Umbelliferae family plants

Ammi visnaga is a plant of the Umbelliferae family, which has been known and used for its therapeutic properties by the peoples of the Mediterranean basin since time immemorial. 

The cicutoxin-like compounds are known for their extreme and violent toxicity. There are other plant species that contain these polyacetylene type compounds, however none are as toxic as cicutoxin and oenanthotoxin. These species all come from the Umbelliferae family and include Falcaria vulgaris, Slum sisarum, Carum carvi, Aegopodium podagraria and Daucus carota. Daucus carota is the common carrot and it contains a similar cicutoxin-like compound, caratotoxin, but is less toxic (LD50 = 100 mg/kg i.v. in mice) than cicutoxin. Caratotoxin is found in minute amounts in carrots and is not considered a health concern for humans (Crosby and Aharonson, 1967). 

Cavities are tubular spaces developed in plants due to cell deterioration. Cavities occur in anis, caraway, corriander, and fennel (members of the Umbelliferae family) and the needle oils of the Abies and Pinus. 

The close relationships of larval growth rates and efficiencies (see Fig. 7.1 Waldbauer, 1968) with leaf nitrogen content is illustrated in Fig. 7.2. The symbols represent the mean performance ( SE) of the black swallowtail butterfly, Papiliopolyxenes, larvae for 11 different species of the Umbelliferae family at particular times of the growing season. The poor correspondence of plant N... 

The edible roots of this plant are one of the world s leading vegetable crops. They are also the richest source of vitamin A among the commonly-used vegetables. Carrots are a mem-E)er of the parsley family (Umbelliferae) of plants. Other well-known members of this family are caraway, celery, dill, fennel, parsley, and parsnips. 

Swedes and turnips are both brassicas in which the principal phytochemicals of interest are glucosinolates found throughout the plant but particularly in the root. Parsnip is a member of the Umbelliferae family and like many members of this family, including celery (Apium graveolens), contains psoralen (Figure 7.6) which in sensitive people can cause blistering on exposure to light (see Section 7.3.5 and Chapter 5). 

Plants that can cause photodermatitis include carrots, celery, parsnip, dill, fennel, caraway, parsley, lovage, anise, and chervil among the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae, or carrot family), figs (Moraceae), and citrus fruits (grapefruit, lemon, lime. 

Heterocycles which are not biosynthesized in humans, but which are natural products produced by other life forms, are very important in the history of drug design. This is particularly true of alkaloids containing a piperidine ring. These include coniine (8.87, extracted from poison hemlock, Conium maculatum, a member of the Umbelliferae carrot family), atropine (from Atropa belladonna and other genera of the Solanaceae plant family the plant was called belladonna [ beautiful woman ] since it was used by... 

Coumarins occur abundantly in various plant families, e.g. Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Moraceae, Poaceae, Rutaceae and Sola-naceae. However, the Apiaceae alt. Umbelliferae) and the Rutaceae are the two most important coumarin-producing plant families. 

ANISE. Of the family Umbelliferae (carrot family), the anise plant (Pimpinclla anisum) is native to the Mediterranean region and is cultivated in F.gypt, Malta, Spain, and Syria, but also in other areas of the world, such as Germany and the United States. 

VOLATILE OILS. The volatile oils are distinguished from the fixed oils by the fact that a drop of one of the former does not leave a spot on papei Members of certain plant families, such as the Labiatae, contain a larger percentage of such oils than do other families. But volatile oils are in no sense restricted to any small group, nor are they found only in certain tissues. Sometimes, certain parts may be principally used for the oils, as the seeds of the Umbelliferae. 

Coumarins are widely distributed in plants, and are commonly found in families such as the Umbelliferae/Apiaceae and Rutaceae, both in the free form and as glycosides. Coumarin itself is... 

Guenther, E. (1982) The Essential Oils, Individual Essential Oils of the Plant Families Gramineae, Lauraceae, Burseraceae, Myrtaceae, Umbelliferae and Greraniaceae, Volume 4. Van Nostrand, New York, pp. 634-645. 

Celery belongs to the family Umbelliferae. It is a biennial plant, although grown as an annual crop. The leafstalks are 15—38 cm long bear three pairs and a terminal leaf-... 

Wolski, T., Najda, A. and Hoderna Kedzia, E. (2004) The content and composition of essential oils and extracts obtained from fruits of some plants of the Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) family and preliminary antibacterial assessment of extracts. Postepy Fitoterapii 5(13), 119-125. 

ABSTRACT Monoterpenoids are the components of essential oils, which are produced and accumulated, in large amounts by plants from certain families, including Labiatae, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae, Umbelliferae and Rutaceae. They are of special interest because of their industrial applications and on account of their chemical properties and biological activity. Monoterpenic composition can be useful in genetic and chemotaxonomic studies of coniferous species. 

The Umbelliferae or Apiaceae is one of the best known families of flowering plants, because of its characteristic inflorescences, fruits and the distinctive chemistry reflected in the odor, flavor and even toxicity of many of its members. The Umbelliferae seems to be the first flowering plant family to be recognized as such by botanists in around the 16th century, although only the temperate Old World species were known by then. It was also the first group of plants to be the subject of a systematic study published by Robert Morison in 1672 [15]. 

Chromones, furanocoumarins and flavonoids are common constituents in many plant families, Coumarins are specifically abundant in the families Rutaceae and Umbelliferae [11], The yield could sometimes reach up to 1% of the dry plant weight. Table 5 illustrates various antiviral activities of chromones, coumarins and flavonoids. 

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