BULLETIN 
OF THE 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. 
Vol. XVIII.) New York, April 4, 1891. [No. 4. 
On the Fone? of the Flower Buds of Spfing: Bloxsbininne 
Plants During the Preceding Summer. 
By Auc. F. Forrste. 
For a number of years it has been an interesting subject for 
me to dissect the scale-protected, and usually subterranean, win- 
ter buds of plants blossoming in the spring, in order to ascertain 
the earliest date at which the flower-buds of the coming season 
can be discerned. Having recently had unusually good oppor- 
tunities for continuing these studies, I present here a part of the 
results. 
The first set of observations were made in the vicinity of 
Rutland, Vermont, in the district lying between the Green Moun- 
tain and the Taconic ranges, during the middle of August. San- 
guinaria Canadensis then had the flower bud considerably devel- 
oped, being at least an eighth of an inch long, and containing all 
the elements of the future blossom in easily recognizable form. 
Fragaria Virginiana showed a cluster of flower buds, the largest 
of which was a sixteenth of an inch long, the entire cluster being 
so densely‘covered with close villous hairs as not to admit of 
easy recognition of its true character. In Cornus Canadensis — 
the flower bud cluster could be readily distinguished, the buds 
being a thirty-second of an inch or less in diameter. Pyrola 
elliptica has a scaly bud which is not subterranean. The scales — 
being removed, the tiny raceme of flower buds comes to view. 
Many of the buds have a diameter of less than a fortieth of an 
inch. Asarum Canadense has scaly buds which usually lie flat- 
 tened close t to the ground, covered by fallen leaves, but not sub- 
terranean. The enclosed flower bud i is about an eighth of an inch 
ong, showing all the structural elements distinctly, although in a 
‘miniature | form. eee’ Leselit has solid bulbs, toward one 
