126 FAMILIAR WILD FLOJTEBS. 



divided, and of the form termed botanieally tri-pinnate. 

 When a leaf is composed, as in the case of the ash or the 

 parsnip, of a number of lateral leaflets, it is said to be pin- 

 nate or feather-like ; when these lateral divisions are them- 

 selves pinnated, it is said to be bi-pinnate, or twice-feathered. 

 The leaf in our illustration is of this character, but some of 

 the lower leaves are still more divided, and become tri- 

 pinnate. The lower leaves are considerably larger than the 

 upper; their arrangement on the main stem is alternate, 

 and all embrace it with that sheathing base which is so 

 characteristic of the umbelliferous plants. 



The stems are erect and branched, furrowed, attaining 

 ordinarily to a height of some two feet, but sometimes ex- 

 ceeding this ; both stems and leaves are more or less clothed 

 with short coarse hairs. The umbels of the flowers are 

 terminal, large, and composed of numerous rays. The 

 flowers themselves are very small, but from their whiteness 

 and number, present in the aggregate a very conspicuous 

 appearance. During the flowering-period the head is nearly 

 flat or slightly convex, but as the seeds ripen the form 

 becomes very cup-like ; hence one of the popular names for 

 the plant is bird's-nest, while in Germany it is the Vogelnext. 

 The two contrasting forms, the umbel during the flowering 

 and during the fruiting stage, may be clearly seen in our 

 illustration. The ring of finely-divided and leaf-like bracts 

 at the point whence the umbel springs is another 

 noticeable feature. The fruit is covered with numerous 

 little bristles, arranged in five rows. 



If any of our readers will rescue just the head of 

 a carrot, before the cook consigns it to the rubbish - 

 heap, and then place it in a small saucer of water, in 

 a short time it will throw up a very graceful and delicate 



