618 REV. GEORGE HENSLOW ON THE ORIGIN OF 
1. Opposite and decussate bracts with axillary flowers have given rise to alternate by 
the oscillating system. This stage is seen in Lathrea. 
2. The suppression of the flowers in the axils of two of the vertical rows of bracts 
with a diminution of the size of the floral bracts, as exemplified by Silene pendula. 
3. In both Lathrea and Silene pendula the tendency of the flowers to be secund 
foreshadows the actual approximation of the bracts and flowers in Borago. 
4. The four vertical rows have shifted their positions, passing to one side of the axis, 
all being situated within a semicircle (if projected). Two rows have lost their bracts, 
the flowers remaining; the other two rows have lost their flowers, the bracts remaining 
(as seen in Borago, &c.). 
5. The bracts have become “ spirally uplifted ” and so take up a position close to, but 
at a slightly lower level than, that of the flowers (seen in fig. 4, Nadine 7a 
_ 6. The bracts may be all suppressed, as in Myosotis. 
7. Adhesions of various degrees may take place between the terminal and axillary 
racemes, giving rise to the apparently more or less dichotomous character of the in- 
florescence of the Boraginee, and which often contains a seemingly terminal flower at 
the fork. ` 
8. The unequal power of growth between the upper and underside of the peduncle, 
induced by the flower-buds being all on one side, has caused the characteristic scorpioid 
form of the undeveloped apex. 
Part II. (Critical). 
I have remarked that the interpretation of the so-called scorpioid cyme as given in 
botanical text-books appears to me to be erroneous; it will be desirable to point out ` 
what I believe to be the errors involved in the usual explanations. As Payer ‘ Eléments 
de Botanique' gives a rather fuller account than is to be found in many other text- 
books, I will direct my remarks especially to his views. This author evidently confounds 
two totally different kinds of inflorescence under the common terms cyme wnipare 
scorpioide. Thus the inflorescence represented by Pl. LXXXV. fig. 5 t of Sedum 
album is of quite different origin to that of Hyoscyamus (fig. 4) 1, the former being a true 
sympode; the latter, as I have shown, is of a monopodial origin. 
If we compare fig. 5 with fig. 6 §, the origin of the former is obvious ; but, then, it is 
not a scorpioid eme but a degraded form of dichasium or “ dichotomous eme" and is, 
in fact, a *spicate" cyme. The dotted lines will indicate the branches which are sup- 
pressed alternately right and left at each dichotomy. Had they been uniformly and 
always suppressed in one and the same direction, the result would have been such another 
spicate cyme as is indicated by the right-hand portion of fig. 6, as shown by the letters 
a,b,c. This would be the correct result of the process usually but MOES M "s 
giving rise to the Boragineous scorpioid cyme. 
* Uplifting and adhesion of leaves may be often seen in many genera of the — E 
+ Reproduced from Payre, J. c. fig. 191, p. 121. 
t See Payer, J. c. fig. 155, p. 98. 
o$ This fig. represents a portion of Paxxz's fig. 188, l. c. p. 118. 
