Matthew Swinton's Sprout Umbrella

CNETjust brought this to my attention, but it is apparently at least a couple years old. As designed by Matthew Swinton, this "brolly concept may just grow on you, literally." According to Yanko Design:

The canopy and all the hardware is enclosed in the handle. A knob on its face turns to unlock the inner mechanism. The knob slides down the umbrella, forcing the canopy arms out through the top of the shaft. The flexible plastic arms are bent as the exit the handle, pulling the canopy with it. When fully open, the knob is turned back to lock the umbrella open.

Alas, no evidence that this sprout has sprung, so don't look for this in your neighborhood brolly store.