68 The Vegetable Individual in its relation to Species. 
Sccale. Its spiciferous culm forms the shoot of the first degree, 
the lateral spikelets which compose the spike itself are those of 
the second,* and the florets in the axils of the superior leaves 
(paleze ) of these spikelets are the shoots of the third degree, i. 
the third generation of the cycle. A quadrimensbral succession 
of shoots occurs in Trifolium montanum, Hedysarum corona- 
rium, and in several . wig New Holland phyllodineous Acacia. 
Several species of Care , C. maxima aud leptosiachys, have 
a trimembral siccession oe, gee up tothe male flower aud a 
five-membral one up to the female. 
If we were to reckon the similar generations which are reared 
one above the other until the tree gains strength enough to per- 
fect its flowers, in many trees without terminal buds, as, in the 
Willow, the Linden.t we might find a number of generations 
equal or even much superior to that presented b i 
Besides the generation essential to itself, and by which it gives 
existence to the next grade in the cycle, every generation can 
have still another unessential reproduction, which only extends 
the same grade. As above we distinguished between esseutial 
and nnessential shoots, so here accordingly we must distinguish 
an essential succession of SM eae true alternation of 
generation,—and an unessential one, Very often both occur in 
the same species of plants. A fine example of this is shown in 
Lysimachia nummularia, from whose creeping and rooting leal- 
xis are emitted not sag peduncles, bat here and there new ereep- 
ing leaf-axis exactly repeating oe original one (except as to the 
two early-lost cotyledous): and from the undetermined leaf-bear= 
ing main-axis of Trope@clum actin are emitted in regular alter- 
nation three lateral flowers at a time, and then again one (unes- 
sential) leaf-shoot. lu Cardamine amara the first ¢ generation (the 
stem bearing foliaceous and superior-leaves) is repeated in a two-_ 
fold manner, by lateral branches from the cauline leaves, and by 
creepers from axils of the root-leaves. Similar relations obtain 
in Mentha and a large number of other plants. This same phe- 
nomenon is repeated in the animal kingdom. The poly p-like 
nurses of the Medusa increase as such “(according to Sars and 
von Siebold) by lateral buds and runners. Syncoryne are spadix- 
polypi, which represent trees by their formation of unessential | 
ranches, emitting finally from every branch and from the middle 
stock a whorl of individuals of the second (and last) degree. 
Campanularia and Sertularia put forth runners from the 
of the main-individual, which again shoot up aud become new 
main-stems, or new stems emerge out of them; and perhaps the 
* Secale, in fact, has no terminal spieule; neither has Triticum monococcum, while 
species of 
ie ote uaa iticum have. ¥ 
described the grape in reference to this ct ther ce, (Ver 
pe 8) Lloyd ope aah anes. : 
