DICOTYLEDONS DIAGRAM lo. 175 



CLASS OF DICOTYLEDONS; 



OK, PLANTS OF WHICH THE SEED HAS TWO COTYLEDONS. 



FAMILY UMBELLIPBR^E. 



The family of Umbellifercv includes a great number of useful or 

 aromatic plants, such as the parsnip, the anise, the caraway, the 

 chervil, the ^;ewsfey, celery and carrot: and other plants, which 

 are poisonous, such as the hemlock, and the hemlock u'ater drop- 

 wort. The umbelliferae may easily be known, because all their 

 flowers are arranged so as to form a kind of parasol or umbrella, 

 whence they derive their name ; the stalk terminates suddenly, 

 and radiates from this point a number of small stalks, often 

 surrounded at the base with a sort of frill of leaves. Most of 

 these short stalks divide in their turn a little higher up, like the 

 principal stalk ; and there is also a second frill of leaves. Each 

 of these divisions bears a flower. This has a corolla with five 

 petals and five stamens. The corolla and stamens are inserted 

 upon the ovary itself, as is the case in many plants. The flower 

 of the umbelliferee is always small. 



The stems of the umbelliferse are often hollow : and there are 

 very few trees in this family. The flowers of the elder seem also 

 to form an umbel ; but it is easy to see that they httve not the 

 same characters* 



