6 IDENTIFYING WILD FLOWERS. 



Toadflax the lips are closed, forming a sort of mask. In 

 the Orchidacese there is a lower lip-petal, often surmounted 

 by a hood of several petals and sepals, and resembling an 

 upper lip. 



An umbel is a somewhat flat flower-cluster in which 

 several flower-stalks or pedicels appear to start from the 

 same point on the main stalk, and are nearly of the same 

 length. Umbel-bearing plants generally have small 

 flowers, each with five petals, the flowers being rather 

 crowded and forming a more or less level-topped cluster. 

 A small number of umbel-bearers have flowers with six 

 petals, and such belong to the Lily and Narcissus orders, 

 etc. An umbel is said to be simple when each of its 

 branches or rays bears a single flower. The Primrose 

 order has umbels of this kind. A compound umbel is 

 one whose branches bear each a further umbel at the ex- 

 tremity. Measurements of the individual flower, the simple 

 or partial umbel, and the compound umbel, are given in 

 each case, but such are only to be taken as approximate. 



A spike is composed of flowers without separate 

 stalks fixed close on and along the main stalk or axis. 



A raceme is composed of flowers, each with a little 

 stalk or pedicel, fixed along the main stalk or axis. When 

 the flowers forming a spike or a raceme are crowded very 

 closely together, the resulting cluster has somewhat the 

 appearance of a Composite, whilst being essentially differ- 

 ent. The Clover " head," for instance, is composed of 

 entirely separate flowers in this way, each tiny flower, 

 however, having ten stamens, whilst true Composites 

 never have more than five. 



A panicle is composed of flowers which are mostly on 

 side branches growing along the main axis or stalk. 



A corymb is a flat-topped panicle, formed by the 

 lengthening of the outer and lower branches of the 

 main axis or stalk. 



2. Composite flowers are composed generally of very 

 small, stalkless flowers called " florets," crowded very tightly 

 together, or massed in " heads." The centre of a Composite 

 flower differs materially from the centre of a Simple flower. 



