THE INFI>OBESCENCE. 

 A. Flower solitaey. 



35 



" Solitary and terminal," when the stem or branch bears but one blos- 

 som, and terminates with it, as in the snowdrop and the tulip. 



" Solitary and axillary," when the blossoms stand singly in the axils 

 of the leaves, as in the pansy and the common crimson fuchsia. 

 In both cases they may be numerous as regards the entire plant. 



B. Flowees clusteeed. 



The forms of inflorescence where the blossoms are clustered, bear 

 special names, and are designated as follows : — 



The " umbel," when many peduncles spring, side by side, from the 

 summit of the general flower-stalk, and point in all directions, 

 as in the onion and polyanthus. (Fig. 72.) 



The " compound umbel," when the peduncles, instead of bearing 

 flowers, support smaller umbels, called " umbellviles." This 

 kind of inflorescence is peculiar to the Parsley-family. (Fig. 71.) 



The " corymb," when the peduncles, instead of proceeding all from 

 the same point, as in the umbel, spring from many different 

 points, and form such a cluster as that of the elder. The 

 " cyme " and the " fascicle " (Fig. 70.) are of the same 

 general character. 



Fig. 70. 

 Fascicle. 



Fig. 71. 

 Compound umbel. 



Fig. 72. 

 Umbel. 



The "head" resembles an umbel with the flowers all sessile, or 

 nearly so, as in clover and thrift. 



The " whorl," when flowers grow plentifully in the axils of opposite 

 leaves, so as to form a seemingly unbroken ring round the 

 stem, repeated on a smaller scale with every successive pair of 

 leaves above. The yellow dead-nettle is a good example. 



4 A 



