OF INFLORESCENCE. 19 



late bracts. Let us examine the first case on account 

 of its greater simplicity. 



In the axil of each of the two bracts there may arise 

 a branch, which, as happens in the primitive one, is 

 found in the same manner terminated by a flower with 

 two bracts, which, in their turn, may produce two 

 brandies, and thus indefinitely. There results from 

 this disposition a series of bifurcations, in the centre of 

 each of which is found a solitary flower : the inflores- 

 cence in this sense is terminal, since each flower termi- 

 nates its branch; it is indefinite in this respect — that 

 each branch may, from the axils of the two bracts, give 

 birth to new branches, which enjoy the same faculty ; 

 whence it results, that in this case, as in the preceding, 

 there is no limit to the elongation of the plant and the 

 development of flowers, except by the exhaustion pro- 

 duced either by the paucity of nourishment or the 

 greediness of the floral organs. We designate under 

 the collective name of Cyme (cyma) all the inflores- 

 cences of this kind; calling those Diciiotomous Cymes, 

 where the flower is provided with two bracts, and where 

 the branches go on bifurcating without cessation ; this 

 is most frequently the case in Dicotyledons ; for ex- 

 ample, in Erythrcea, Kalanchoe, most CaryophylleEe, &c. 

 In the same manner we call cymes Triciiotomous, 

 Tetrachotomous, Pentachotomous, &c. where each 

 terminal flower has under it three, four, or five bracts 

 which give birth to as many branches ; the Euphor- 

 biums present examples. Sometimes, in these different 

 systems, the central flower is abortive, and thus we 

 might at first sight confound them with umbels or com- 

 pound corymbiform racemes : the order of evolution, 

 which will engage our attention presently^, is sufficient 

 to remove this doubt ; here the central flowers, or those 

 which terminate the branch, expand first, whilst, in 



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