258 CONSERVATIVE ORGANS. [LECT. VI. 



forked Marvel of Peru, Mirabilis dichotoma : but 

 when, instead of being bifurcated, the divisions are 

 trifid, the stem is then said to be trichotomous ; 

 as in common Marvel of Peru, Mirabilis Jalapa. 



The BRANCHES themselves, whatever may be 

 their numbers or divisions, vary considerably with 

 respect to their situation on the stem ; the direc- 

 tion they assume relatively to it ; and their 

 strength, or the power they possess of support- 

 ing their own weight: and these diversities are 

 seized by systematic Botanists in forming the 

 characters of species. 

 * In situation. 



Branches may be either opposite, or alternate, 

 or scattered. They are said to be, 



1. OPPOSITE (oppositij, when one branch stands 

 on the opposite side of the stem to another, and 

 their bases are nearly on the same plane. Be- 

 sides this situation of branches, to which the 

 term opposite is especially applied, the two fol- 

 lowing may be regarded as varieties of it : 



a. Verticillated (verticillati) , when the stem 

 is the centre of a number of branches proceed- 

 ing from it like rays on the same plane ; and 

 this occurs, in trees and shrubs, by one series 

 of the branches being always formed at the 

 extremity of the stem every year ; so that in 

 time they appear at certain distances to sur*- 

 round the stem in successive series ; as in the 

 Silver Fir, Pinus Picea (fig. a, p. 245). 



