26 STEM 



termination of which had emerged from the soil. This 

 year, axis ii. is flowering, and its branch (axis in.) has just 

 emerged from the soil with its foliage-leaves, and will next year 

 terminate in an inflorescence. Axis iii. has a branch of its own, 

 (axis IV.), which next year will push above the soil and assume 

 the present condition of axis in., and in the second year after 

 will flower. It will thus be seen that the creeping subterranean 

 axis is not a true axis, but is composed of the subterranean 

 portions of axes i., u., in., iv., apparently strung together end 

 to end. Each true a;xis is roughly L-shaped, and the sym- 

 podium is made up of the bases of successive Ls. 



Some of our trees, especially Willows, Elms, Limes, Beeches, 

 have sympodial branches, which are produced in a slightly 

 different manner. In these trees the terminal buds of the 

 branches often die in autumn, and in the following year the 

 highest axillary bud on each shoot grows out and behaves as if 

 it were the true terminal bud. Again, in the Hazel occasionally 

 an axillary inflorescence arises close to the apex of a shoot, and 

 as it develops it causes the terminal bud to die and drop off" 

 (see fig. 131). 



ARRANGEMENT OF BRANCHES. 



So far as we have considered a flowering plant, we have 

 found that every leaf has a bud in its axil. An axillary bud 

 is simply a small lateral shoot which may develop into a 

 branch. If all the axillary buds of a plant were to grow out, 

 the branches would be arranged on exactly the same plan as 

 the leaves {i.e. in whorls or in spirals). But many leaves have no 

 branches in their axils ; this is due to the fact that, though the 

 buds are present they remain inactive. Thus we may range 

 buds under two heads : those which are active or growing, and 

 those which are inactive or resting. The disposition of branches 

 on a stem depends, therefore, not only on the arrangement of 

 the leaves, but also upon the behaviour of the axillary buds. 



Bacemose branching. — When a stem grows strongly and 

 produces a considerable number of branches which remain 

 smaller than itself, the branching is said to be racemose (fig. 4). 



Cymose branching. — When a stem grows only for a limited 

 time and produces only a few branches which subsequently 

 develop more vigorously than the stem which bears them, the 

 branching is said to be cymose (fig. 43). 



