216 



THE INFLORESCENCE. 



(Fig. 590-592), where the flowers apparently occupy the inside 

 instead of the outside of the axis, being enclosed within the fleshy 

 receptacle, which is hollow and nearly closed at the top. So that 

 while a Sunflower, or the like, is an inflorescence imitating a blos- 

 som, a fig is an inflorescence imitating a fruit. Indeed, it is much 

 like a mulberiy (Fig. 593) or a pine-apple, turned inside out. 



396. The foregoing are all forms of simple inflorescence ; the 

 ramification not passing beyond the first step ; the latei-al buds being 

 at once terminated by a single flower. But the lateral flower- 

 stalks may themselves branch, just as ordinary branches give rise 

 to branchlets : then the inflorescence becomes compound. If the 

 branches of a raceme are prolonged, and bear other flowers on pedi- 

 cels similarly arranged, a compound raceme is produced ; or if the 

 flowers are sessile, a compound spike is formed. A corymb, the 

 branches of which are similarly divided, forms a compound corymb ; 

 and an umbel, where the branches (often called rays) bear smaller 

 umbels at their apex, is termed a compound um- 

 bel ; as in the Caraway, Parsnip, and almost all 

 the species of the family Umbelhferoe, which is 

 so named on this account. 



397. For these secondary umbels, a good Eng- 

 lish name has been employed by Dr. Darlington, 

 that of Umbellets. Their involucre, when 

 they have any, is distinguished from that of the 

 principal umbel by the name of Involucel. 



398. When the inflorescence is compound, it is 

 readily seen that the different kinds of inflores- 

 cence may be combined ; the first ramification 

 following one plan, and the subdivision another. 

 The combination is usually expressed by a de- 

 scriptive phrase, as " spikes racemose, or ra- 

 cemed," " heads corymbose," «fcc. The combina- 

 tion of the raceme and the corymb or the cyme 

 gives rise to a form of inflorescence which has a 

 technical name, viz. : — 



399. The Panicle. This is formed when the 

 secondary axes of a raceme branch in a corymbose manner, as in 

 most Grasses (Fig. 318, 326), or when those of a corymb divide in the 

 manner of a raceme. And the name is applied to almost any open 



FIG. 326. A panicle. (Compare with Fig. 307.) 



