ARRANGEMENT ON FRUTTINfl BRANf'lTER. 15 



branches brinn;s the flower buds into an upriglit position and allows 

 the leaves to stand out in two alternate rows along the sides of these 

 branches. If one joint of the fruiting branch is twisted to the right, 

 the next is twisted to the left, and so on in regular alternation, bring- 

 ing every second leaf nearly in line with the one two nodes distant. 



The direction of the twist of the basal joint also appears to have 

 a regular relation to the position of the branch on the main stalk. 

 Branches that come out at the right of the leaf axil usually have the 

 basal joint twisted to the right; others to the left. The twisting 

 brings the first leaf of the fruiting branch opposite the leaf on the 

 main stalk, at the base of the branch. This alternation suggests the 

 possibility that the fruiting branch may represent a specialized 

 branch from the base of the axillary limbs. 



The leaves of the fruiting branches, unlike those of the main stalk 

 and vegetative branches, are often irregular in outline. If there is 

 an odd number of lobes those on the side of the blade away from the 

 branch are usually much larger than those alongside of the branch. 

 These leaves often have two nectaries, or only one, instead of the 

 three nectaries common to the leaves of the main stalk, one borne 

 on the midvein and the second on the primary vein subtending the 

 large lobe on the side of the blade away from the branch. 



The flower buds do not come out from the axils of the leaves, but 

 often appear to be separated by almost half the diameter of the 

 stem. In cluster cottons, or others that have abnormal branches, 

 the pedicel, or stem of the flower, appears as a continuation of the 

 joint of the fi-uiting branch and lacks the usual absciss-layer that 

 allows the blasted buds to fall off or the bolls to separate at maturity. 

 This may indicate that the fiiiiting branches have what botanists 

 describe as the sympodial method of growth, as though each joint 

 were terminated by the flower and the next joint formed by the devel- 

 opment of a new lateral bud. 



In addition to the bud that continues the growth, there are buds 

 in the axils of the leaves of the fiaiiting branches, and if these develop 

 they may produce vegetative branches of the usual form. In other 

 cases the axillary buds of the fruiting branch may produce very 

 short vegetative branches, and these may give rise in turn to very 

 short fmiting branches, so that one joint of a fruiting branch may 

 appear to bear two or three bolls in an exceptionafly fertile plant. 

 Careful examination will show that only one boll is borne directly on 

 the joint and that the others come from branches of the short axillary. 



In the Asiatic species the flowers are often pendent and are borne 

 somewhat on the sides of the branch, more nearly opposite the leaves. 

 The leaves are arranged the same as those of the Upland and nearly 

 related types of cotton. 



222 



