352 BOTANY AND PHARMACOGNOSY. 



b. UMBELLIFER^ OR CARROT FAMILY.— The plants 

 are herbs, frequently with hollow stems; alternate, simple or 

 compound leaves, the base of the petiole often forming an 

 inflated sheath ; and small white, yellowish, greenish or somewhat 

 purplish flowers occurring in simple or compound umbels. The 

 fruit is a cremocarp, having characters which are of important 

 taxonomic value, as the presence or absence of secondary ribs, 

 number and position of the vittae, etc. 



Coriandrum sativum is an annual herb the fruits of which 

 are official (p. 562). The leaves are bi-or tri-pinnate, the leaflets 

 being narrow linear-lanceolate; and the .flowers are white or 

 rose-colored. 



Conium niaculatum, or Poison Hemlock is a tall, erect, branch- 

 ing, biennial plant, with purplish spotted stems, pinnately decom- 

 pound leaves and small, white flowers (Fig. 170). The fruit is 

 official (p. 567). 



Carum Carvi (Caraway) is a biennial herb with bi- or tri- 

 pinnate, deeply incised leaves,' and white flowers. The fruit is 

 official (p. 565) and the Jeajyes &re also used in medicine. 



Pimpinella Anisum is a'small, hairy, annual herb. The leaves 

 are variable, the lower being somewhat cordate and serrate, the 

 middle distinctly lobed, and the upper ones trifid ; the flowers are 

 white. The fruit is official (p.;^56o) and is also used for flavoring. 



Fceniculum vulgare is an annual or*- perennial, glabrous herb 

 with very finely dissected leaves, the"; divisions being narrow- 

 linear. The flowers are yellow, and the' involucre and involucels 

 are wanting. The fruit is official (p. 563). 



Ferula fcetida is a stout, perennial herb with few, ternately 

 compound leaves and small, polygamous, light yellow flowers. 

 The root is rather large and yields the gum-resin asafetida (p. 

 671 ). Asafetida is also derived from other species of Ferula. 



Ferula Sumbul is a tall perennial herb with purplish latex- 

 containing stems. The basal leaves are ternately compound and 

 with amplexicaul base. The leaves decrease in size from the base 

 upward, becoming bract-like near the inflorescence. The flowers 

 are polygamous, resembling those of F fatida. The root is 

 official (p. 462) and is probably also obtained from other closely 

 related species of Ferula. 



