— 194 — 



almost iiliform, and pendulous. The year-shoots may attain 

 the length of half a metre, they are always branched, often 

 twice branched. The bark is green at first, but soon turns 

 white and glossy. 



The distal part of the year-shoot often dies away before 

 the next vegetative period. The new year-shoots arise close 

 up to the dead part, the lower part of the old year-shoot 

 being branchless. 



The year-shoot generally bears flowers towards its apex; 

 a flower is placed in each axil and the length of the inter- 

 nodes decreases upwards. In less luxuriant plants the 

 branches are formed high up, and arise in the axils below 

 the lowest flowers. These branches have rather short nodes, 

 bear flowers in every leaf-axil and die away after the ripening 

 of the fruits. They are thus annual assimilating as well as 

 flowering shoots. In more vigorous plants the branches of 

 a year-shoot are long, drawn out and zigzag, they are also 

 numerous as they arise from almost every leaf-axil on the 

 year-shoot (fig. 12). In the most strongly developed specimens 

 the branches of the year-shoot are lignified, and are then 

 scarcely assimilating shoots but rejuvenescence shoots. They 

 may bear flowers in each leaf-axil or only in the upper ones, 

 and as a rule they have flowering branches towards the 

 apex. 



The year-shoot branches of secondary order are similar 

 to the primary branches described above for the more feebly 

 developed plants; they are flower-bearing, with short inter- 

 nodes, and quickly perish. 



The year-shoot branches which bear flowers throughout 

 their whole length — such as those in fig. 12 — live, to 

 all appearances, only one vegetative period, and one often 

 finds dead ones bearing the scars of fruits, they are thus 

 assimilating and flowering shoots; on the other hand, the 

 year-shoot branches, which bear leaves at the base, become 

 so strong and thick that the lower part probably survives 

 the winter. The tips of the branches, however, which in 

 September are soft and still growing, probably die away like 

 the lips of the main shoots. 



The small form of Salsola Arbusciila which prefers a 



