THE BLACK HONEYSUCKLE 225 



Lonicera nigra, Linn. 



The Black Honeysuckle {Lonicera nigra, Linn.), 

 so called from its black berry, bears two flowers, placed 

 side by side on the end of a very long common 

 flower-stalk, usually more than three or four times 

 the length of the flowers. As in the other Alpine 

 Honeysuckles, the flower aiTangement is really in 

 threes, one flower being central, and the other two 

 lateral, on either side of the central flower. But in 

 these plants only the lateral flowers are present, the 

 central one being entirely suppressed. This type of 

 flower arrangement, which may be well studied in 

 the Eagged Robin or the Eock Catchfly (Plate XVI., 

 Fig. 2), is termed by the botanist a simple cyme or 

 dichasium. 



In the typical cyme, each flower is subtended by 

 a leaf or bract. In the Alpine Honeysuckles this 

 bract may or may not be present, but two small leaf- 

 lets occur, which are known as hracteoles. Thus the 

 inflorescence here consists of the two lateral flowers 

 of a cyme, each with a pair of bracteoles at the base. 



The interesting point in regard to the flowers and 

 fruits of the Black Honeysuckle, in comparison with 

 the other species described below, is that the two 

 ovaries of the flowers, and later the two berries, are 

 slightly united for less than half their length at the 

 base. The four bracteoles of the flowers are also 

 imited in pairs, and in the flowering stage sheathe the 

 lower portions of the ovaries. The two berries, which 



