Apiaceae

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Apiaceae
Apiaceae: Apium leaves and tiny inflorescences, Daucus habit, Foeniculum inflorescences, Eryngium inflorescences, Petroselinum root.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Lindl.
Type genus
Apium
Subfamilies
  • Mackinlayoideae Plunkett & Lowry
  • Azorelloideae
    Plunkett & Lowry
  • Saniculoideae
    Burnett
  • Apioideae Seem.
Synonyms

Umbelliferae

Apiaceae (

silphium, a plant whose exact identity is unclear and which may be extinct.[2]

The family Apiaceae includes a significant number of

.

Description

Most Apiaceae are

stipules but the petioles are frequently sheathing and the leaves may be perfoliate. The leaf blade is usually dissected, ternate, or pinnatifid, but simple and entire in some genera, e.g. Bupleurum.[4]
Commonly, their leaves emit a marked smell when crushed, aromatic to fetid, but absent in some species.

The defining characteristic of this family is the

corolla, but the calyx is often highly reduced, to the point of being undetectable in many species, while the corolla can be white, yellow, pink or purple. The flowers are nearly perfectly pentamerous, with five petals and five stamens.[5]
There is often variation in the functionality of the stamens even within a single inflorescence. Some flowers are functionally staminate (where a pistil may be present but has no ovules capable of being fertilized) while others are functionally pistillate (where stamens are present but their anthers do not produce viable pollen). Pollination of one flower by the pollen of a different flower of the same plant (
inferior ovary.[5] Stylopodia support two styles and secrete nectar, attracting pollinators like flies, mosquitoes, gnats, beetles, moths, and bees. The fruit is a schizocarp consisting of two fused carpels that separate at maturity into two mericarps, each containing a single seed. The fruits of many species are dispersed by wind but others such as those of Daucus spp., are covered in bristles, which may be hooked in sanicle Sanicula europaea[3] and thus catch in the fur of animals. The seeds have an oily endosperm[6][7] and often contain essential oils, containing aromatic compounds that are responsible for the flavour of commercially important umbelliferous seed such as anise, cumin and coriander. The shape and details of the ornamentation of the ripe fruits are important for identification to species level.[4]
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Taxonomy

Apiaceae was first described by John Lindley in 1836.[8] The name is derived from the type genus Apium, which was originally used by Pliny the Elder circa 50 AD for a celery-like plant.[9] The alternative name for the family, Umbelliferae, derives from the inflorescence being generally in the form of a compound umbel. The family was one of the first to be recognized as a distinct group in Jacques Daleschamps' 1586 Historia generalis plantarum. With Robert Morison's 1672 Plantarum umbelliferarum distribution nova it became the first group of plants for which a systematic study was published.

The family is solidly placed within the

polyphyletic.[1]

Classification and phylogeny

Prior to molecular phylogenetic studies, the family was subdivided primarily based on fruit characteristics. Molecular phylogenetic analyses from the mid-1990s onwards have shown that fruit characters evolved in parallel many times, so that using them in classification resulted in units that were not monophyletic.[10] In 2004, it was proposed that Apiaceae should be divided into four subfamilies:[11]

  • Apioideae
    Seem.
  • Azorelloideae
    G.M.Plunkett & Lowry
  • Mackinlayoideae G.M.Plunkett & Lowry
  • Saniculoideae
    Burnett

Apioideae is by far the largest subfamily with about 90% of the genera. Most subsequent studies have supported this division, although leaving some genera unplaced. A 2021 study suggested the relationships shown in the following cladogram.[10]

Apiaceae

Platysace

Mackinlayoideae

Klotzschia

Azorelloideae

Hermas

Saniculoideae

Apioideae

The Platysace clade and the genera Klotzschia and Hermas fell outside the four subfamilies. It was suggested that they could be accommodated in subfamilies of their own. Phlyctidocarpa was formerly placed in the subfamily Apioideae, but if kept there makes Apioideae paraphyletic. It could be placed in an enlarged Saniculoideae, or restored to Apioideae if the latter were expanded to include Saniculoideae.[10]

The subfamilies can be further divided into tribes and clades, with many clades falling outside formally recognized tribes.[10]

Genera

The number of genera accepted by sources varies. As of December 2022, Plants of the World Online (PoWO) accepted 444 genera, while GRIN Taxonomy accepted 462. The PoWO genera are not a subset of those in GRIN; for example, Haloselinum is accepted by PoWO but not by GRIN, while Halosciastrum is accepted by GRIN but not by PoWO, which treats it as a synonym of Angelica. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Website had an "approximate list" of 446 genera.[1]

Ecology

The black swallowtail butterfly,

22-spot ladybird is also commonly found eating mildew on these plants.[14]

Uses

Many members of this family are cultivated for various purposes.

culantro, and dill (Anethum graveolens). The seeds may be used in cuisine, as with coriander (Coriandrum sativum), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), cumin (Cuminum cyminum), and caraway
(Carum carvi).

Other notable cultivated Apiaceae include

arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza), sea holly (Eryngium spp.), asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida), galbanum (Ferula gummosa), cicely (Myrrhis odorata), anise (Pimpinella anisum), lovage (Levisticum officinale), and hacquetia (Sanicula epipactis).[6]

Cultivation

Generally, all members of this family are best cultivated in the cool-season garden; they may not grow at all if the soils are too warm. Almost every widely cultivated plant of this group is a considered useful as a

flies
, which drink nectar when not reproducing. They then prey upon insect pests on nearby plants. Some of the members of this family considered "herbs" produce scents that are believed to mask the odours of nearby plants, thus making them harder for insect pests to find.

Other uses

The poisonous members of the Apiaceae have been used for a variety of purposes globally. The poisonous Oenanthe crocata has been used as an aid in suicides, and arrow poisons have been made from various other family species.

Daucus carota has been used as coloring for butter.[15]

Ferula galbaniflua, and Ferula moschata (sumbul) are sources of incense
.

The woody Azorella compacta Phil. has been used in South America for fuel.

Toxicity

Many species in the family Apiaceae produce phototoxic substances (called

furanocoumarins) that sensitize human skin to sunlight. Contact with plant parts that contain furanocoumarins, followed by exposure to sunlight, may cause phytophotodermatitis,[16][17] a serious skin inflammation. Phototoxic species include Ammi majus, Notobubon galbanum, the parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and numerous species of the genus Heracleum, especially the giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Of all the plant species that have been reported to induce phytophotodermatitis, approximately half belong to the family Apiaceae.[18]

The family Apiaceae also includes a smaller number of poisonous species, including

.

Some members of the family Apiaceae, including carrot, celery, fennel, parsley and parsnip, contain polyynes, an unusual class of organic compounds that exhibit cytotoxic effects.[19][20]

References

  1. ^ a b c Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards). "APIACEAE Lindley, nom. cons." Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  2. ^ Gorvett, Zaria (7 September 2017). "The mystery of the lost Roman herb". BBC. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  3. ^ .
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ a b Watson, L., Dallwitz, M.J. (1992 onwards) The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval Archived 13 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Version: 4 March 2011.
  7. ^ She, M.; Pu, F.; Pan, Z.; Watson, M.; Cannon, J.F.M.; Holmes-Smith, I.; Kljuykov, E.V.; Phillippe, L.R.; Pimenov, M.G. (2005). "Apiaceae". Flora of China. 14: 1–205.
  8. ^ Lindley, J. (1836) An Introduction to the Natural System of Botany, 2nd Edition. Longman, London.
  9. .
  10. ^ .
  11. .
  12. ^ Woodville, W. (1793) Medical Botany. James Phillips, London.
  13. ^ Hall, Donald W. 2011 "Featured Creatures - Eastern Black Swallowtail." Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/bfly2/eastern_black_swallowtail.htm#life
  14. ^ Drugmand, Didier (7 August 2008). "Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata". Monaco Nature Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Daucus carota: Beauty or Beast? (Michele Warmund)". ipm.missouri.edu. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  16. ^ Leonard, Jayne (19 August 2017). "Phytophotodermatitis: When plants and light affect the skin". Medical News Today. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  17. ^ Davis, Dawn (12 August 2011). "Sun-related Skin Condition Triggered by Chemicals in Certain Plants, Fruits". Dermatology, Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  18. PMID 13941836
    .
  19. .
  20. .

Further reading

External links