Tut. Well then—go and bring one.
[Harry fetches it.
Geo. I think I have seen a great many of this sort.
Tut. Perhaps you may; but there are many other kinds of plants extremely like it. It is one of a large family called the umbelliferous, which contains both food, physic, and poison. It will be worth while for you to know something about them, so let us examine this hemlock closely. You see this tall hollow stalk, which divides into several branches, from each of which spring spokes or rundles, as they are called, of flower-stalks. You see they are like rays from a circle, or the spokes of a wheel.
Har. Or like the sticks of an umbrella.
Tut. True; and they are called umbels, which has the same derivation. If you pursue one of these rundles or umbels, you will find that each stick or spoke terminates in another set of smaller stalks, each of which bears a single small flower.
Geo. They are small ones, indeed!
Tut. But if you look sharply, I dare say your eyes are good enough to distinguish that they are divided into five leaves, and furnished with five chives and two pistils in the middle.
Har. I can see them.
Geo. And so can I.