ANTHOTAXY/;, \ .J lot'. 



CHAPTER XXIV 



ANTHOTAXY 



ANTHOTAXY treats of the arrangement of flowers upon the 

 stem. Flowers are borne either singly or in clusters. The 

 advantage of flowers being brought together into clusters is, 

 that the same pollinating agency, bringing pollen to one 

 flower, may benefit the rest or at least some of them. In 

 this way the flowers " club together," as Grant Allen says, 

 to share favorable pollinating influences. We shall study a 

 few of the more important common arrangements. 



I. The Raceme. Examine a flower cluster of the Lily 

 of the Valley, Red-hot- Poker Plant, Zygadenus, Currant, or 

 similar plant and notice : 



1. The general shape of the cluster (elongated}. 



2. The main stem with 



3. The flowers arranged at different heights. 



4. The order of blossoming, beginning at the base and pro- 



ceeding towards the top. 



5. Examining each flower, notice : 



6. The short stalk, of nearly the same length in each flower. 



7. The small leaf (or leaf scale) in whose axil each flower 



is borne. (Notice that consequently all the flowers 

 are lateral structures.) 



8. Make a sketch and diagram to show these points and 



label the parts, as follows : 



(a) Peduncle, the main axis or stem. 



