SOLITAKY FLOWERS CORYMBOSE CLUSTERS 115 



plexing subjects in descriptive botany. We may classify 

 the subject around three ideas: solitary flowers, corym- 

 bose clusters, cymose clus- 

 ters. 



235. SOLITARY FLOWERS. 

 In many cases flowers are borne 

 singly. They are then said to 

 be solitary. The solitary flower 

 may be either at the end of the 

 main shoot or axis (Fig. 169), 

 when it is said to be terminal, 

 or from the side of the shoot 

 (Fig. 170), when it is said to 

 be lateral. The lateral flower 

 is also said to be axillary. 



236. CORYMBOSE CLUSTERS. 

 If the flower -bearing axils were 

 rather close together, an open 

 or leafy flower-cluster might re- 

 sult, as in Fig. 171. The fuchsia continues to grow from 

 the tip, and the older flowers are left farther and farther 

 behind. If the cluster were so 



short as to be flat or convex on 

 top, the outermost flowers would 

 be the older. A flower- cluster 

 in which the lower or outer flow- 

 ers open first is said to be a 

 corymbose cluster. It is some- 

 times said to be an indetermi- 

 nate cluster, since it is the re- 

 sult of a type of growth which 

 may go on more or less contin- 

 uously from the apex. 171 . Lea fy Hower-cluster of fuchsia. 



237. The simplest form of a definite corymbose cluster 

 is a raceme, which is an unbranched open cluster in which 



170. Lateral flower of abutilon. 



