216 
THE LIFE OF FLOWERING PLANTS 
one axillary branch arises below 
the terminal flower each time, all 
on the same side. 
In a raceme, spike, panicle, and 
head, the axis may go on growing 
and producing flowers during an 
indefinite period. 
In solitary flowers only one is 
ever produced on a peduncle; and 
in a cyme only the 
terminal fl6wer is 
ever produced on 
any one branch. 
The first group 
is known as in¬ 
determinate inflo¬ 
rescence and the 
second as determi¬ 
nate. 
Indeterminate 
inflorescence has 
its oldest flowers 
on the lower part 
of the axis (ra¬ 
ceme, spike, head) 
or on the outside 
of the cluster (corymb, umbel). The order 
of blossoming is centripetal. 
In the cyme the central flower is the oldest, 
producing others farther away with each 
branching, the order being centrifugal. 
195. Economic Value of Flowers. — Many 
plants are cultivated for the pleasure their 
flowers give us. Our use of them for pleasure 
very often defeats the object for which they 
Figure 205. — Spike. 
A raceme in which the flowers 
have very short pedicels or 
none, as plantain, Figure 206. 
Figure 206. 
A, region of 
mature pistils; 
B, region of ma¬ 
ture stamens; 
C, region of ma¬ 
turing fruit; 
D, region of ripe 
fruit. 
