thyselium |
Tordylium |
Torilis |
Trachyspermum |
Trinia |
Turgenia |
The Carrot Family is a very diverse group, but nearly all of them have the characteristic umbel, sometimes flat-topped otherwise curved, of tiny flowers. Those that do not have the characteristic umbel are atypical umbellifers; there may be a dozen of those.
Many synthesize unusual and diverse compounds. Typical of these are spices used in curries produced by such umbellifers as Caraway, Coriander, Cumin; or herbs used in cooking such as Fennel, Chervil, Scots Lovage, and (garden) Parsley; or others used in dishes such as celery, (edible) carrot, parsnip, (garden) Angelica, Field Eryngo and Pignut.
These are both polyacetylenes with highly-energetic triple bonded carbon atoms, unusual in the natural world. Polyynes are poisonous, binding to several proteins. Ivy is another plant that contains other compounds with triple-bonded carbon atoms (Falcarinols), but Ivy is not an umbellifer. !! This is not an exhaustive list of all poisonous umbellifers !! Most umbellifers have several umbels of flowers, often compound umbels. Many often have a ring of bracts just underneath the umbel, and sometimes bracteoles underneath the sub-umbel (but both bracts and bracteoles are variable and can be either present or absent in some species).
Usually the most striking property of the umbels is that the inner one(s) seem to be different to the outer ones in many species of umbellifer. This is because the inner umbels of these umbellifers have all bisexual (hermaphroditic) flowers, whereas the flowers on the outer umbels are all male. Thus only flowers on the inner umbels of these umbellifers will turn into fruit. There is only one umbellifer that is dioecious, with separate male and female plants, being
Some umbellifers are atypical of the genera, apparently lacking obvious umbels. Typical of these is |
[HERACLEUM] Hogweeds
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Hogweed. (Heracleum sphondylium) | Photo: © RWD |
Giant Hogweed.(Heracleum mantegazzianum) | Photo: © RWD |
[MYRRHIS] Sweet Cicely
|
Sweet Cicely. (Myrrhis odorata) | Photo: © RWD |
[FOENICULUM] Fennel
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Fennel. (Foeniculum vulgare) | Photo: © RWD |
[DAUCUS] Carrots
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Wild Carrot. (Daucus carota) | Photo: © RWD |
Sea Carrot (Daucus carota ssp. gummifer) | Photo: © RWD |
Moon Carrot (Seseli libanotis) |
[AEGOPODIUM] Ground-elder
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Ground-Elder (Aegopodium podagraria) | Photo: © RWD |
[ASTRANTIA] Astrantia
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Astrantia. (Astrantia major) | Photo: © RWD |
[ERYNGIUM] Sea-hollies
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Sea-Holly. (Eryngium maritimum) | Photo: © RWD |
Mediterranean Sea-Holly (Eryngium bourgatii) | Photo: © RWD |
Field Eryngo (Eryngium campestre) | Photo: © Dawn Nelson |
Blue Eryngo (Eryngium planum) | Photo: © RWD |
[CRITHMUM] Rock Samphire
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Rock Samphire. (Crithmum maritimum) | Photo: © RWD |
[SANICULA] Sanicle
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Sanicle (Sanicula europaea) | Photo: © RWD |
[PASTINACA] Parsnips
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Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) | Photo: © RWD |
[Aethusa] WATER-CRESS HYBRID CHART |
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Fool's Parsley (Aethusa cynapium) | Photo: © Bastiaan Brak |
[AMMI] Bullworts
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Bullwort (Ammi majus) | Photo: © Dawn Nelson |
[ANTHRISCUS] Chervils
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Bur Chervil (Anthriscus caucalis) | Photo: © RWD |
[CHAEROPHYLLUM] Chervils
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Rough Chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum) | Photo: © RWD |
[PETROSELINUM] Parsleys
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Garden Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) | Photo: © RWD |
[SMYRNIUM] Alexanders
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Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) | Photo: © RWD |
[ANGELICA] Angelicas
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Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica) | Photo: © RWD |
[CONOPODIUM] Pignut
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Pignut (Conopodium majus) | Photo: © RWD |
[OENANTHE] Water-Dropworts
But the leaves of
[Both
All Water-dropworts either have (no bracts (
|
Hemlock Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) | Photo: © RWD |
Parsley Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe lachenalii) | Photo: © RWD |
Tubular Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe fistulosa) | Photo: © RWD |
Fine-Leaved Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe aquatica) | Photo: © RWD |
Corky-Fruited Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe pimpinelloides) | Photo: © Dawn Nelson |
[BERULA] Lesser Water-Parsnip
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Lesser Water-Parsnip (Berula erecta) | Photo: © RWD |
[APIUM] Marshworts
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Fool's-Water-cress (Apium nodiflorum) | Photo: © RWD |
Lesser Marshwort (Apium inundatum) | Photo: © Dawn Nelson |
Wild Celery (Apium graveolens) | Photo: © RWD |
[SISON] Stone Parsley
|
Stone Parsley (Sison amomum) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Mike Adams |
[TORILIS] Hedge-Parsleys
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Upright Hedge-Parsley (Torilis japonica) | Photo: © RWD |
Spreading Hedge-Parsley (Torilis arvensis) | Photo: © Bastiaan Brak |
Knotted Hedge-Parsley (Torilis nodosa) | Photo: © RWD |
[PIMPINELLA] Burnet-Saxifrages
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Burnet-Saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga) | Photo: © RWD |
Greater Burnet-Saxifrage (Pimpinella major) | Photo: © RWD |
[CONIUM] Hemlock
In the UK Hemlock is the only plant in this genus, and possibly in the whole world. |
Hemlock (Conium maculatum) | Photo: © RWD |
[SCANDIX] Shepherd's-Needle
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Shepherd's-Needle (Scandix pecten-veneris) | Photo: © Bastiaan Brak |
[CARUM] Caraways
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Whorled Caraway (Carum verticulatum) | Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone |
[LEVISTICUM] Lovage
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Lovage (Levisticum officinale) | Photo: © RWD |
[LIGUSTICUM] Carrot
|
Scots Lovage (Ligusticum scoticum) | Photo: © RWD |
[IMPERATORIA] Masterwort
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Masterwort (Imperatoria ostruthium) | Photo: © Dawn Nelson |
[TRINIA] Honewort
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Honewort (Trinia glauca) | Photo: © Phillip Bagshaw |
Family: Carrot [Umbelliferae / Apiaceae] |