368 MR. G. BENTHAM ON COMPOSITE. 
The receptacle, which is homologically the dilated apex of the 
peduncle, has in its general shape (concave, flat, convex, conical, 
or elongated) oceasionally supplied generie charaeters, rarely of 
much value, and sometimes deceptive. Where the involucral bracts 
have been in many rows and very deciduous, they leave after 
falling off an apparently ovoid, obovoid, turbinate, or obconical 
receptacle, which has been used generically to separate species 
from their allies described as having flat or convex receptacles, 
when really there has been no difference at all, except that in the 
one case the portion of the peduncle on which the bracts had rested 
is taken into account, and in the other the apex only within the 
bracts has been considered. The extreme forms of the receptacle, 
either concave or elongated into the rhachis of a cylindrical spike, 
have been on some rare occasions observed in single species, which 
have on that account been at once raised into monotypic genera; 
but I do not believe that these differences have ever been found 
accompanied by other peculiarities, or to be prevalent through two 
or more otherwise allied species, and must therefore be regarded 
as specifie only. 
The so-called pale: of the receptacle within the involucre have 
been made great use of, by their presence or absence, for charac- 
terizing genera, subtribes, or even tribes. But this use, however 
appropriately adopted in some cases, has in others degenerated into 
abuse. Homologically, these pales are the same as the involucral 
bracts. There is not even the difference that lies between ordinary 
bracts and bracteoles, for both are on the same axis, but is solely 
that which distinguishes the lower empty bracts of an ordinary 
spike or other simple inflorescence from those which subtend the 
individual flowers. In Composite, however, these inner subtending 
bracts amongst the florets are so frequently different from the 
outer empty orinvolucral ones in form, size, consistence, constancy, 
&c., that their designation by the distinct name of palee is of great 
convenience in systematic descriptions. 
There is sometimes, however, a difficulty in regard to the inner- 
most row of outer bracts, either when these are gradually modified 
so as to pass, as it were, into the flowering bracts or palex, or when 
each one of that innermost row of outer bracts exactly subtends one 
of the florets of the outermost row, or even embraces or encloses it, 
and is then different in form &e. both from the outer involucral 
bracts and from the inner palez ; and some controversy has been 
carried on as to whether this is an inner row of involucral bracts 
