30 LETTER II. 



Fool's Parsley from common Parsley. Observe, once 

 more, the simple umbels of the former species ; at the 

 bottom of the flower- stalks there are a few narrow 

 taper -pointed green leaves which you will, pro- 

 bablv, recognize by their situations to be bracts 

 (see page 5. and ^^. 1. a. a. a.). When bracts sur- 

 round a number of flowers in a ring, just as sepals 

 surround petals, and petals surround stamens, they 

 form what is called an involucre ; it is, therefore, 

 by this name that I must speak of the bracts of um- 

 belliferous plants. The involucres, then, of Fool's 

 Parsley, consist each of three leaves, which all turn 

 one way, spreading towards the outside of the umbel ; 

 by this easy character it may be certainly known 

 from common Parsley, and from all the rest of 

 our wild umbelliferous plants, the involucres of which 

 are quite different. 



It would be a good thing if they could all be dis- 

 tinguished from each other as easily ; but, unfortu- 

 nately, umbelliferous plants are often so much alike, 

 that nothing but a very minute attention to the for- 

 mation of the fruit, will enable you to find out their 

 names and qualities with certainty. I shall not pre- 

 tend to shew you much of the manner of doing this ; 

 for, if you would learn to distinguish them, you 

 must peruse books on systematic Botany, in which 

 umbelliferous plants are described. But, as it will 

 be useful for vou to know the meaning of some 

 words that are, of necessity, employed in speaking 

 of their fruit, I may as well explain what those are. 



The back of each half of the fruit of Fool's Parsley, 



