In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs.
The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin umbella "parasol, sunshade".
Umbels are a characteristic of plants such as carrot, parsley, dill, and fennel in the family Apiaceae; ivy, Aralia and Fatsia in the family Araliaceae; and onion (Allium) in the family Alliaceae.
An umbel is a type of indeterminate inflorescence.
[3][4] A compressed cyme, which is a determinate inflorescence, is called umbelliform if it resembles an umbel.