Sympodium

A sympodium is a branching mode of vascular plants, in which the further growth of the shoots is not continue from the main axis, but by subterminal page axes. The main axis is usually - but not always - depleted by the formation of a terminal inflorescence or a flower.

Monochasium and dichasium

A monochasium is when only a single side of the axis does the further growth. This depends almost always from the same direction as the major axis übergipfelte, then soon exhausted itself and is again übergipfelt of another side axis. Such monochasium thus composed of various successive concatenated together side axes and is at first glance usually hardly distinguishable from a shoot with continuous major axis. There arises here a "bogus axis". On closer inspection, a monochasium to the arrangement of the leaves can be seen. Since lateral axes always spring from the axil of a leaf, the leaves are in a monochasium at the "apparent axis" (apparently) inflorescences opposite. With a continuous main axis, however, the inflorescences were to be found in the axils of the leaves.

A well-known representatives of this branch form is the grapevine.

If further growth is assumed by two equally strong lateral axes, one speaks of a dichasium.

Cymes

If this branching mode in an inflorescence and ends the respective principal axis with a flower, so it is called a Zyme or zymösen inflorescence. When monochasium There are two cases: If all lateral axes go away to one side, it is called a Schraubel, because the apparent major axis then often appears to be rolled up spirally. If the page axles go away alternately to the left and right, it is called a winding.

Apart from monochasium and from dichasium can here also the case of a Pleiochasiums occur in the form more side branches under the final flowering of the main axis. In this case, the number of branches is often reduced in the upper part of the inflorescence, so that the Pleiochasium merges into a dichasium.

However, the nomenclature of the zymösen inflorescences is handled quite differently. This presentation follows Botany online or Schmeil and hinge plates. After Rothmaler winding referred to, for example, a monochasium in which the runners are all on the same side and two flowers sit at each node, so that a rolled double row of flowers.

Depending on the author more zymöse inflorescences are distinguished, for example, double wrap, tufts or tangle.