WASTES AND WAYSIDES IN SUMMER 



169 



As to the general characters of the plants, it may also be noted 

 that the stems of the Umbelliferce are jointed, and frequently 

 hoUow ; also that the leaves are pinnately divided, and often 

 deco7npound (compound, with compound leaflets). 







THE Wild Parsnip. 



Our first example of this family is the common Hemlock {Conium 

 maculatum) of hedges and waste ground — a very graceful plant, 

 with a much-branched stem that grows from two to six or more 

 feet in height. It is distinguished by a foetid odour and poisonous 

 properties. Its stem is slender in proportion to the height, furrowed, 

 smooth, and spotted with purple or red. The flowers are white, 

 with hardly a trace of a calyx, and arranged in compound umbels. 



