12 AN INTRODUCTION 



common to both flower and fruit ; a receptacle of 

 the flower, when it is a base to which the parts of 

 the flower only are fastened without the germen ; a 

 receptacle of the seeds, when it is a bage that fastens 

 the seeds within the pericarpium. 



A COMMON RECEPTACLE, is that which connects 

 many florets in such a manner, as that the taking 

 away any of them would cause an irregularity. Palea 

 a chaff', is a thin substance, springing from the recep- 

 tacle to part the florets. 



UMBELLA, an Umbel, is a receptacle, which, from 

 a common center, runs out into thread-shaped foot- 

 stalks of proportionate lengths. It is called a simple 

 umbel, when it has no subdivisions ; a compound um- 

 bel, when each footstalk is terminated by an urn- 

 bellula, or little umbel ; and in this case, the umbel 

 that bears the umbellula on its footstalks, is called 

 an universal umbel : and the umbellula which pro- 

 ceeds from the universal umbc\+& partial umbel. 



CYMA, a Cyme, is a receptacle that runs into long 

 fastigiate peduncles *, proceeding from the same uni- 

 versal center, but with irregular partial ones. 



SPADIX, is the receptacle of a palmf produced 

 within a spatha, or sheath, on the branches that bear 

 fruit. 



* Peduncles, Flower-stalks, are called Fastigiate, when their 

 lengths are so proportioned, that the flowers which they sup- 

 port form an even surface. 



f This is the proper sense of the term, as employed by the~ 

 ancients: But Spadix is now used in a more general sense, 

 viz. to express all flower-stalks that come out of a Spatha ; see 

 the note on this subject in Chap. II. This definition, there- 

 fore, appears to be too strict. 



