The probability that an axillary bud, emerging from a non-rooted parent node, developed to a lateral branch (branch with elongated internodes) decreased with decreasing proximity of the parent node to a rooted node. Lateral branches emerging from non-rooted parent nodes which were two nodes distal to a rooted node had a higher rate of node appearance, a greater mean internode length and area per leaf, and were more branched than lateral branches emerging from other non-rooted parent nodes.