— 176 — 
The year-shoots have small, scattered, scaly leaves, mere 
rudiments which can play no part in assimilation. In their 
axils lateral shoots occur which are smaller than the main shoot 
and bear scale-leaves. The year-shoots are therefore bran- 
ched. The lateral shoots (year-shoot branches) bear flowers 
in the upper leaf-axils. 
Before the beginning of 
the next vegetative period, the 
ultimate parts of the year- 
shoot and all its smaller bran- 
ches die, and only the pri- 
mary axis (the main shoot in 
fig. 24) remains, after losing 
its green bark and assuming 
the yellow, smooth, hard bark 
instead. The branches of the 
year-shoot thus live only 
through one vegetative period, 
they are biologically equi- 
valent to leaves and may be 
termed assimilation-branches. 
(Rinpowsky, see below p. 178). 
The next year-shoot arises 
from the nodes of the primary 
year-shoot where the assimil- 
ation-branches formerly were 
or where their remains may 
still be seen, so that serially 
the new shoots arise below 
Fig. 24. A year-old branch of Eremo- the old ones. During the first 
sparton aphyllum. A bunch of new = De 
assimilation-shoots arising from an Year, between the assimilation- 
old leaf-axil at the base of three dead branch and the scale-leaf sub- 
(strongly shaded) assimilation-shoots. tending it, one may find the 
little bud which develops into a new year-shoot (fig. 25). 
Sometimes not one but several shoots are formed from a 
node, some of these being vigorous and persistent, while 
others are short-lived assimilating shoots. It has not been 
possible to determine whether these serial shoots are lateral 
shoots on an assimilation-branch of the first year, or on 
