umbel

American  

[uhm-buhl] / ˈʌm bəl /

noun

Botany.

1. an inflorescence in which a number of flower stalks or pedicels, nearly equal in length, spread from a common center.

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umbel British  

/ ʌmˈbɛlə, -ˌleɪt, ˈʌmbɪlɪt, ˈʌmbəl /

noun

1. an inflorescence, characteristic of umbelliferous plants, in which the flowers arise from the same point in the main stem and have stalks of the same length, to give a cluster with the youngest flowers at the centre

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umbel Scientific  

/ ŭm′bəl /

1. A flat or rounded indeterminate inflorescence in which the individual flower stalks (called pedicels) arise from about the same point on the stem at the tip of the peduncle. The geranium, milkweed, and onion have umbels. Umbels usually show centripetal inflorescence, with the lower or outer flowers blooming first.

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Other Word Forms

• umbellate
  adjective
• umbellately
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of umbel

1590–1600; < Latin umbella a sunshade, parasol, derivative of umbra shadow, shade; for formation see castellum

Example Sentences

"I was once a trusting, loving, and giving individual," said Tammie Umbel, CEO of Shea Terra Organics, a natural skin care company based in Sterling, Virginia.

From Inc • Apr. 30, 2013

When the stalks which in the simple umbel are the pedicels of single flowers themselves branch into an umbel, a Compound Umbel is formed.

From The Elements of Botany For Beginners and For Schools by Gray, Asa

Umbel, um′bel, n. a form of flower in which a number of stalks, each bearing a flower, radiate from one centre.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Umbel, stems of the separate flowers about equal in length, and starting from the same point.

From Trees of the Northern United States Their Study, Description and Determination by Apgar, A. C. (Austin Craig)

Umbel symmetrical with regular branches; plants tall and stout — 23. 23a.

From The Plants of Michigan Simple Keys for the Identification of the Native Seed Plants of the State by Gleason, Henry Allan