THE UMBELLIFEROUS TRIBE. 27 



of plants. Look at the way in which the flowers are 

 arranged. You will remark that the flower-stem 

 divides at the top into a number of short slender 

 branches, which all proceed from a common point, 

 just as the rays of a parasol all proceed from the 

 ring which slides up the stick ; this is called an 

 UMBEL. Each of these rays is terminated by a cluster 

 of flowers, the stalks of which also proceed from a 

 common point, and form again an umbel. So that 

 the Fool's Parsley not only has its flowers arranged 

 in umbels, but in what, in consequence of their 

 divided nature, are called compound umbels ; the 

 clusters of flower-stalks by which the branches of the 

 first set of rays are terminated, are called simple 

 umbels, by way of distinction. It is to this circum- 

 stance of the peculiar arrangement of the flowers, 

 that the natural order to Avhich the Fool's Parsley 

 belongs is called Umbelliferous, or Umbel-bearers ; 

 for all the other plants belonging to the order, have 

 their flowers arranged in a similar manner ; and thus 

 you have one exceedingly simple and manifest cha- 

 racter by which the order is known. 



Let us next look at a separate flower ; the parts 

 are very small, but your little people's eyes are, I 

 dare say, good enough for them to see all that I 

 think it necessary to point out, without the use of a 

 microscope. In the first place, there is scarcely any 

 sign of a calyx ; all that you can find is a little 

 narrow border, from within which the petals arise. 

 The petals are five in number (^fig. '2.), of a greenish- 

 white colour, and each has its point doubled inwards 



