Asia, the continent with the highest Umbelliferae biodiversity

A total of 281 genera of the Umbelliferae have been recorded for the Asian continent (out of 469 known genera in the world). The number of species is 2 115. These figures were obtained as a result of critical taxonomic evaluation of taxa in all countries rich in species and genera of the Umbelliferae; the data are stored in the original computer database ASIUM of Moscow University. One of the essential problems was a coordination of the taxonomy of related taxa of adjacent countries, described independently. ASIUM contains information on protologues, typification, citations in regional Floras, monographs and critical publications, synonymy, and geographical distribution (three-level registration — of the country, region and province). The countries with maximal species richness in the Umbelliferae are China (672 spp.), Turkey (Asiatic, 453 spp.), Iran (362 spp.), Russia (Asiatic, 276 spp.), Kazakhstan (234 spp.), India (227 spp.), Afghanistan (198 spp.), Kyrgyzstan (193 spp.), etc. The biggest genera among Asiatic Umbelliferae are Ferula (177 spp.), Bupleurum (156 spp.), Pimpinella (129 spp.), Heracleum (108 spp.), Seseli (104 spp.) and Angelica (87 spp.)