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Apiaceae

Flowers: Perfect or imperfect and the plants monoecious or rarely dioecious, small, actinomorphic with a trend to zygomorphy; carpels 2, syncarpous, with a STYLOPODIUM; ovary inferior, 2-locular; 1 pendulous ovule per locule APIACEAE

Inflorescences: Simple or compound umbels

Fruits: Ribbed schizocarps with 2 mericarps containing oil tubes, connected by a CARPOPHORE

Habit: Biennial, perennial, or annual herbs with hollow stems, aromatic, sometimes deadly poisonous

Leaves: Alternate, with oil tubes, mostly pinnately compound, sheathing base

NOTE: Both Zomlefer and Judd et al. include the Araliaceae within the Apiaceaae. This follows cladistic theory, which states that a monophyletic group contains ALL the descendants of the most recent common ancestor of that group. This follows research reported by Dr. Downie. See the cladogram on page 197 in Zomlefer. However, you are only expected to know the characteristics of the Apiaceae in the narrow sense, such as given in these class notes and in Digital Flowers, i.e., those with schizocarps.

Examples:

  • Aegopodium podograria (goutweed, Bishops weed)
  • Anethum graveolens (dill)
  • Apium graveolens (celery)
  • Astrantia major (masterwort)
  • Carum carvi (caraway)
  • Cicuta bulbifera (water-hemlock)
  • Conium maculatum (poison hemlock)
  • Coriandrum sativum (coriander, cilantro)
  • Crithmum maritimum (rock samphire)
  • Cuminum cyminum (cumin)
  • Daucus carota (carrot, Queen Anne's lace)
  • Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)
  • Foeniculum vulgare (fennel)
  • Heracleum lanatum (cow parsnip, hogweed)
  • Hydrocotyle bonariensis (pennywort)
  • Melanoselenium deceipiens(black parsley)
  • Monizia edulis (tree carrot)
  • Osmorhiza longistylis (sweet cicely)
  • Pastinaca sativa (parsnip)
  • Petroselinum crispum (parsley)
  • Pimpinella anisum (anise)
  • Zizia aurea (golden alexanders)