DICOTYLEDONS 8/ 



The accompanying illustration will not only 

 illustrate the Fool's Parsley, but explain the 

 structure of the flowers of all other members of 

 the Umbellifers, as there is great uniformity, 

 allowing for variations of detail. 



All the Umbellifers are herbs, often with a thick 

 tap-root like the carrot and parsnip, which belong 

 to the family. The leaves rise from the ground 

 and also from the stem. They generally have 

 divided blades or compound leaves, and in some 

 species they are finely dissected, as of fennel. 

 The stalks more or less sheath the stem at the 

 base. 



The flowers are clustered together on little 

 pedicels radiating from a terminal point of longer 

 stalks, which again radiate from the main stem. 

 This arrangement is called a compound umbel. 

 The structure of a flower is as follows, as given in 

 Fig. 21. The complete flower has an inferior 

 ovary (Fig. 5 a). The five sepals, which should 

 lie under the five petals, are wanting. The petal 

 tips are inflected (Figs. 2, 3). Five stamens alter- 

 nate with them. In the centre is seen a two-lobed 

 honey-disk with the two short styles arising between 

 them in the middle. Hence the petals and stamens 

 appear to rise from the summit of the ovary ; but 

 the reader will remember that this is explained by 

 the ovary being invested by an adherent recep- 

 tacular tube, which has carried the petals and 



