76 MORPHOLbGY 



of its nodes either spirally or in whorls. If we sup- 

 pose the internodes of such a shoot to be suppressed 

 or undeveloped, the axis then will be reduced to a 

 short head, and the leaves brought close together 

 and arranged either spirally or in whorls on that 

 head. If we now examine a flower like that of 

 Champa (fig. 74) (see also fig. 148), we find that it 

 consists of a short axis on which are inserted close 

 together, first, from nine to twenty yellowish leaves, 

 secondly, numerous small linear bodies above them, 



and, lastly, numerous rounded 

 hooked bodies at the top. 

 Similarly, if we examine a 

 flower like that of kantali- 

 champa {Artabotrys odora- 

 tissimd), we find that it con- 

 sists of a short axis or head 

 on which are inserted, first, 

 a whorl of three green leaves 

 '"'■''■^SX.r''''"'' at the bottom, secondly, two 

 whorls above the first, each of 

 which consists of three yellow leaves, thirdly, numerous 

 short oblong linear bodies above them, and, lastly, 

 numerous round bodies densely-crowded at the top. 

 The flowers oi Magnolia grandiflora and dulee-champa 

 {Magnolia pterocarpa) disclose on examination a simi- 

 lar state of things. Now the structure of all these 

 flowers agrees closely with that of the shoot which 

 has been supposed to have its axis suppressed or 

 undeveloped. Thus the short axis of the flower re- 

 presents the short axis of the supposed suppressed 

 stem, and the yellow or green leaves, the linear or 

 oblong bodies, and the rounded bodies of the flower 

 all represent the green leaves of the suppressed axis. 

 That the lower leaves of the flowers are modified 



