35 



The inflorescence is terminal and racemiform. It passes 

 the winter with its flowers well developed and protected by 

 scale-leaves (Fig. 23 ß); at the base of the terminal bud which 

 encloses the inflorescence, from three to four sterile, true 

 scale-leaves occur, then from two to three scale-leaves of a 

 greener colour subtending vegetative buds, which are more 

 vigorous the higher they occur on the shoot, and which have 

 at their bases less well-developed foliage-leaves, not scale-leaves 

 like those on the purely vegetative buds. On the fruit-bearing 

 shoots these buds have developed into long shoots. When two 

 vigorous shoots develop below the inflorescence the branching 

 becomes dichotomous; if only the upper lateral shoot develops 

 vigorously a sympodium is formed. After the above-mentioned 

 scale-leaves three to five others (bracts) occur subtending 

 flowers. Therefore foliage-leaves do not occur on the terminal 

 flower-bearing shoot of the year, which may be distinguished 

 as a terminal short shoot. 



The scale-leaves of the floral shoots have hollows within 

 the leaves similar to those which occur in the foliage-leaves, 

 but even larger, so that the two lamellae often arch away from 

 each other considerably. Whether this increases their power 

 of protecting the flower-buds and young shoots against cold and 

 evaporation, still remains to be proved; it seems probable. 



Lateral shoots are also developed on those shoots which 

 do not bear flowers, especially in their upper part; but gene- 

 rally they are not so vigorous as the long shoots developed 

 from the terminal, flower-bearing short shoot, the upper ones 

 alone excepted which are situated immediately below the latter. 



The flowers have no bracteoles. 



The flowers as we have seen are fairly large even in the 

 summer previous to the year in which they open, but are almost 

 completely hidden by decaying leaves. The inflorescence is 

 drooping and the throats of the corollas are turned down- 

 wards. 



3* 



