THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM 345 



which the t)ranches arise and the relative position of the 

 oldest flowers, or else to the general form as modified by more 

 obvious features, like the relative lengths of the internodes. 

 It is desirable to keep these two points of view distinct. 



Viewed as to their system of branching, simple inflore.s- 

 cences, such as most of those we have been .studying, are 

 either of the cymose or the botryose type. Under the head 

 of cymoso inflorescences we should include a solitary flower 

 which terminates a leafy axis, as in the wood-anemony; while 

 a solitary flower, which, like that of the mouse-tail, .springs 

 from the axil of a foliage leaf would more logically be called 

 botryose. When the branches of an inflorescence branch 

 again it becomes compound, as in our example of clematis, 

 (Fig. 290) which has a compound cyme, or cyme of cymes. 



As to general form we may here distinguish: (1) racemose 

 inflorescences or racemes, like those of monkshood and 

 l)aneberry, which are simple and have pedicels all shorter 

 than the rachis, thus giving an elongated cluster; (2) panicu- 

 late ' inflorescences or punides, which are more or less elon- 

 gated and compound, as in Fig. 293; and (3) corymbose - in- 

 florescences or corymbs (Fig. 290) which have the outer 

 pedicels or branches about as long as the rachis, and those 

 nearer the center progressively shorter so that the cluster 

 as a whole is broad and more or less flat-topped. Corymbs 

 (jften become racemose as they grow older, and compound 

 corj^mbs, paniculate. , Some Ijotanists would restrict the 

 terms raceme, panicle, and corymb to indeterminate in- 

 florescences; but in practice these names are applied indis- 

 criminately also to inflorescences of the determinate type 

 which have assumed the forms above defined. Thus we may 

 speak of a racemo.se, paniculate, or corymbose cyme. 



In a flower of marsh-marigold we recognize many organs 

 similar to those already observed in the flax but with some 

 important differences. Thus in the center of the flower we 

 find a cluster of pistils each with a single stigma, style, and 

 (jvulary cavity instead of a single pistil with several styles 

 and stigmas and a single ovary with several cavities. Such 



1 Pan-ic'-u-late < L. panicula, a tufi . 



- Cor-ymb'-ose < L. corymbus, a clu,ster of flowers. 



