EECEEATIYE SCIEISTCE. 



31^ 



them. Only one more, and 

 we have done. Look at 

 Fig. 48, which illustrates 

 the fruit- cluster of the 

 common elder; it is nei- 

 ther umbel, corymb, nor 

 raceme, but seems a mix- 

 ture of all three, and gets 

 the name of cyme. It is 

 most near the corymb, 

 however, in form, and de- 

 rives its principal diver- 

 sity from the order in 

 which its blossoms become 

 developed and expanded ; 

 albeit this brings us to 

 another subject connected 

 with inflorescence — the or- 

 der of expansion of blos- 

 soms, whether definite or 

 indefinite, whether tend- 

 ing towards the centre of 

 the floral axis or centre, or 



Fio. 58. — ^Red Dead Nettle ; the blossoms disposed in whorls or verticillasters. 



tending away from it. It is, 

 perhaps, better, in these our 

 early days of weed-gathering, 

 not to puzzle you with this 

 subject; it is scarcely requi- 

 site for our first lessons, 

 which we are bound in good 

 faith to keep as simple for 

 you as possible. Look back 

 to Fig. 53, the sprig of scar- 

 let pimpernel : the solitary 

 flowers spring from the axils 

 of what we called leaves, but 

 leaves they are not in the 

 eye of a botanist, for their 

 proper designation is 



BEACTS. 



In many instances, as in 

 the one in question, the 

 bracts are scarcely, if at all, 

 distinguishable from the or- 

 dinary leaves of the plant. 

 This is more especially the 

 case with the lower bracts of 



Fio. 59. — Common Stinging Nettle. Inflorescence In a glomernlus. 



