Editing Apiaceae (section)

== Description ==

Most Apiaceae are [[annual plant|annual]], [[biennial plant|biennial]] or [[perennial]] [[herbaceous plant|herbs]] (frequently with the leaves aggregated toward the base), though a minority are woody [[shrub]]s or small trees such as ''[[Bupleurum fruticosum]]''.<ref name=Heywood>{{cite book |first1=V.H. |last1=Heywood |first2=R.K. |last2=Brummitt |first3=A. |last3=Culham |first4=O. |last4=Seberg |title=Flowering plant families of the world |date=2007 |publisher=Firefly books |location=New York, U.S |isbn=978-1-55407-206-4 }}</ref>{{rp|35}} Their leaves are of variable size, and [[phyllotaxis|alternately arranged]], or with the upper leaves becoming nearly opposite. The leaves may be [[petiole (botany)|petiolate]] or [[Sessility (botany)|sessile]]. There are no [[stipules]] but the petioles are frequently sheathing, and the leaves may be [[Glossary of leaf morphology#perfoliate|perfoliate]]. The leaf blade is usually dissected, [[Glossary of leaf morphology#ternate|ternate]], or [[Glossary of leaf morphology#pinnatifid|pinnatifid]], but simple, and entire in some genera, e.g. ''[[Bupleurum]]''.<ref name=Stace/> 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 [[inflorescence]], the flowers nearly always aggregated in terminal [[umbel]]s, that may be simple or more commonly compound, often umbelliform [[Cyme (botany)|cymes]]. The flowers are usually perfect ([[hermaphroditic]]), and [[actinomorphic]], but there may be [[zygomorphic]] flowers at the edge of the umbel, as in [[carrot]] (''[[Daucus carota]]'') and [[coriander]], with petals of unequal size, the ones pointing outward from the umbel larger than the ones pointing inward. Some are [[plant sexual morphology|andromonoecious, polygamomonoecious, or even dioecious]] (as in ''[[Acronema]]''), with a distinct [[calyx (botany)|calyx]], and [[corolla (flower)|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 [[Merosity|pentamerous]], with five [[petal]]s and five [[stamen]]s.<ref name="Taylor-1994">{{Cite book|last=Taylor|first=Ronald J.|title=Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary|publisher=Mountain Press Pub. Co|year=1994|isbn=0-87842-280-3|edition=rev.|location=Missoula, MT|pages=94|language=en|oclc=25708726|orig-date=1992}}</ref>
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 ([[geitonogamy]]) is common. The [[gynoecium]] consists of two carpels fused into a single, bicarpellate pistil with an [[inferior ovary]].<ref name="Taylor-1994" /> [[Glossary of botanical terms#stylopodium|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]]''<ref name="Heywood" /> and thus catch in the fur of animals. The seeds have an oily [[endosperm]]<ref name="Watson">Watson, L., Dallwitz, M.J. (1992 onwards) [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/ The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213041459/http://delta-intkey.com/angio/ |date=13 December 2010 }}. Version: 4 March 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=She, M. |author2=Pu, F. |author3=Pan, Z. |author4=Watson, M. |author5=Cannon, J.F.M. |author6=Holmes-Smith, I. |author7=Kljuykov, E.V. |author8=Phillippe, L.R. |author9=Pimenov, M.G. |year=2005|title= Apiaceae|journal=Flora of China|volume=14|pages=1–205|url= http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=10052}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Stace>{{cite book|last=Stace|first=C. A.|author-link = Stace, C. A.|year=2010|title=New Flora of the British Isles|edition=Third|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location = Cambridge, U.K.| page=88|isbn=978-0-521-70772-5}}</ref>{{rp|802}}