34 VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY. 



general axis, or rachis. It evidently results from the 

 ideas contained in the preceding Section, that the pedicel 

 ought in fact to he considered as a proper organ ; but 

 that the axis, and all the ramifications of compound 

 inflorescences, except the pedicels, can only be con- 

 sidered as floral branches. However, in order to con^ 

 form to usage, and to avoid circumlocution, I shall 

 employ the words Pedicule and Rachis, in their ordinary 

 sense. I have already explained that which relates to 

 the general distribution of these pedicels ; it now remains 

 to examine their forms, articulation, and history. 



Pedicels, properly so called, are always terminated by 

 a single flower ; unless two be joined together, as in 

 several Honeysuckles, and then an apparently single 

 one seems to bear two flowers or fruits. These sup- 

 ports are in general either strictly cylindrical, or a little 

 expanded into a reversed cone below the origin of the 

 flower, or slightly compressed. Their length is some- 

 times very considerable ; it is described either in refer- 

 ence to that of the calyx or flower, or in comparison 

 with the size of the bract or leaf, from the axil of which 

 it proceeds. When it is so short that no interval between 

 the axil and the flower can be distinguished, the latter 

 is said to be sessile, or to have the pedicel wanting ; but 

 we may say that in reality it always exists, although 

 sometimes hardly visible; and consequently this cha- 

 racter is uncertain, as are all those which relate to the 

 degree of development : it very frequently happens that, 

 in the same species, often in the same inflorescence, 

 either in different places or at different ages, the pedi- 

 cels are either so long as to be distinct, or apparently 

 entirely wanting. 



The Pedicules present in general more varieties of 

 form than pedicels ; for, independently of those which 

 are common to both, there are several others which 



