• A typical umbelliferous flower head.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  With hundreds of genera and thousands of species from which to choose, identifying plants in the carrot or celery family, the Umbelliferae, also known as Apiaceae, is a challenge. White to greenish-white flowers, depending on sun and moisture conditions, are common and are always borne in flat to slightly curved heads, the umbels. This group is known for the aromatic chemicals in all parts of the plant, both medicinal and toxic. Be sure of your identification before tasting.
  
  

Parsley

• Parsley is usually grown for its leaves, but allowing it to send up flowering shoots brings both a bonus of blossoms and seeds that will replenish your supply. These plants are adaptable, thriving in both sun and part shade, but for best leaf supply give them regular watering. Try both the variety with tightly curled leaves and the flat leaved form often termed Italian parsley. Many people consider the flat-leaved form to have the best flavor for cooking.
  
  

Angelica

• The common Angelica (A. archangelica) was once used as a medicinal herb for fighting infections and was candied to use as a sweet. The entire plant has a pleasant odor, even the roots. A biennial, it grows large, parsley-like leaves in clump as much as 3 feet across the first year then puts up a 4 to 6 foot high flowering shoot the next year, dying after the seeds ripen. It is difficult to start from seeds that aren't fresh. Angelica prefers damp soil and sun to partial shade.
  
  

Sweet Cecily

• The common Angelica (A. archangelica) was once used as a medicinal herb for fighting infections and was candied to use as a sweet. The entire plant has a pleasant odor, even the roots. A biennial, it grows large, parsley-like leaves in clump as much as 3 feet across the first year then puts up a 4 to 6 foot high flowering shoot the next year, dying after the seeds ripen. It is difficult to start from seeds that aren't fresh. Angelica prefers damp soil and sun to partial shade.
  
  

Queen Anne's Lace

• Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota) is a wild form of carrot, often grown in gardens but naturalized in many places as a weed. Like parsley and Angelica, it is biennial, returning the second year from the long root. The leaves are finely cut and there is usually one dark red blossom in the center of the umbel of flowers. Give it sun and it grows in most soil, even clay.
  
  

Poison Hemlock

• Poison hemlock is a truly dangerous plant. Every part --- leaves, seeds, stems and roots --- are poisonous, causing paralysis of the muscles including those used for breathing. There is no known antidote. Even handling the plant can cause a toxic reaction. Poison hemlock looks much like Queen Anne's lace and can be difficult to distinguish it. To be safe, never eat any part of a plant in the celery family that hasn't been grown in a garden from a seed packet. There are other poisonous plants in the family besides this one.