152 



ANTHOTAXV, OR INFLORESCENCE. 



ters little whether its development is progressive, the flowers of 

 the ultimate ramifications expanding after the earlier have matured 

 fruit, and with subtending bracts conspicuous or foliaceous ; or 

 whether, as in Elder and Hydrangea (Fig. 203, and in Fig. 

 273), the bracts are minute and caducous or abortive, and the 

 ramification complete with all the flower-buds well formed before 

 the oldest expand, so that the whole is in blossom almost at the 

 same time. But a cyme may be properly s:iid to be compound 

 when the primary axis in it is a pedmiele instead of a pedicel, 



and supports a cluster (cyme or eymule) instead of a solitary 

 central flower at the main divisions. 1 One form of the regular 

 c}'me, on account of its compactness, is named the 



' GLOMERULE. This is merely a cymose inflorescence, of any 

 sort, which is condensed into the form of a head, or approach- 

 ing it. Of this kind is the so-called head of Cornus Honda, and 

 of the herbaceous C. Canadensis (Fig. 294), which shows the 



1 The dicliotomous or two-branched cyme is the commonest, hut is some- 

 times marked by suppression of internodes; as, for example, where the 

 branches are apparently in fours, in an umbellil'onn way ; but these are two 

 sets of two, with the internode between the pairs extremely short ; or where, 

 as in Mlder, the branches or rays are five', in this cast- consisting of the same 

 two pairs and a central one, which is a many-flowered continuation of the 

 primary axis. Or ">-rayed cymes, &c., may be founded upon alternate leave* 

 with shortened internodes, the rays or peduncles axillary to them thus 

 brought into an apparent whorl. 



Bravais distinguished cymes as mii/h'/itn-oiix, with three or more lateral 

 axes; biparous, with two; and itni/>itr<ins, with only one (cyme multipare, 

 bipare, unipare). To these Kichler gives the substantive names, severally, 

 of Pleiochasium, Diclmsinm, and Monoclitttinin. Only the latter needs illustra- 

 tion ; the others being as it were compounds of this. 



FIG. 293. Compound cyme of Hydrangea; with some neutral and enlarged mar- 

 ginal flowers. 



