The family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) can be credited with two major landmarks in
botanical history: the first systematic monographic treatment of any plant group
(Morison, 1672), and the first international symposium dedicated to systematic
research on a plant family (Heywood, 1971). The 1970 symposium on the Biology
and Chemistry of the Umbelliferae held at the University of Reading, UK, resulted
from the large body of research interest in the family around the world at that time,
and helped to stimulate further work on the Apiaceae. It also provided a model for
similar symposia on major plant groups in the years to follow, including Asteraceae
(Heywood et al., 1977), Brassicaceae (Vaughan et al., 1976), Lamiaceae (Harley &
Reynolds, 1992), Solanaceae (Hawkes et al., 1979), and Fabaceae (Summerfield &
Bunting, 1980; Polhill & Raven, 1981). Growing interest in umbellifers soon resulted
in a second international symposium on the family held at the Centre Universitaire
de Perpignan, France, in 1977 (Cauwet-Marc & Carbonnier, 1982). Although a large
role of this second symposium was to review progress on a major co-operative
research programme focused mainly on the tribe Caucalideae, participants with other
interests were also involved, and wider developments in the systematics of the family
were discussed.