114 



COMPOUND ORGANS OF PLANTS. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE INFLORESCENCE. 



THE arrangement of flowers on the stem or floral axis is 

 called the inflorescence. Flower buds, like leaf buds, are either 

 terminal or lateral. Flowers are terminal when the bud 

 which terminates the axis of growth is a flower-bud. This of 

 course stops the farther growth of the plant in that direction. 

 Flowers are lateral when the bud which terminates the axis of 

 growth develops as a leaf-bud. In this case the floral axis 

 goes on extending itself indefinitely, and the flowers spring 

 from the sides of the axis of growth, as shown in Fig. 19, 

 from the axilla marked b. 



Fig. 19. 



The Bracts, or floral leaves. These bracts are situated all 

 along the floral axis at the basis of the peduncle or flower- 

 stalk, and are simply the ordinary leaves of the stem reduced 

 in size in consequence of the absorption of nutriment from 

 them by the flower. These bracts become smaller in propor- 



