48 



GYMNOSPERM^. 



kinds (see p. 24). At the end of each active vegetative season 

 the terminal bud (is) of the main stem (or of a lateral long-shoot 

 (/,V) ) enters into a resting condition, and close beneath it the 

 axillary buds form a whorl-like collection of scaly resting buds. 

 These terminal buds, and the lateral ones (excepting such as 

 develop into cones), grow out in the following year to form 

 long-shoots. Consequently, the number of false whorls of 

 long-shoots denotes the number of years of growth of the 

 stem which bears them ; it is, however, necessary to add 

 three to the number thus obtained if we wish to calculate 

 the age of a tree, because no false whorls are formed till the 



end of the third year of the 

 life of the main stem. In fig. 

 62 the part of the stem above 

 the top whorl of branches, 

 and opposite i. is a one-year- 

 old stem ; that part (11.) be- 

 tween the uppermost whorl 

 and the second whorl is a 

 two-year-old stem, and so on. 

 Inflorescence and Flowers. 

 — The staminate and carpel- 

 lary flowers have been described 

 on page 44. They arise in the 

 axils of scale -leaves on the 

 long-shoots. (Consult fig. 62.) 

 The open flowers are found 

 only on the young shoots of 

 the current year. The car- 

 pellary flowers (c, cP) are small 

 erect lateral cones, often two 

 or three together, immediately 

 behind the terminal bud of 

 the long-shoot. They occupy 

 positions similar to the lateral 

 buds which would grow out to 

 form long-shoots. But the 

 staminate flowers ini) are in- 

 serted laterally on the more 

 long-shoots of the current year — that 

 the uppermost false whorl of 



Fig. 63. — Vertical section of staminate 

 flower of Scotch Pine. 

 Fig. 64. — Stamen of ditto. 



basal parts 

 is, they are 



of the 

 just above 



