ANTHOTAXY. 



I. WHOLE PLANT OF SPRING BEAUTY {Claytonica Virginica). 



An obscurely organized tuber bearing at certain points upon it 

 a few fibrous roots. Compare this tuber with that of Jerusalem 

 Artichoke. Is the tuber annual or perennial ? 



Each year's growth above ground consists of several somewhat 

 fleshy leaves direct from the tuber, and a rather weak stem bear- 

 ing two leaves and terminated by a flower-cluster. The leaves 

 may be alternate or opposite upon the stem. 



The flower is a modified branch and bears as lateral members, 

 the floral envelopes and essential organs. The flower-bearing 

 branch is terminated by the pistil. 



Each flower is borne upon a slender stalk, the pedicel. The 

 pedicels of all the flowers are inserted upon a common axis called 

 the rhachis, or sometimes the axis of inflorescence. 



Usually each pedicel arises from the axil of a leaf. This leaf, 

 especially if much modified, is called a bract. If the flower clus- 

 ter be branched more than once, that is if it be compound, the ul- 

 timate subtending leaf structures are called bractlets. In Clay- 

 tonia there are no bracts or bractlets. 



The first flower to expand is that borne upon the lowest pedi- 

 cel. The flowers succeed each other regularly toward the upper 

 end of the rhachis. Where the appearance of flowers follows the 

 order here shown, namely, the lower or outermost flowers expand 

 first, the method of flowering (inflorescence) is indeterminate. 



Where both the rhachis and the pedicels are elongated as here 

 and the inflorescence is indeterminate, the flower-cluster is a 

 raceme. 



Sketch the flower-cluster of Claytonia (^) indicating by num- 

 bers the order in which the flowers appear. 



Describe the roots, stem, leaves, and floral organs in terms al- 

 ready used. All flattened organs as petals, sepals and bracts may 

 be described by terms used to describe leaf forms. 



