174 BOTANY FOR BEGINNERS. [Ch. XIX 
sight, nor so interesting as many others. The corolla is supe- 
rior, or over the germ, consisting of six petals, usually with 
a stamen standing between each petal. From the centre of the 
he arise two styles, which often remain permanent upon the 
ruit. 
484, The general figure of the fruit is oblong or oval; it 
separates perpendicularly into two seeds, as may be seen in the 
Fennel or Dill. The figure, margin, and angles of the seeds 
are considered as affording proper characters of the genera; as 
‘in the Parsnip they are flat, in the Carrot bristly, in the Hem- 
lock marked with ridges. Among the plants of this family 
which are used as articles of food, are the Carrot, Parsnip, 
Celery, and Parsley; the aromatics are Dill, Fennel, Sweet 
Cicely, Caraway, and Coriander; and among the poisonous 
plants, are the Conium, (Poison Hemlock,) Water-Parsnip, and 
the Cicuta, (Water-Hemlock.) 
COMPOUND FLOWERS. 
485. The flowers of this family begin to blossom 1n the latter 
part of summer, and are found almost bordering upon the verge 
of winter. The Dandelion is among the earliest flowers of 
spring, and one of the latest of autumn. The Daisy, in its na- 
tive country, is found in almost every spot which exhibits any 
marks of fertility; but with us is no where found except in 
gardens. 
486. The Dandelion is not a single flower like a violet or 
rose, but a crowded cluster of little flowers. The Sunflower 
is so large and conspicuous, as doubtless to have frequently at- 
tracted your notice. If you examine one carefully, you will find 
it to be composed of more than a hundred florets or little flow- 
ers, each as perfect in its kind as a lily, having its corolla, sta~ 
mens, pistils, and seed. 
487. We distinguish the Sunflower into two parts—the disk, 
which is the middle of the flower, and supposed to have a re- 
semblance to the middle or body of the sun; the ray is the bor- 
der of the flower, it contains those florets which spread out from 
the disk as rays of light diverge from the sun. The florets in 
this, as in other compound flowers, do not all begin to expand at 
the same time, they usually begin at the disk, and proceed in- 
wards towards the centre. ; 
484. What is observed of the fruit of the umbellate plants ? 
485. What is said of the blossoming of compound flowers ? 
486. How do the dandelion and sunflower differ from the violet and 
rose ? 
487, Into what two parts would you distinguish the sunflower ? 
ry a S a ee 
