246 UMBELLIFER.E. 



ORD. XXXVIIL UMBELLIFEK^E. THE UMBEL- 

 LIFEROUS TRIBE. 



Calyx superior, 5-toothed, often reduced to a mere 

 margin ; petals 5, usually ending in a point, which is 

 Ipent inwards ; stamens 5, alternate with the petals, 

 curved inwards when in bud ; ovary inferior, 2-celled, 

 crowned by a fleshy disk, which bears the petals and 

 stamens ; styles 2 ; stigmas small ; fruit composed of 

 2 carpels, which adhere by their faces to a central 

 stalk, from which as they ripen they separate below, 

 and finally are attached by the upper extremity only ; 

 each carpel is marked by 5 vertical ridges, with 4 in- 

 termediate ones ; these ridges are separated by channels, 

 in which are often found, imbedded in the substance 

 of the fruit, narrow cells (called wttce), containing a 

 coloured oily matter ; seeds 1 in each carpel, attached 

 by their upper extremity, and containing a large horny 

 albumen ; the flowers are usually small, and situated on 

 the extremities of little stalks, which are united at the 

 base, and form an umbel. When several of these smaller 

 umbels proceed in like manner from a common stalk, 

 the umbel is said to be compound; the larger being 

 called a general umbel, the smaller partial. The small 

 leaves which commonly accompany the flowers of this 

 tribe are called general, or partial bracts, according to 

 their position; each collection of bracts is sometimes 

 termed an involucre. All the British plants belonging 

 to this order are herbaceous, with tubular, or solid, 

 jointed stems. With two exceptions, Eryngium and 

 Hydrocotyle, they have compound umbels. By far the 

 larger number have also divided leaves, more or less 

 sheathing at the base, and white flowers. Though it is 

 easy to decide at a glance to what order they are to be 

 assigned, no such facility exists in distinguishing the 

 families of the Umbelliferse. Indeed, were it not for 

 the large number of species (1,500), which are known to 

 exist, it is probable that they would have been brought 



