

THE INFLORESCENCE. 



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extend itself by secondary and tertiary axes, which are also 

 arrested in their growth by the expanding flower at their 

 summit. 



If we take, for example, the inflorescence of Erythrsea 

 centaurium, (Fig. 20,) we shall see at the summit of the 



Fig. 20. 



primary axis a flower, a, which is truly terminal ; but from 

 either axis of the first pair of leaves or bracts at Z>, arises a 

 secondary axis, each axis being similarly terminated by a 

 single flower, and bearing also two pairs of bracts, c, c, which 

 in their turn, give rise to unifloral tertiary axes, and so on. 



As the secondary axis arises from leaves below the primary 

 and central flower, the flower at the apex of the secondary 

 3xis, is consequently farther removed from the centre of 

 growth ; and the same remark applies to the flower at the 



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