Biology · Ch 9 — Morphology of Flowering Plants
Inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a specialised axis or branch, called the peduncle, over which flowers are produced or borne in a definite manner. Not all the flowers on an inflorescence mature at the same time — this staggering increases the chances of pollination, since a large number of flowers can be pollinated across repeated visits, and it also makes the plant more attractive overall. There are two basic types of inflorescence:
a. Racemose — the growth of the peduncle is infinite or unlimited, because the apical bud remains free to keep growing. As a result, the older flowers are found towards the base, and flowers are borne in acropetal succession (youngest near the tip, oldest near the base); the order of opening is centripetal (base to tip). …
What this figure shows. An elongated flowering axis with an actively growing tip bearing small unopened flower buds near the top, and progressively larger, older, fully open flowers t …
What this figure shows. A short flowering axis that ends in a single fully open (oldest) flower at its tip, with younger flower buds arising from lateral branches lower down an …