A shortenable umbrella with blades carrying the umbrella canopy, the blades being shortenable by telescoping and/or folding, wherein the innermost blade parts are pivoted on a crown secured on the shortenable rod assembly. The blades are horizontally pivotable by a fork means and a slider means such that each outermost blade part is foldably articulated on the adjacent blade part by a control rod which acts on an extension of the outermost blade part. The umbrella is characterized in that the inner end of each control rod engages in back of the associated fork with direct contact and is articulated on a guide member which effects a guiding of the control rod on a limited path along the fork.