Umbel

Umbel is "a mass of flowers springing from a single center." (The Phrontistery) The Science Dictionary defines it as "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." Umbel is a new-to-me word. I'm marking a few things I learned about it:

• the flowers at the center of inflorescence are the youngest
• the lower of outer flowers bloom first
• geranium, milkweed and onion have umbels
• umbels come from latin umbella, meaning a sunshade (does 'umbrella' come to mind?)

I thought I would skip this week's U word, until I looked around to find examples of umbels and found a photo to show. As lantanas mature they change color "resulting in inflorescences (group or cluster of flowers on a stem) that are two- or three-colored." I found these lantanas along a pavement in a memorial park; I was visiting my father's grave in the Philippines
 

And these are lantanas along a pavement too, in Bangkok. I noticed them on my way to work one morning.

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