Axillary buds

Wheeler, R. M., Hannapel, D. J., Tibbitts, T. W. (1988). Comparison of axillary bud growth and patatin accumulation in potato leaf cuttings as assays for tuber induction. Ann. Botany, 62,25-30. 

Lazar G, Goodman HM. 2006. MAXI, a regulator of the flavonoids pathway, controls vegetative axillary bud outgrowth in Arahidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103 472-476. 

Even where acute changes drastically alter the plant, regeneration and compensation are evident. The reduction in photosynthetically functional surface is compensated by the presence of unaffected leaves that are lower in the canopy and that now receive more light (4). On the other hand, regeneration rather than compensation may occur after exposure to the pollutant has ceased by the release of axillary buds or continued growth of the shoots that replace the lost foliar tissue. 

An axillary or lateral-hMA is one which arises in the leaf axil. It is capable of giving rise to a side branch or to a flower. Occasionally axillary buds do not develop and are then called dormant buds. 

In most flowering plants continuous growth is caused by the terminal and axillary buds. Depending on the ultimate fate of the terminal bud, two essentially different growth forms may be distinguished with different terms for the vegetative and the generative part of the plant. 

N.B, In a sympodial structure the axes may have a monopodial brancning for some time up to several years, but eventually the terminal bud will flower and die. Such a mixture of main monopodial and ultimate sympodial branching in an inflorescence is the thyrse (see 45.3.1). To decide what type is involved, the relative position of axes, leaves or bracts, and inflorescence or flowers (check for scarsl) must be observed very carefully for instance the presence of a leaf on a branch opposite to the inflorescence clearly indicates the sympodial type the apparently lateral inflorescence is in fact the terminal bud, while the apparent straight continuation of the stem is in fact the outgrowth of the axillary bud of the leaf. 

The leaf of flowering plants is defined as being an organ, usually flat, usually dorso-ventrally placed, which always has one or more axillary buds (See 36.2). In this way true leaves may be distinguished from phyllodes, phylloclades, cladodes, interpetiolarily connate stipules, or from the leaflets of a compound leaf. 

An inflorescence is that part of the plant that bears flowers (and fruits), and dies completely afterwards, that iss no subsequent vegetative growth occurs either from the terminal or from the axillary buds. If further growth does occur we have a pseudo-lnfloreacence (see also sympodial growth, 32.2), but note that soma inflorescences, especially sessile ones (see cauliflorous, 42.4), may flower several to many times. 

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