BRANCHING OF STEMS 167 
leaves are separated and better exposed to the light. If the in- 
ternodes are short, as in the stem of the Dandelion, the leaves are 
much crowded. Also in such plants as Beets, Radishes, Turnips, 
and Lettuce the stem at first has short internodes and the leaves 
are much crowded. 
On the ends of branches as well as in the axils of leaves, occur 
the buds which have much to do with the growth of stems. The 
stem elongates by the development © 
of new nodes and internodes from 
the terminal buds, while branches 
develop from the buds occurring in 
the axils of the leaves. 
Branching of Stems. — Since 
branches develop from the buds 
located in the axils of the leaves, 
the arrangement of branches tends 
to follow the leaf arrangement. 
Plants having two leaves at a node 
and on opposite sides of the stem, 
as in the Maple, tend to have 
branches with the opposite arrange- 
ment. Likewise, plants with leaves 
occurring one at a node and on 
alternate sides of the stem tend to 
have the alternate arrangement of 
branches, as Elms illustrate. 
The amount of branching varies 
much among plants. Among herba- 
ceous plants the stems of many of 
the Grasses branch very little and 
are called simple stems, while in 
some plants, as Clover and Alfalfa 
illustrate, there is very much branching. Branching reaches its 
maximum among the trees, where often there is branching and 
rebranching until the youngest branches are so numerous and 
small, as in the Elms and Birches, that the tree may be some- 
what brush-like in appearance. 
Branching is directly related to leaf display, for it not only 
enables the plant to bear more leaves, but makes a better exposure 
to sunlight possible. Branching is also related to flower and fruit 
Fic. 145. — Pines, showing 
the excurrent type of stem. 
After Fink. 
