Fig. 149.—Fruit-buds and Leaf-buds of Pear.
Buds that contain or produce only leaves are leaf-buds. Those which contain only flowers are flower-buds or fruit-buds. The latter occur on peach, almond, apricot, and many very early spring-flowering plants. The single flower is emerging from the apricot bud in Fig. [147]. A longitudinal section of this bud, enlarged, is shown in Fig. [148]. Those that contain both leaves and flowers are mixed buds, as in pear, apple, and most late spring-flowering plants.
Fruit buds are usually thicker or stouter than leaf-buds. They are borne in different positions on different plants. In some plants (apple, pear) they are on the ends of short branches or spurs; in others (peach, red maple) they are along the sides of the last year’s growths. In Fig. [149] are shown three fruit-buds and one leaf-bud on E, and leaf-buds on A. See also Figs. [150, 151, 152], [153], and explain.
| Fig. 150.—Fruit-buds of Apple on Spurs: a dormant bud at the top. | Fig. 151.—Cluster of Fruit-buds of Sweet Cherry, with one pointed leaf-bud in centre. | Fig. 152.—Two Fruit-buds of Peach with a leaf-bud between. |
Fig. 153.—Opening of Leaf-buds and Flower-buds of Apple.
“The burst of spring” means in large part the opening of the buds. Everything was made ready the fall before. The embryo shoots and flowers were tucked away, and the food was stored. The warm rain falls, and the shutters open and the sleepers wake.
Arrangement of Buds.—We have found that leaves are usually arranged in a definite order; buds are borne in the axils of leaves: therefore buds must exhibit phyllotaxy. Moreover, branches grow from buds: branches, therefore, should show a definite arrangement. Usually, however, they do not show this arrangement because not all the buds grow and not all the branches live. (See Chaps. II and III.) It is apparent, however, that the mode of arrangement of buds determines to some extent the form of the tree. Compare bud arrangement in pine or fir with that in maple or apple.
