INFLORESOENCE. 



79 



Fi-r. 94, 



ed cymes in the axils of a pair of opposite leaves, as in the 

 Labiate plants, have been called verticils or whorls. A cyme 

 wi/h its nowers nearly sessile, is called a glome^'ale. 



Corymh (Fig. 94, a\ or false mnbel ; 

 here the peduncles rise from different 

 hights above the main stem, but the 

 lower ones being longer, they form 

 nearly a level or convex top ; as the 



varrow. The centrifugal evolution of 



•H|^. 



Fig. 95 



the blossoms distinguishes the cyme, 

 while in the corymb the evolution is 

 centripetal. 



'Fascicle (Fig. 94, I) has flow^ers on little stalks variously in- 

 serted and subdivided, and collected into a close bundle nearly 

 level at the top ; as the sweet-william. It is more compact than 

 the cyme. 



Ileacl^ or capitalum (Fig. 94, c), has sessile flowers heaped 

 together in a globular form ; as in the clover, and button-bush 

 {Cejyhalanthus). It may be considered either a simple umbel 

 with sessile flowers, or a spike with a very short axis. The 

 axis or rachis of a head is called the receptacle. The whole 

 inflorescence is the product of one branch ; the lower flowers 

 expand and often bear fruit, while the upper are in bud and 

 the middle in full bloom ; the inflorescence is centripetal, or 

 from the circumference. 



Ament^ or catkin, is an assemblage of flow- 

 ers, composed of scales, and stamens or pis- 

 tils, arranged along a common thread-like 

 receptacle, or rachis^ as in the chestnut and 

 willow. The scales of the ament are properly 

 the calyces ; the whole aggregate, including 

 scales, stamens or pistils, and filiform axis, 

 constitutes the ament. At Fig. 95 is the 

 representation of the pistillate ament of the 

 poplar ; it is oblong, loosely imbricated, and 

 cylindrical ; the calyx is a flat scale, deeply 

 fringed. At 5 is a representation of the fer- 

 tile or pistillate flower ; the calyx or bract is 

 a little below the corolla, which is cup-shaped, 

 of one petal, and crowned with an egg-shaped, 

 pointed ovary, which is superior, and bears four (s<')metimes 

 eight) stigmas. 



The stLmiinate ament resembles the pistillate, except that its 

 corolla hicloses eight stamens, but no pistil. Tho poj)hir is in 

 the class Dioecia, because the pistillate and staminato flowers 



Corymb — Fascicle — Head — A ment. 



