Also 6–9 umbell, 6–8 umble, 8 umbil. [ad. L. umbella sun-shade, parasol, dim. of umbra shadow. So Sp. umbela, Pg. and It. umbella, F. ombelle, † umbelle (16th c.), Sw. umbell. Cf. It. ombrella.]
1. Bot. A mass of inflorescence borne upon pedicels of nearly equal length springing from a common center. Cf. UMBELLA 1.
1597. Gerarde, Herbal, I. xvi. 19. His stalke is long, big and square,… and on his top a chaffie vmbell or tuft like vnto the true Cyperus. Ibid., II. ccccxiv. 904. The flowers stande at the tops of the stalkes in small spokie vmbles.
1634. T. Johnson, Parey’s Chirurg., Wks. XXVII. xii. 1103. Almost all hearbes that carry their flowres and seeds in an umbell, have seeds of a hot, subtle, and aiery substanc.
1652. Culpepper, Eng. Physic., 48. The middle part being hollow and low, and the outer stalks rising high, maketh the whole Umbel to shew like a Birds nest.
1682. Nat. Hist. Coffee, etc., 28. On the top of the Branches [of the elder] … there spring sweet and crisped umbels, swelling with white odoriferous Flowers.
1731. P. Miller, Gard. Dict., s.v. Umbella, That Umbel which consists of Pedicles only, is call’d a Simple Umbel; that which is compos’d both of Rays and Pedicles, is call’d a Compound Umbel.
1785. Martyn, Lett. Bot., v. (1794), 54. At first sight you would say, here is an umbellate plant. In looking at it, you would find a large or universal umbel, a small or partial umbel [etc.].
1832. Veg. Subst. Food, 192. The water-parsnip bears its flowers in umbels close upon the fruits of the stem.
1859. Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, ii. The gently-curving stems of the feathered grass … and the white umbels of the hemlocks lining the bushy hedgerows.
1882. Garden, 11 Feb., 93/1. Nearly the whole of the flowers composing the umbel were succeeded by capsules.
attrib. and Comb. 1683. J. Reid, Scots Gard’ner (1907), 98. The wild service,… when spread over with their umbel-fashion’d bright red fruit.
1712. Petiver, in Phil. Trans., XXVII. 420. The Flowers pale,… in an umbel-like tuft.
1725. Fam. Dict., s.v. Guaiacum, The Flowers appear umbel-wise and are of a pale yellow.
1802. R. Hall, Elem. Bot., 192. Umbelliferous,… umbel-bearing.
1829. Loudon, Encycl. Pl. (1836), 268. Umbel-flowered.
1858. R. Hogg, Veg. Kingd., 370. Umbelliferæ.—Umbelflowers.
1861. S. Thomson, Wild Fl., II. (ed. 4), 121. The fruit of the composites, like that of the umbel-bearers, looks like a seed.
1870. Hooker, Stud. Flora, 166. Silaus pratensis.… Umbel-rays 1–2 in., few or many, incurved.
† b. An umbelliferous plant. Obs. rare.
1702. Floyer, in Phil. Trans., XXIII. 1167. I refer the Umbells to the Grasses, because of their Sweetness and Joynted Stalks.
1713. Petiver, Ibid., XXVIII. 189. The Peculiarity of this Umbell, is to have its Root Leaves deeply cut.
2. Zool. An umbelliform arrangement of parts.
1870. H. A. Nicholson, Man. Zool., I. 311. Umbellate,… forming an umbel; i.e. a number of nearly equal radii all proceeding from one point.
1891. Cent. Dict., Umbellularia,… a genus of deep-sea alcyonarian polyps, having the polypites clustered in an umbel on top of the polypidom.
