64 DICOTYLEDONE^E. 



and Taxodium^, every part of the exterior 

 is furnished with an infinite number of buds either 

 visible or latent, any one of which may be a principal, 

 that is a leader, or a secondary, that is a branch. 

 Other genera, or some individual species of genera, 

 as the Pinus sylvestris\, are in general furnished 

 with a definite number of buds ; one, seldom more, of 

 which is a principal, and all the rest secondary. In 

 the first case, if the leader be cut off above the collet, 

 latent buds immediately come forth, any of which 

 may become a new leader, and throw out branches and 

 branchlets innumerable ; but if the leading shoot of 

 the other be broken, the tree can never regain its 

 natural form, because the latent buds are those of 

 branches. Sometimes, indeed, the leading shoot of 

 a branch, in consequence of the failure of the princi- 

 pal leader of the stem, will take a more upright 

 direction; still the columnar form and aspiring- 

 character of the tree is seldom regained, unless a 

 new leader springs from the collet. 



It is obvious, therefore, that several of the Coni- 

 ferce have a determinate constitutional character. 

 imposing a definite mode of development, and regu- 

 larity of expansion ; each bud, whether primary, 

 secondary, or tertiary, &c., having its own peculiar 

 powers, and without the faculty of becoming the 

 substitute of another. 



That some of this lofty and conical growing order 

 possess latent buds in the collet, has been proved by 



* Yew. f Deciduous cypress. J Scottish fir. 



