114 THE STORY OF PLANT Tape 
cases named. Below each umbel is an involucre of 
bracts, and at the top of each partial umbel is another 
involucre of bracts, or involucel as it is named in this 
case. In the Carrot there is aterminal flower. The 
simple umbels are often cymose, as in Sanicle and Sea 
Holly. 
The flowers are regular, the sepals are small (five), 
the odd one posterior. The corolla consists of five 
petals, white or cream, and there are five anthers 
which open inwards. 
The flowers are closely grouped so that they are 
very conspicuous, and some of the outer ray flowers 
are larger. Honey is secreted within the disc, and 
easily accessible to insects. 
BEAKED PARSLEY (Anthriscus sylvestris). 
This umbelliferous plant is one of the earliest plants, 
the earliest species, to flower, and from this fact alone 
may easily be recognised, though it belongs to a group 
of plants which are very. difficult to identify without 
long acquaintance with them. 
It grows in great patches in fields and meadows, 
forming dense brakes in woods and plantations. It 
is so vigorous a plant that it destroys the grass 
around its wide-spreading foliage for some distance, 
and is therefore a pest to the farmer. 
Its characteristic smell in spring imparts quite an 
aroma to the neighbourhood of its habitat. People 
in the country call it Kek or Kirk, and it is often 
