120 



FLOWER-BRANCHES 



185. Loose spikes of false 

 dragon's-head or physo- 

 stegia. 



may be lateral to it, as 

 in Fig. 184. Racemes 

 often bear the flowers 

 on one side of the stem, 

 or in a single row. 



250. When a corym- 

 bose flower - cluster is 

 long and dense and the 

 flowers are sessile or 

 nearly so, it is called a 

 spike (Figs. 185, 186). 

 Common examples of 

 spikes are plantain, 

 mignonette, mullein. 



251. A very short 



and dense spike is a head. Clovers (Figs. 173, 

 187) are examples. The sunflower and related 

 plants bear many small flowers in a very dense 

 head. This special kind of head of the sun- 

 flower, thistle and aster tribes has been called 

 an anthodium, but this word is little used. Note 



that in the sunflower (Fig. 188) the outside or 

 exterior flowers open first. Very often the antho- 

 dium terminates the main stem, as in Fig. 189. 



252. Another 

 special form of 

 spike is the cat- 

 kin, which usu- 

 ally has scaly 

 bracts and the 

 whole cluster is 

 deciduous after 

 flowering or 

 fruiting, and the 



188. Head of sunflower. flowers (in typi- 



186. Spike of 

 hyacinth. 

 Note, also, 

 that the 

 flowers and 

 foliage are 

 produced 

 from the 

 stored food 

 in the bulb, 

 only water 

 being given. 



187. 



Head of crimson 

 clover. 



