28 FLOWER-BUDS [CH. 



some cases a distinct piece of dead twig, as long as the 

 bud, can be seen projecting up the side of this apparently 

 terminal bud — e.g. in the Hornbeam, Plane, and even 

 Willows ; in others the end of the twig becomes a pointed 

 dead thorn — e.g. Primus, Hippophae, Pyrus, GratcBgus, 

 Rhamnus catharticus. 



The long branches of Oak, Maple, Ash, and Conifers, on 

 the other hand, almost always have terminal buds which 

 normally continue the growth. 



A much more common cause of cessation of elongation 

 of branches, however, is their termination in a flower, for, 

 with rare exceptions, the end of the branch included in 

 the centre of the flower ceases all further elongation. 

 Exceptions do occur, however, as shown by the prolifera- 

 tion of Larch-cones (Fig. 8), Pears, and other cases ; 

 such proliferation is normal in Cycads. The peculiarities 

 of these floral axes and their branch-systems have already 

 been treated of in dealing with the flower and inflores- 

 cence, but inasmuch as each axis of a flower-bud and each 

 flower-stalk is a branch, we may deal wdth its general 

 nature here. 



It rarely happens that the primary axis, or main stem, 

 developed from the plumule ends in a flower during the 

 first year, and then the whole plant dies after scattering 

 the seeds ; much more common is the case where the 

 primary axis developes only leaves during the first year, 

 and then grows up rapidly and ends in a branch system 

 of flowers, terminating its life at the end of the second 

 season — e.g. biennial plants such as Foxglove, Mustard, &c. 



Cases like that of the Tulip or Hyacinth have to be 

 carefully distinguished from the above. At first sight it 

 looks as if the Tulip flower was a direct continuation of 

 the primary axis : so it is, of the main axis of the bulb, 

 but the latter was itself a secondary axis in the axil of a 



