CHAPTER XVI 



THE INFLORESCENCE 



1. In some plants, as for instance, NELUMBIUM 

 the Sacred-lotus, and NYMPHAEA the Water-lily, the 

 flowers are borne singly on long leafless stalks which 

 rise straight up out of the ground from the root-stock ; 

 in others again, there is a bunch or a head of flowers 

 at the end of such a stalk, as in CRINUM, EUCHARIS 

 the Eucharis lily, TARAXUM the Dandelion, and several 

 other COMPOSITE, and in KRIOCAULON. Such a leaf- 

 less flower stalk is termed a scape. It occurs as a 

 rule only on plants which have no leafy stem, but 

 merely an underground root stock or bulb from which 

 the leaves and the scape spring. 



Most plants, however, have leafy shoots above ground, 

 and their flowers are borne on short stalks in the 

 axils of the ordinary leaves, or on special branches, 

 or at the ends of branches. The stalk of each in- 

 dividual flower is termed its pedicel, and if there is 

 a main stalk to the pedicels of several flowers it is 

 termed the peduncle. 



The peduncle and the pedicel are to be considered 

 as specialized branches, for they nearly always arise 



