ITMBELLIFERE, Apiaccee of Lindley, a large and important natural order of exogen ous plants, containing more than 1000 species, abounding chiefly in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. A peculiar regularity distinguishes the inflorescence of most of this order; a number of stalks, radiating from a common center at the top of the stem, or of a branch, each of which bears a flower at its extremity, thus forming what is called an undtd. The umbel is often compound, the stalks dividing in radiated manner, and forming secondary umbels or umbellales. The flowers are generally small, although the umbel which they compose is often large. They are generally white, rarely yellow, still more rarely red, though frequently tinged whit pink at the edges; have a 5-toothed calyx, often obsolete, or nearly so; a corolla of Live petals, inserted in the top of Le calyx, and alternating with its teeth, five stamens, an inferior germen, and two styles. The fruit is very peculiar, and consists of two one-seeded, unopening carpals, rarely fleshy, touching one another on the inner side. and there attached to a little column (the carpophore), their common axis. Each carpel lias five primary and four secondary longitudinal ridges, more or less distinct; and beneath the separating furrows there are often linear receptacles of essential oil, called mitts. The umbelliferze are mostly herbaceous plants, rarely shrubby. They generally have divided or com pound, rarely simple leaves. They generally abound in a resinous secretion, and a volatile oil, from which many of them derive poisonous and medicinal properties, which are more or less common to all parts of the plant, and often highly developed in the seeds. Acridity is their general characteristic. Some are plea-antly aromatic, others
have a powerful and disagreeable smell. In the roots of some, especially when enlarged by cultivation, starch and sugar are secreted, so that they become useful for food, although the peculiar fl Ivor of the essential oil is still retained The systematic arrange ment of the unthelliferte has been found difficult by botanists. Sprengel, De Candolle, Koch, and others, have devoted much attention to this order. Of esentent-rooted umbelliferx, the carrot and parsnip are the best known examples. Skirret. earth-nut, and arracacha are also of some value, The roots of anesorhiza capensis and fee/lien/tn capense are used as esculents at the cape of Good Hope. The roots of chcerophyllum tuberosum, or SHAM, are used in the Himalaya. The herbage of pro egos pabularia is so bland that it is much used in the temperate parts of the East Indies for feeding Cattle, and made into hay for winter fodder. It is said. however, to be injormus to horses, although oxen and sheep are rapidly fattened by it. The blanched stems of celery, enlarged by cultivation, are a favorite salad, and those of Alexanders (Smyrnium alum tram) were formerly used in the same way. The candied stalks of cryngo were once mirth esteemed, and those of angelica are still used. The leaves of parsley, chervil, fennel, etc., are used for flavoring. Lovage (lerislieom offleinale) is sometimes cultivated as a salad plant. The, seeds of anise, caraway, coriander, etc., are used as carminatives. Hemlock, water hemlock, water parsnip, fool's parsley, and many others, are narcotic poisons—asafetida, galbantnn, sagapeuum, and opoponax are medicinal products of this brder.