# Apioideae

Apioideae is a family of plants that includes many tasty vegetables like carrots and parsley. They have beautiful flowers and are often found in gardens and fields.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Gardens and fields

![Apioideae](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Koehler1887-PimpinellaAnisum.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koehler1887-PimpinellaAnisum.jpg)

## Appearance

The Apioideae subfamily often has hollow stems and feathery, deeply divided leaves. Its small, numerous flowers are typically arranged in flat-topped or dome-shaped clusters called umbels, which can be white, yellow, or pinkish.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Streptophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Apiales
- **Family:** Apiaceae

## Interesting facts

- Some Apioideae plants can make your skin extra sensitive to sunlight!
- Their unique flower clusters look like tiny fireworks exploding in the field!
- This plant group includes the world's most poisonous plants, like hemlock!
- You might not know it, but carrots and celery are both in this family!

## Special abilities

- **Chemical Shield:** Apioideae can produce furanocoumarins that act as a strong defense, making them toxic to many hungry herbivores.
- **Sun Umbrella:** Apioideae has compound umbels that cluster tiny flowers, providing efficient sun exposure and a landing pad for many pollinators.
- **Stem Strength:** Apioideae often has hollow stems that make the plant surprisingly strong yet light, helping it grow tall without breaking.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-200 cm
- **Spread:** 15-100 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring, Summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** High
- **Lifecycle:** Biennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Eastern Black Swallowtail (*Papilio polyxenes*) — Larvae feed on leaves for growth.
- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits abundant small flowers for nectar.
- **Eaten by:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Grazes on non-toxic members of the subfamily.
- **Parasitizes:** Celery Leaf Spot Fungus (*Cercospora apii*) — Infects leaves of many cultivated Apioideae plants.

## Traits

- [Herbaceous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbaceous): Herbaceous plants are non-woody plants with soft stems that typically die back to the ground at the end of the growing season.
- [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators.
- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always check with an adult before touching or eating any plants.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Apioideae?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Apioideae?

10-200 cm

### How wide does Apioideae spread?

15-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on Apioideae?

0.1-0.5 cm

### When does Apioideae bloom?

Spring, Summer

### Is Apioideae edible?

No

### Is Apioideae toxic?

High

### What is Apioideae's lifecycle?

Biennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Apioideae: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/apioideae)