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. Yet many other umbellifers are deadly poisonous. The poisonous umbellifers include Giant Hogweed which contains such dangerously photo-toxic compounds as furocoumarins (synonymous with furanocoumarins). There are two families of furanocoumarins, linear furanocoumarins based on psoralen, and angular furanocoumarins based on angelicin. The pre-cursor to the furanocoumarins is coumarine itself, which smells of new-mown hay, is found in Lady's Bedstraw and is mostly harmless. It is shown for comparison only. Umbelliferone is another example of a coumarine. Umbelliferone, as its name suggests, occurs in a number of Umbellifers such as Carrot, Wild Angelica and Coriander as well as flowers from some other families such as that of Mouse-ear Hawkweed. Like Scopoletin, Umbelliferone is also used in sunscreening suncreams, but is probably photomutagenic, being activated by the same UV light that it absorbs! It is used as an optical brightener in white textiles, which works by way of UV fluorescence in the blue region of the spectrum. Hemlock [not yet linked to] contains the deadly poisonous alkaloid coniine which must be one of the the simplest alkaloids known. Socrates knowingly poisoned himself when he drank an infusion of Hemlock [not yet linked to] from a cup. The neurotoxin Coniine contributes to the feotid smell of Hemlock. Hemlock Water Dropwort contains the toxic compound oenanthotoxin. Cowbane the chemically very similar cicutoxin. These are both polyacetylenes with highly-energetic triple bonded carbon atoms, unusual in the natural world. Polyenes 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 !! Text on Family goes here