Text © Giuseppe Mazza
English translation by Ignacio Barrionuevo
Conium maculatum © Giuseppe Mazza
Almost cosmopolitan, the family Apiaceae, also known as Umbelliferae, grows in the tropics too, although they have a clear preference for temperate climates.
Herbaceous, annual, biennial or perennial plants with the characteristic inflorescence, the umbel, developing sometimes in imaginative variations. Food plants, such as the famous carrot, and spices grown since ancient times, forgotten their medicinal properties.
It includes almost 2,300 species and the following genera:
Aciphylla, Acronema, Actinanthus, Actinolema, Actinotus, Adenosciadium, Aegokeras, Aegopodium, Aethusa, Aframmi, Afroligusticum, Afrosciadium, Afrosison, Agasyllis, Agrocharis, Ainsworthia, Alepidea, Aletes, Alococarpum, Ammi, Ammodaucus, Ammoides, Ammoselinum, Andriana, Anethum, Angelica, Anginon, Angoseseli, Anisopoda, Anisosciadium, Anisotome, Annesorhiza, Anthriscus, Aphanopleura, Apiastrum, Apiopetalum, Apium, Apodicarpum, Arafoe, Arctopus, Arcuatopterus, Arracacia, Artedia, Asciadium, Asteriscium, Astomaea, Astrantia, Astrodaucus, Astydamia, Athamanta, Aulacospermum, Austropeucedanum, Autumnalia, Azilia, Azorella, Berula, Bifora, Bilacunaria, Billburttia, Bolax, Bonannia, Bowlesia, Brachyscias, Bunium, Bupleurum, Cachrys, Calyptrosciadium, Cannaboides, Capnophyllum, Carlesia, Caropsis, Carum, Caucalis, Cenolophium, Centella, Cephalopodum, Chaerophyllopsis, Chaerophyllum, Chaetosciadium, Chamaele, Chamaesciadium, Chamaesium, Chamarea, Changium, Chlaenosciadium, Choritaenia, Chuanminshen, Chymsydia, Cicuta, Cnidiocarpa, Cnidium, Coaxana, Cogswellia, Conioselinum, Conium, Conopodium, Coriandrum, Cortia, Cortiella, Cotopaxia, Coulterophytum, Cryptotaenia, Cuminum, Cyathoselinum, Cyclorhiza, Cyclospermum, Cymbocarpum, Cymopterus, Cynosciadium, Dactylaea, Dahliaphyllum, Dasispermum, Daucosma, Daucus, Demavendia, Dethawia, Deverra, Dichosciadium, Dickinsia, Dicyclophora, Dimorphosciadium, Diplaspis, Diplolophium, Diplotaenia, Diposis, Dipterygia, Discopleura, Distichoselinum, Domeykoa, Donnellsmithia, Dorema, Dracosciadium, Drusa, Ducrosia, Dumaniana, Dystaenia, Echinophora, Ekimia, Elaeoselinum, Elaeosticta, Eleutherospermum, Enantiophylla, Endressia, Eremocharis, Eremodaucus, Ergocarpon, Erigenia, Eriosynaphe, Eryngium, Erythroselinum, Eurytaenia, Exoacantha, Ezosciadium, Falcaria, Fergania, Ferula, Ferulago, Ferulopsis, Foeniculum, Frommia, Froriepia, Fuernrohria, Galagania, Geocaryum, Gingidia, Glaucosciadium, Glehnia, Glia, Glochidotheca, Gongylosciadium, Gongylotaxis, Grafia, Grammosciadium, Guillonea, Gymnophyton, Hacquetia, Halosciastrum, Hansenia, Haplosciadium, Haplosphaera, Harbouria, Harrysmithia, Heptaptera, Heracleum, Hermas, Heteromorpha, Heteroptilis, Hladnikia, Hohenackeria, Homalocarpus, Huanaca, Hyalolaena, Hymenidium, Hymenolyma, Indoschulzia, Itasina, Johrenia, Kadenia, Kafirnigania,
Astrantia major © Giuseppe Mazza
Kalakia, Kamelinia, Karnataka, Keramocarpus, Klotzschia, Korovinia, Korshinskia, Korshinskya, Krasnovia, Krubera, Kundmannia, Ladyginia, Lagoecia, Laretia, Laser, Laserpitium, Lecokia, Lefebvrea, Leiotulus, Leptotaenia, Lereschia, Leutea, Levisticum, Libanotis, Lichtensteinia, Ligusticopsis, Ligusticum, Lilaeopsis, Limnosciadium, Lipskya, Lisaea, Lithosciadium, Lomatium, Lomatocarpa, Lomatopodium, Mackinlaya, Magydaris, Malabaila, Mandenovia, Margotia, Marlothiella, Mediasia, Meeboldia, Melanosciadium, Melanoselinum, Meum, Micropleura, Molopospermum, Monizia, Mulinum, Museniopsis, Musineon, Mutellina, Myrrhidendron, Myrrhis, Myrrhoides, Nanobubon, Naufraga, Neogoezia, Neonelsonia, Neoparrya, Neopaulia, Niphogeton, Nothosmyrnium, Notiosciadium, Notobubon, Notopterygium, Ochotia, Oedibasis, Oenanthe, Oligocladus, Olymposciadium, Opopanax, Oreocomopsis, Oreomyrrhis, Oreonana, Oreoschimperella, Oreoxis, Orlaya, Ormosolenia, Orogenia, Oschatzia, Osmorhiza, Ostericum, Ottoa, Oxypolis, Pachyctenium, Pachypleurum, Palimbia, Paraselinum, Parasilaus, Pastinaca, Paulia, Pentapeltis, Perideridia, Perissocoeleum, Petroselinum, Peucedanum, Phellolophium, Phellopterus, Phlojodicarpus, Phlyctidocarpa, Physospermopsis, Physospermum, Physotrichia, Pilopleura, Pimpinella, Pinda, Platysace, Pleiotaenia, Pleurospermopsis, Pleurospermum, Podistera, Polemannia, Polemanniopsis, Polytaenia, Portenschlagiella, Postiella, Pozoa, Prangos, Prionosciadium, Psammogeton, Pseudocannaboides, Pseudocarum, Pseudocymopterus, Pseudopteryxia, Pseudoreoxis, Pseudorlaya, Pseudoselinum, Pseudotaenidia, Pseudotrachydium, Pternopetalum, Pterygopleurum, Pteryxia, Ptilimnium, Ptychotis, Pycnocycla, Rhodosciadium, Rhysopterus, Rhyticarpus, Ridolfia, Rouya, Sajania, Sanicula, Saposhnikovia, Scaligeria, Scandia, Scandix, Schrenkia, Schtschurowskia, Schulzia, Sclerosciadium, Sclerotiaria, Scrithacola, Selinum, Semenovia, Seseli, Seselopsis, Shoshonea, Silaum, Sinocarum, Sinolimprichtia, Sison, Sium, Smyrniopsis, Smyrnium, Sonderina, Soranthus, Spananthe, Spermolepis, Sphaenolobium, Sphaerosciadium, Sphallerocarpus, Sphenosciadium, Stefanoffia, Steganotaenia, Stenocoelium, Stenosemis, Stenotaenia, Stewartiella, Stoibrax, Synelcosciadium, Taenidia, Talassia, Tamamschjanella, Tana, Tauschia, Thamnosciadium, Thapsia, Thaspium, Thorella, Thunbergiella, Tiedemannia, Tilingia, Tinguarra, Todaroa, Tongoloa, Tordyliopsis, Tordylium, Torilis, Trachydium, Trachysciadium, Trachyspermum, Trepocarpus, Trigonosciadium, Trinia, Trochiscanthes, Turgenia, Uraspermum, Vanasushava, Vicatia, Vvedenskia, Washingtonia, Xanthosia, Xatardia, Yabea, Zizia, Zosima.
→ To appreciate the biodiversity within APIACEAE family please click here.