''Silaum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the carrot/parsley

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plan ...

. There are currently ten species placed into the genus, a list of which is provided below.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Silaum'' have

umbels In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' " ...

which are characteristic of plants in the family Apiaceae (they are ''umbelliferous'', "umbel-bearing"); the umbels in ''Silaus'' species tend to lack

bracts In botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the An ...

. ''Silaum'' species also tend to have a few umbellules (secondary umbels of compound umbels), and these umbellules have several small bracts called bractlets. Remains of dead leaves can often be found at the base of the plant; plants in ''Silaum'' are richly branched. The fruits of ''Silaum'' species have a carpophore, a supporting slender stalk for each half of a gape or burst open ( dehisced) fruit - these are common throughout the family Apiaceae; the carpophore is thread or filament-shaped (

filiform Filiform, thread or filament like, can refer to: * Filiform, a common term used in botany to describe a thread-like shape *Filiform, or filiform catheter In medicine, a catheter (/ˈkæθətər/) is a thin tubing (material), tube made from m ...

). In addition, ''Silaum'' fruits are elongated, divided and not flattened. The

mericarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more seeds (the m ...

s (one

carpel Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) '' pistils' ...

of umbelliferous fruit) have acute edges and five, rather low ridges. Plants in ''Silaus'' also have an oil tube in the fruit, called a vitta - there is one vitta per every ridge of furrow (a

vallecula Vallecula is an anatomic term for a crevice, depression, or furrow in something.Vallecula
at

), but are indistinct at maturity. The

petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

that surround the

flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

are yellow.

Taxonomy and naming

''Silaum'' was first formally described in 1754 by the Scottish botanist in charge of the

Chelsea Physic Garden The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines. This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the sc ...

Philip Miller Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ''The Gardeners Dicti ...

; this description was published in his own reference series,

The Gardeners Dictionary ''The Gardeners Dictionary'' was a widely cited reference series, written by Philip Miller (1691–1771), which tended to focus on plants cultivated in England. Eight editions of the series were published in his lifetime. After his death, it was ...

(abr., ed. 4 (1754)). The

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

of ''Silaum '' was not explicitly offered by Miller, who applied a plant name used by

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

, ''

Naturalis Historia The ''Natural History'' ( la, Naturalis historia) is a work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the ''Natural History'' compiles information gleaned from other ancient authors. ...

'', Book XXVI, chapter lvi, § 88, the sole mention of ''Silaus'': ''silaus nascitur glariosis et perennibus rivis, cubitalis apii similitudine...'' though it may refer to the mountainous plateau

La Sila La Sila, also simply Sila, is the name of the mountainous plateau and historic region located in Calabria, southern Italy. The Sila National Park is known to have the purest air in Europe. Geography The Sila occupies part of the provinces of Co ...

in southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Species

The

Global Biodiversity Information Facility The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around the ...

(GBIF) lists ten species that are currently placed in the genus ''Silaum'': *'' Silaum besseri'' ( DC.) Galushko *'' Silaum foliosum'' ( Sommier & Levier) Grossh. *'' Silaum perfoliatum'' ( Pharm. ex Wehmer) M.Hiroe *'' Silaum peucedanoides'' (

M.Bieb. Baron Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein (30 July 1768 in Stuttgart – 28 June 1826 in Merefa) was an early explorer of the flora and archeology of the southern portion of Imperial Russia, including the Caucasus and Novorossiya. He c ...

) M.Hiroe *'' Silaum popovii'' ( Korovin) M.Hiroe *'' Silaum saxatilis'' Bajtenov *'' Silaum serotinum'' (

Pers. Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (1 February 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a German mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy. Early life Persoon was born in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, the third child of an imm ...

) M.Hiroe *'' Silaum silaus'' ( L.) Schinz & Thell. *'' Silaum tenellum'' ( Velen.) M.Hiroe *'' Silaum tenuifolium'' (

Poir. Jean Louis Marie Poiret (11 June 1755 in Saint-Quentin7 April 1834 in Paris) was a French clergyman, botanist, and explorer. From 1785 to 1786, he was sent by Louis XVI to Algeria to study the flora. After the French Revolution, he became a ...

) Reduron

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q743050 Apioideae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller