XL] BOTANY. 45 



important mineral matters such as phosphoric acid 

 and potash, are transferred to the permanent parts of 

 the plant before the leaves fall. 



XI.-INFLORESCENCE. 



75. This term denotes the arrangement of the 

 flowers on the stem or branch of a plant, which 

 follows several very distinct plans. 



76. The simplest inflorescence is that of a one- 

 flowered plant, like the tulip, whose flower-stalk, 

 peduncle, is terminal ; the next is such as the 

 pimpernel or dog-violet, whose single flowers spring 

 from the axils of leaves. When the peduncle is many- 

 flowered, the form of inflorescence depends on the 

 arrangement of the partial flower-stalks (pedicels) 

 upon the peduncle, and the order in which they open. 



77. The order in which the flowers open on the 

 plant or on the branch that bears them is a very 

 important character to observe. In the butter-cup the 

 flower that terminates the axis of the plant opens first, 

 then that nearest it. and so on till the flower furthest 

 from the first has opened. The same order is observ- 

 able in the chickweed, stich-wort, pink, and sweet- 

 william, though in these the side-flowers grow on 

 pedicels that lengthen and over-top that which bears 

 the one that flowered first. Such inflorescences are 

 called centrifugal, the order of flowering being from 

 the central axis outwards ; or definite, because the 

 axis is terminated by a flower and does not elongate. 



In the foxglove, wall-flower, and indeed most other 

 plants, the order of flowering is the reverse of this ; the 



