160 BOTANY. 







while young, enveloped in a large bracte called spathe. 

 [Simple spadix, Arum ; ramified spadix, Date.] 



RACEME. 



Flowers borne upon peduncles more or less elongated, and 

 diminishing in size from the base to the summit. [Wild 

 Cherry.] 



THYRSE. 



A compound raceme in which the middle peduncles are 

 the longest, and are subdivided; differs from a panicle in 

 being very dense. [Lilac.] 



PANICLE. 



. A raceme where the pedicels along the main peduncle are 

 divided and scattered. [Oats.] 



CORYMB. 



Like the umbel in appearance; but the peduncles stand at 

 different points on the main stem, but elevate the flowers to 

 nearly the same height, [Yarrow.] 



TYPE II. UMBEL. 



Peduncles springing from the same point of the stem, like 

 the braces of an umbrella bearing floret on their extremities. 

 The simple umbel has the peduncles non-ramified. [Prim- 

 rose.] The composite umbel has the peduncles divided into 

 pedicels. [Wild Carrots.] 



CAPITULE. 



Umbel where the pedicels are excessively short ; flowers 

 in great number, and so close set that they may be taken at 

 a distance for a single flower. 



CLASS II. CENTRIFUGAL OR DEFINITE. 



Stem terminated by a central flower, having at its base 

 generally two bractes, producing from their axil two new 

 branches with a terminal flower, and so on. They are called 

 centrifugal, because the expansion of the flowers takes place 

 from the one central flower to those of the circumference. 

 All the inflorescences of this kind are comprised in the generic 

 title cyme. [Euphorbium, Chickweed.] The cyme re- 



