14 RACEME AND CYME [CH. 



each of the pedicels on the peduncle at once serves our 

 purpose. 



In the true raceme (Fig. 1) each bract subtends the 

 pedicel in its axil, on the same side of the peduncle as is 

 the flower ; in the inflorescence just described (Fig. 2) 

 the bract is on the opposite side of the peduncle from 

 the next nearest flower and pedicel, showing that the 

 successive segments of the sympodial peduncle are in 

 reality axillary, as already described. 



These two different kinds of inflorescence are typical 

 of two great classes, as we shall see ; the first being the 

 racemose type, the second the cymose type, each of 

 which receives its name from the principal form in its 

 class, the Raceme and the Cyme respectively. 



Just as there are many different forms of racemose 

 inflorescences, depending on the relative lengths of the 

 peduncle and pedicels, the prominence of the bracts, and 

 other peculiarities, so we shall meet with various forms of 

 cymose inflorescences, depending on the relative lengths 

 and numbers, and on the arrangement of the segments of 

 the sympodial peduncle, the pedicels, bracts, &c. 



Before passing to a description of these, I may point 

 out that racemose inflorescences are usually comparatively 

 easy to recognise, while cymose inflorescences are often 

 very difficult. 



The difficulties are owing partly to the fact that the 

 bracts may be absent ; partly to the changes which come 

 over the forms of inflorescences as they age ; and partly to 

 the complex nature of the branching, or the suppression of 

 some of the branches. 



Fundamentally, the determination of the characters of 

 an inflorescence depends on the study of the order of de- 

 velopment of the young flowers ; but experience in the 

 field soon shows that most of them can be determined by 



