Page "Apiaceae" Paragraph 2

The defining characteristic of this family is the inflorescence: a simple or compound umbel.

Flowers across the Apiaceae are fairly uniform and are usually perfect ( hermaphroditic ) and actinomorphic, but some are andromonoecious, polygamomonoecious, or even dioecious ( as in Acronema ), with a distinct calyx and corolla, but the calyx if often highly reduced, to the point of being undetectable in many species, while the corolla can be white, yellow, pink or purple.

The flowers are nearly perfectly pentamerous, with 5 petals, sepals, and stamens.