POSITION AND PARTS OF FLOWERS. 89 



The position of flowers on the branches or flower-stalks, like that of 

 leaves, is radical, arising from the root, or cauline, arising from the 

 stem. They are also sessile, solitary, scattered, opposite, alternate, ax- 

 illary, etc. They grow on one side of the branch and sometimes on 

 all parts of the peduncle, or supporter, causing a great diiference in 

 the appearance and position of flowers. This peduncle is the green 

 part, the fruit, or flower-stalk, coming from the stem. Its divisions 

 are pedicels. The flower, when it has once blossomed, is commonly 

 inserted in the end of the stem and the peduncle is scarcely distinguish- 

 able. An assemblage of flowers around the stem forms a whorl, as in 

 mint and labiate plants, in the same manner as leaves in this form are 

 stellate, or like a star. When flowers are arranged on a common pe- 

 duncle, or flower-stalk, as in the locust and currant, they are raceme, 

 and panicle when borne in an irregular cluster. Spike is where flow- 

 ers, arise from the side of a stem on a short peduncle, as mullein 

 and the grasses. It is erect and the flowers are sometimes crowded 

 around an ear, as in indian corn. When several flower-stalks spread 

 out like an umbrella, as in the carrot and fennel, the form is umbel, 

 and when these stalks are irregularly divided, as in the elder and 

 snowball, it is cyme. Corymb is a false umbel, the peduncles rising 

 from different heights as in the yarrow. Flowers on small stalks 

 variously arranged are a fascicle, and when sessile flowers form a tuft, 

 like clover, poppy, etc., they are a head. Flowers composed of scales, 

 stamens or pistils, etc., as in the willow and chestnut, are ament, or 

 catkin. Spadix is an assemblage around a common receptacle with a 

 sheath, etc., as with the wild turnip, etc. 



The receptacle is the point of the flower-stalk between the peduncle 

 and flower. It first supports the flower and subsequently the fruit. 

 It is scarcely distinguishable in simple flowers, as the tulip, etc. It is 

 proper, when supporting 1 flower, as in the lily and violet, and common 

 when supporting many flowers, as in the sun-flower and dandelion. 

 These are convex, concave, Jlat, spherical, etc., and its surface is also 

 punctate, hairy, naked, chaffy, pulpy, etc. Radiis is a receptacle con- 

 necting the florets in a spike, as in wheat. In compound flowers, 

 forming chiefly the class syngenesia, the receptacle is most important. 

 It is the thread-like part of the ament to which are attached the florets, 

 as seen in stripping off the scales of the ament of the willow. 



Compound flowers consist of many small flowers each with its sta- 

 mens and pistils, and all on a common receptacle, as in the daisy, dan- 

 delion, sun-flower, etc. The anthers of the flowers are united in a 

 cylinder. They are monopetalous and superior. The central part of 

 the flower is its disk, and the portion surrounding it is its radius, or ray. 



Aggregate flowers have several florets situated on the same recep- 

 tacle, and each has its anthers distinct and not united into a cylinder 

 as in compound flowers. The teazel and cats-eye are examples. 



