Assorted Umbellifers
What are they?
Members of the umbellifer family (Apiaceae) are a familiar sight in the countryside and this page deals with umbellifers that don't fit into the other groups covered on this site. Their fruits tend not to be strongly flattened, are not greatly elongated and are typically smooth. Most members of this family are immediately recognisable by their distinctive flowerheads, which consist of multiple rays spreading out from a single point on the stem, with these rays then bearing a further set of shorter rays at their tips; the flowers are carried singly at the ends of these secondary rays and the flowers are followed by distinctive fruits. Some members of this family are small annuals, while others are large biennials, forming a leaf rosette in the first year then flowering and fruiting in the following year. Some are longer-lived perennials. This is a rather unusual family since it contains plants that are commonly grown as vegetables or culinary herbs, as well as some dangerously poisonous ones - so correct identification can at times be vital!
Where are they found?
These are not all plants of any one particular habitat, so the habitat can be a useful aid towards identification. Here you may find species of grasslands, farmland, roadsides, waste ground, coastal sites and urban areas.
Identification
Umbellifers may seem rather daunting at first as they all can look rather similar. However, the secret is to use a combination of characters to arrive at the correct identification. Features to check should include flower colour, stem detail (spotted/hairy/ridged), leaf detail (especially fineness of the leaf segments), fruit/seed capsule detail (shape and hairiness or whether grooved on the surface) and a check for the presence or absence of bracts or bracteoles at the points where the flowerhead rays meet (bracts at the lower, main node and bracteoles at the upper node, just below the flowers). Where possible, all these features are shown in the photos below and bract/bracteole locations are shown even when these features are absent - which can be a useful feature. Note also that many species have distinctive scents, so sniffing the plant can be useful and is best achieved by squeezing and rubbing part of the leaf or stem or digging in a thumb nail to help to release the scent.
Ground-elder Aegopodium podagraria
Introduced as a herbal treatment and now widespread and common in mostly urban and suburban environments. Well known to gardeners as an almost indestructible weed! Flowers May to June. Flowering stems to 1.2m in height but more typically to 60cm. Leaves one to two-pinnate, forming an extensive, creeping mat from spreading rhizomes; bracts and bracteoles absent; fruits 3-4mm long, ovoid, slightly compressed and with neat ridges on the corners.
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Fool's Parsley Aethusa cynapium
Introduced. Widespread on heavier and enriched soils on arable land, gardens and allotments. Flowers June to November. Flowering stems to 1.2m in height but often much less. Leaves two to three-pinnate, rich, deep green in colour; bracts absent, bracteoles 3-4 on the outer side of the flower clusters, very long and hanging vertically when the flowers are mature - very distinctive; fruits 2.5-4mm long, ovoid, like little rugby balls and with prominent ridges.
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Common Pignut Conopodium majus
Native. Widespread in unimproved grassland habitats such as old parkland, open woodland and churchyards. Flowers May to June. Flowering stems 30-60cm in height. Leaves two to three-pinnate, very finely cut into narrow segments; bracts 0-2, bracteoles 2-5; fruits 2.5-4.5mm long, ovoid to oblong with fine ridges.
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Common Burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga
Native. Widespread in unimproved grassland habitats especially, roadsides and churchyards on chalkier soils. Flowers July to August. Flowering stems 30-60cm in height. Lower leaves very variable, from once-pinnate with coarsely-toothed margins to two-pinnate and deeply cut; upper leaves two- to three-pinnate, finely cut into narrow segments; bracts and bracteoles absent; fruits 2-3mm long, globular, slightly flattened and shiny with slender ridges.
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Greater Burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella major
Native. A scarce species in East Anglia; absent from Norfolk (except where introduced at Wheatfen) and scattered on chalky roadsides in the south and west of the region. Flowers July to August. Flowering stems to 1.2m in height. Leaves typically one-pinnate, quite coarsely toothed at the margins; bracts and bracteoles absent; fruits 3-4mm long, oval, slightly flattened and with very fine ridges.
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Stone Parsley Sison amomum
Native. Quite widespread on chalky clay soils throughout south Norfolk and central Suffolk, especially on grassy verges and under hedges. Flowers July to September. Flowering stems to one metre in height, the whole plant with a strong petroleum smell if rubbed. Leaves one to two-pinnate, quite coarsely toothed or lobed at the margins; bracts 2-4, bracteoles 2-4; fruits small, 1.5-3mm long, broadly oval, slightly flattened and with neat fine ridges. This is a very fine and spindly species that is easy to overlook.
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Rock Samphire Crithmum maritimum
Native. In the UK this is predominantly a species of rocky coasts and is consequently rather rare in East Anglia, but it can be found on stabilised shingle in Suffolk, becoming more frequent southward and into Essex. Flowers June to August. Low growing and forming spreading mats. Leaves two- to three-pinnate, succulent and fleshy, glaucous; bracts 5-10, bracteoles 6-8; fruits 3.5-5mm long, elliptical with prominent ridges.
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Bullwort Ammi majus
Introduced. Reported a handful of times from around the region as an accidental introduction, perhaps from spilt birdseed or in imported grain. More recently, this species has been grown in 'wildflower mixes' and occasional plants may pop up in urban environments as a result of self seeding into neighbouring areas. Flowers June to October. Flowering stems to one metre in height. Leaves one to two-pinnate; bracts numerous, cut deeply to the veins and deeply forked; bracteoles with long, slender tips and white, winged margins at the base; fruits 1.5-2mm long, elliptical with slender but prominent ridges.
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Toothpick-plant Visnaga daucoides
Introduced. Reported a handful of times from around the region as an accidental introduction, perhaps from spilt birdseed or in imported grain. More recently, this species has been grown in 'wildflower mixes' and occasional plants may pop up in urban environments as a result of self seeding into neighbouring areas. Flowers June to October. Flowering stems to one metre in height but often much less. Lower leaves once-pinnate, upper leaves much smaller, two to four-pinnate and deeply cut into linear segments; bracts numerous, cut deeply to the veins and deeply forked; bracteoles narrowly tapered to a fine point; fruits 2-2.5mm long, oval with slender ridges.
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Coriander Coriandrum sativum
Introduced. An annual formerly occurring occasionally as an accidental introduction or throw-out from spilt grain or birdseed but also grown for culinary purposes. Flowers June to August. Flowering stems 30-60cm in height. Flowers with strongly asymetrical petals. Lower leaves with broad leaflets rather like celery in appearance and used for flavouring as Cilantro; upper leaves two- to four-pinnate, finely cut into narrow segments; bracts absent, bracteoles 4-6; fruits 2-3mm long, globular, with the two halves not separating freely.
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Longleaf Falcaria vulgaris
Introduced. Occasionally appears as a short-lived plant in grassy and rough places but well established in Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire. Flowers July to September. Flowering stems 30-90cm in height. Leaves two to three-pinnate, blue-green in colour and with distinctive, winged segments with saw-toothed margins; bracts 4-15, bracteoles 4-15; fruits 3-4mm long, oblong, flattened and grooved.
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