THE FLOWER. 125 
But this calendar necessarily varies with each climate, for the date 
of the flowering of a plant is sooner or later, according to the 
latitude of the country. At Smyrna the Almond-tree blooms in 
the first half of February; in central France it blooms at the 
beginning of April; in Germany in the second half of April; at 
Christiana in the early days of June. 
It is hardly necessary to observe here how very indispensable an 
exact acquaintance with the times of flowering is to those who 
wish to see flowers succeeding each other harmoniously and without 
intermission, in their gardens. 
INFLORESCENCE. 
The arrangement of the flowers on the vegetable is called its 
inflorescence, from infloresco, “I begin to blossom.” It means 
simply the flower-head. 
Schleiden, who has paid more attention to this subject than has 
been usual with botanists, describes the various forms of inflore- 
scence as follows :— ; 
I.—Centripetal Inflorescence. 
1. The Capitulum, which is many-flowered in CaLatHiuM, whose 
simple flowers stand on the axils of more or fewer stunted bracts, 
surrounded with other circles of stunted bracts, as in some of the 
Composites. 
2. The Sprke (Spica) occurs in various fornis, as the Catkin 
(Amentum), which falls off entire, also distinguished by its imperfect 
flowers, as in the male flowers of the Betulace@, and some other 
plants. The Spadix, a closely-crowded -spike, with partially- 
cylindrical capitulum, and fleshy peduncle. The Cone, a cylindrical 
capitulum, or solid spike, on which the foliar organs become woody 
scales. The Spikelet (Spicula), the simple inflorescence of the 
srasses and Cyperacee: namely, a few-flowered spike, surrounded 
at the base by Glume, but with flowers having no bracts. 
3. The Umset, or Umbellula when compound. 
4. The Raceme, which, in different forms, is distinguished as 
the Corymbe, a pyramidal raceme. : ? 
