Umbellifers
The Umbellifers are surely known to everyone with even the most passing of interest in wild plants - as well as most people without an interest, if they did but know! These are abundant plants that line mile after mile of roadside verge, pop up in ditches and ponds, take over garden flowerbeds and scatter themselves across many acres of grassland. The white flowered species in particular are a highlight of spring and are impossible to miss, while a number of species are grown as herbs and vegetables. The distinctive feature of almost all members of this family is the structure of the flowerhead, with many rays originating from a single point on the stem and looking like an umbrella, a type of flowerhead that is known as an umbel. With most species, these umbels have a set of smaller umbels at the ends of their branches and these bear the individual flowers - so they are in effect an umbel of umbels! The family was for a long time known as the Umbelliferae but is now called the Apiaceae.
This is a large family with many species, so the main purpose of this page is to attempt to break this family up into bite-sized chunks, so that the pages you are led to do not get too big by containing a large number of species. At worst, if you follow a link from here and do not see your plant, return to this page and try another link. Note that some of the white-flowered species may often some in pink; in such cases, the species is shown on more than one page, so you should still find it.
At this stage, be sure to read the texts below carefully, as they contain identification information that may not be visible in the photographs; clicking to the next stage will help you get to the exact species. It is important with this family to not only look at flower colour but also to look at details of the fruits or seed capsules, so you may need to re-visit a plant if it is too early in the season. At the point where the umbel branches meet on the stem, you should check for the presence or absence of leafy bracts. At the outer ends of the umbel branches where the secondary umbels meet, you should also check for smaller bracts which are referred to in the descriptions as bracteoles. It is also helpful to note details of both basal and stem leaves and wether the stems are clearly ridged, spotted or hairy.
Use the photos below to narrow your search to a group, then click on the picture to go to the next stage.
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Umbellifers Growing In, Or Very Close To, Water Click on this picture if your umbellifer plants are growing in wetlands, regardless of their appearance. These species are typically found in standing water such as ponds or ditches or in vey wet, muddy places. Also included here are places that are wet in winter but might dry out in summer for a few months. Plants in these habitats are typically rather specific to wetlands so habitat choice can narrow your search. |
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Umbellifers with Yellow or Cream Flowers These plants are very variable in their leaves and fruits but all have the typical umbellifer flowerhead with yellow flowers. Also included here are plants with paler, cream-coloured flowers. |
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Umbellifers with Rough or Hairy Fruits These plants are very variable in their leaves and fruits but all have the typical umbellifer flowerhead with white flowers. These plants all have fruits that are not smooth-coated but may be hairy or covered in tiny hooks or spines. |
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Umbellifers with Flat Fruits These plants are very variable in their leaves and fruits but all have the typical umbellifer flowerhead with white flowers. These plants all have fruits that are smooth-coated and which are very obviously flattened in one plane, often leaving a disc-like fruit. |
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Umbellifers with Elongate Fruits These plants are very variable in their leaves and fruits but all have the typical umbellifer flowerhead with white flowers. These plants all have fruits that are smooth-coated and which are more than twice as long as wide and often producing an elongate, beak-like fruit. |
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Other Umbellifers If your plant does not seem to fit into any of the groups above, this group is made up of the relatively small number of oddities that cannot easily by fitted into the categories above. Try this group especially if your plant has rounded fruits that are smooth and which are neither elongated nor strongly flattened in one plane. Many species in this group have globular fruits which are often ribbed on the surface. |