316 



EECEEATI7E SCIENCE. 



of peduncle, and when, as often occurs, other 

 little stems are given oflf from it, they are 

 known by the diminutive of pedicels, or 

 little stems. When the peduncle springs 

 direct from the root-crown, or root-leaves, 

 and, unbranched, bears a single blossom, it is 

 called a scape; but it also bears the name of 

 scape when, as in the daisy, the dandelion, 

 the plantain (Fig. 52), the cowslip, or oxlip, 

 it carries a collection of blossoms. Indeed, 

 the latter plants, although their flowers 

 are differently arranged, approach very 

 near the primrose in their inflorescence, 



Fio. 53. — Spray of Common Scarlet Pimpernel, a a, 

 blossoms, solitary, springing from the axils of the 

 leaves, which are thence called bracts. 



and we have only to imagine the primrose 

 scapes bound together part way up, to get 

 the first transition to a compound form of 

 flowering. Again, let us do away with 

 the pedicels of the cowslip blossoms, and 

 mass these together upon the top of the 

 scape, and we get the head, or capitulum, 

 such as we see in the daisy and other compo- 

 sites, or, reversing the process, prolong the 

 scape, and plant the blossoms closely along 

 it, still keeping away the pedicels, and we 

 have the spike such as we see in the com- 

 mon plantain (Fig. 52), the main stem s|;ill 



retaining the name of scape ; in this case it 

 might also be called the rachis, another term 

 for a stem, but for one which runs in a straight 

 line from their base through the centre of 

 the inflorescence. Of course, however, the 

 majority of plants, as our readers are well 

 aware, have not the stems thus rising from 

 amid their root-leaves, and the umbel, the 

 spike, or the capitulum, and any other forms 

 of inflorescence may occur in connection with 



rir.54._Fine.]eaved Heath. Blossoms disposed in 

 a raceme and partly whorled. 



other peduncles than scapes ; and, on the 

 other hand, solitary blossoms do not neces- 

 sarily claim scapes for their siipports. 



Look at Fig. 53, which represents a sprig 

 of the common scarlet pimpernel, a common 

 enough weed, though we have not yet placed 

 it in your hand ; the flowers spring all the 

 way up the stem, but each is solitary on its 

 own peduncle, and starts from the junction 

 of the stem with a leaf, or, as it is called, 

 from the axilla of the leaf, the blossoms being 

 described as solitary and axillary. But these 

 Jcavcs, from the axils of which the flowers 



