OF THE INFLORESCENCE. 191 



trary to the usual order in its genus ; both which in- 

 stances prove such a diversity to be of small moment. 



Umbella, an Umbel, for which some authors retain the 

 obsolete old English name of Rundle. In this seve- 

 ral flower-stalks, or rays, nearly equal in length, 

 spread from one common centre, their summits form- 

 ing a level, convex, or even globose surface, more 

 rarely a concave one. When each ray is simple and 

 single-flowered, it is called a simple umbel, y^ 136, as 

 those of Allium ursinum, Engl. Bot. t. 122, Ivy, t. 

 1267, Primula veris, t. 5, Jarinosa, t. 6, elatior, t. 

 513, and Eucabjptus r&sinifera, Exot. Bot. t. 84.(95) 

 In a compound umbel each ray or stalk mostly bears 

 an umbellula, or partial umbel, as Athamanta Libano- 

 tis, Engl. Bot. t. 138. This is usually the case in 

 the very natural order of plants called unbelliferous, 

 f. 138, to which the last- mentioned, as well as the 

 common Carrot, Parsnep, Parsley, Hemlock, &c. be- 

 longs. 



A {qw only of this order have simple umbels, as 

 Hydrocotyle vulgaris, t. 751, and the curious ^^/rcn- 

 ti<£, f. 137, and Eriocalia^ Exot. Bot. t. 76 — 79. In 

 Euphorbia the umbel is difieiently compounded, con- 

 sisiing of 3, 4, 5 or numerous rays, each of which is 

 repeatedly hubdivided, either in a threefold or forked 

 manner. See Engl. Bot. t. 883, 959, &c.(96) 



(95) [Fine examples of the Simple Umbel occur in the Silk- 

 weeds, AHclefiiaa Syriaca, fiur/iurascens., tuberosa. Sec] 



(96) '^Ai' Um'iel is said to be radiate, when the outer petals 

 of tiie external flowers are larger and longer than the rest ; it is 



