LIPARIS LOESELII. 217 



next year. The major axis of this is again at right angles to that 

 of the young tuber. 



After flowering, when the seed is ripe, the parts of the vegetating 

 plant die off gradually ; meanwhile, however, the young tuber 

 swells, that of the former year shrinking, and at last entirely 

 perishing. The sheaths of the leaves which expand with the 

 tuber, namely the fourth and fifth, protect the bud from external 

 injury. This is developed the next year perfectly, breaking 

 through the base of the fifth leaf and the front of the sheath of the 

 fourth. The same formation of bulbs takes place in plants which 

 do not flower ; the tubers cannot therefore be considered merely 

 as the base of the peduncle. 



Little acute gemma? are often developed from the last year's 

 tuber, generally at its crown, and not in the axils of the leaves ; 

 these soon fall off and become independent. 



It is clear that the plant changes its place annually. If the 

 axis below the tube always remains short, and if the third through 

 every cycle stands always to the right or left of the last preceding 

 old tuber, the same position would again be attained in the fifth 

 annual period. The premises do not, however, strictly hold good. 



LlPARIS LOESELII. 



Fig. 1. Base of flowering plant. 



A. axis. 



B. dead roots, 

 i. living roots. 



C. outer decayed leaf. 

 F. old peduncle. 



Fig. 1. a, b, c. sheathing scales. 



d, e. leaves. 



f. peduncle. 

 Fig. 2. e. point of attachment of se- 

 cond leaf. 



f. peduncle. 



g. young tuber, 

 h. principal bud. 



III. MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS. 



Primula officinalis. 



The simplest case is that in which a single flower-stem only is 

 produced on one plant. This, rising in the midst of the leaves 

 which rest upon the ground, is terminal. In the axil which is 

 formed between it and the uppermost leaf is seated the principal 

 bud, whose under leaves are developed in the course of the same 

 year, while the inner leaves surrounded by a few scales remain 

 small. It produces the next year the first flower-stem. There 



