INFLORESCENCE (from Lat. to begin to flower, from in, in ± foreseer( to begin to flower, from florerc, to flower, from pros, flower; connected with Olr. bhith. 011G. /ammo/. Ger. Blume, (loth. bloom lee!. blame. flower. and with AS. bicistni, Eng. blossom ). The manner in which flowers are arranged in a cluster; or smut times simply a flower-cluster. In many plants the flowers occur singly, either at the end of the stem or among the leaves: hut when a definite region of the plant is set apart for flowers, it is called an inflorescence. The arrangement of flowers in such clusters is very diverse. and nu merous technical terms are employed to designate the different kinds of inflorescence. All kinds. however. are usually reduced to two categories, the indeterminate or botryose, and the determi nate or cymose.
III the botryose type' no pouter -lands "men the end t tin axis. which therefore Hay continue it, /from to hence an 'indite, inmate ine floresc. tic( 1. As it uW , the dowel !aid, 111.11111e Its appear at or near the gum% mg lip id the axis. and since the older thmers ale this method Is "ailed aril riot till ur II el, 'I'll/19. .1 ire !Oral, of the hotryty.y type, • all on; which are the tollom mg: lltict in which cacti tlouer. upon it OW11 ,t.111., St1111,1• 1111011 an elongated axis. as in spring beauty ln!i 0that and -Itcpherd'--ptir-e t la). such an intImescenc• is elongated. open. and spray-like. i'onicb, a of the raceme, in ‘vhich the flower•stalks especially the lower ones, branch, hear a small cluster of flowers. and together produce a general cluster more or less pyramidal nt outline, as in the spray like in florescence of :ably a. red-top). a modification of thi panicle. in which the flow ers are so congested as to form a compact pyram idal cluster, a, lit the lilac and a bunch of grapes. Ns,;/.se. a modifieation of the raceme. in ‘vItich the individual flower, bare un stal,s, but rest directly upon the elongated axis ('sessile'), as in the Oeminon plantain and many grasses (e.g. timothy). Sometime, these sessile flowers are so elo.se together as to cover the axis com pletely, in other they are more or less tered along it. .1 spikch 1 i. literally a small spike, hut the term is applied almost exclusively to the small spit-ate theaer-clusters which to gether make up the general spike or panicle of grasses. ..liacnt t r catkin, practically the sante as a spike or raceme. but with the subtending hi acts so conspiemins as to con•oal the until pollination. as in the pussy-willow, alder, birch. etc., which in con-equenee are often called
'amentateons* plants. .spodis, it mollification of a -pike. in which the axis becomes fleshy. Jack in-the-pulpit (Arisama ) and calla. In this ease the spike Or SiallitX is more or le.- en Icloped by a great insheathing bract called the is •ften colored, lie the calla it i. waxy witite, and represents to most persons the 'blower.' This inflorescence i, act, of the great Of Coo in which the stalks of the lower flowers are elon gat•d in such a mat as to producc a more or less flat-topped cluster. In -melt a elust.' r the lower flowers are the outertno,ts and a• they bloom first. tin order of bleioutiug, while really aseend ing ur acropetal as in the raceme, appears to be front the circumference toward the centre, or cun(rip, the so-called corynib, are •ym•s belo•). Umb, I. in floral axis d it not elongate. The flower•stalks appear therefore to rise from the 'aloe point. like the I rare, of an umbrella. Thi. in n flat-topped elti-ter, as in wild earri t. mild par snip. etc. Since ..telt flower-stall: is usually sub tended by a bract. in an umbel the bracts are thrown together in a rosette, is called the taro/acre. Umbels yt ry often become compound. that i-. each main -talk ('ray') of the cluster hears another umbel. sn that the general umbel is composed of .1 collection of small ones called brIlf ts, whole involtiere, are caned This intiOrN;ePne0 is eharacteristie of the great family Vintallifene. //cad, a modification an 'untie). in which the flower; are sessile (without stalks), and result in a compact. heathlike clus ter, as in sunflower. dandelion. etc. In this case 1," an in‘olucr• is a ft attire. rind in great tamily t oinpo-it.e the v. hot, head with it, comicrou, bowers •oinntonl to lie single' LI the (7/f/10..a tyl/y of illth.r•..•••twe the first Romer appear, at the tioll of the %\ !dell therefore cLi.s•, to elongate thence a mite' inflorescence). As a coic-equenc•, the flower bUIIS .11/IK• ir successively domit t•le axis, hence this method i, called la/ or 4/, let lag. "'here are sc‘eral modifications of the citiose type, hut the single term in most ii.bunou oh, , which came. a flat-topped elit-ti r re sembling a corymb. It may I.' distinguished Itom-ver, by the fact that the Homers be gin to bloom in the centre !top) of the ,Itister, and the suc•tssion is toward the eircumfmence, or r•nt•ifiiint/. as in elder nod hydrangea.
•pfoincrub is a (Tale 111 which the flower, are sit laud' er.escleil a, to form a sort of head, a, tut