The inflorescence usually consists of a main axis consisting of a peduncle and a rachis.

In his January 2002 state of the union address to Congress, President George W. Bush spoke of an "axis of evil" consisting of Iran, North Korea, and Iraq.

His was a bizarre design: a jagged edifice with slanting walls that resembles nothing if not a lightning bolt, slashed by a central axis mainly consisting of empty spaces the architect refers to as "voids."

The Chinese wonder how temporary the surging American military presence in Asia will be, and they were frightened by Mr. Bush's declaration of an "axis of evil" consisting of Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

When he used his first post-attack State of the Union to denounce an "axis of evil" consisting of three countries that had nothing to do either with 9/11 or with each other, alarm bells should have gone off.

The then planned axis consisting of a promenade and series of waterfalls cascading down the Kreuzberg hill towards the square was never realised, the interjacent block of houses remained untouched.