BULB.—BULBLETS.—CORM. 123 
dry scales ; but it is entirely composed of thick, fleshy, more or 
less flattened ones, which simply overlap one another. 
The young bulbs (cloves) (fig. 259, b), which are developed in 
the axils of the scales of bulbs, either remain attached to their 
parent, which they then commonly destroy by absorbing all its 
stored-up nutriment ; or more commonly they become separated 
in the course of growth, and form independent plants. 
In the axils of the leaves of certain plants, such as some 
species of Lily (fig. 243, a, a), the Coralwort (Dentaria bulbifera), 
and Pilewort (Ranwuneuius Ficaria), small conical or rounded 
fleshy bodies are produced, which are of the nature of bulbs, 
and are hence called aerial bulbs from their position, or from 
their smaller size bulbils or bulblets. They differ from ordinary 
buds in their fleshy nature, and by spontaneously separating 
Hines 249: Fic. 245. 
Fig. 242. Tunicated bulb of the Onion. Fig. 243. Stem of a species of Lily 
(Lilium bulbiferum) bearing bulbils or bulblets, a, a, in the axils of its 
leaves, 
from their parent, and producing new individuals when placed 
under favourable circumstances ; and from true bulbs from their 
small size and aerial position. These aerial bulbs are not con- 
fined, as is the case with true bulbs, to Monocotyledons, as may be 
seen by the examples given. 
d. The Corm.—This form of stem, like the true bulb, is only 
found in Monocotyledons, as, for example, the Colchicum (iy. 
246), and Crocus (figs. 244 and 245). It is an enlarged solid 
subterranean stem, of 2 more or less rounded or oval figure, and 
commonly covered externally by a few thin membranous scales 
or cataphyllary leaves. By some botanists it is considered as 
a kind of bulb, in which the stem is much enlarged, and the 
scales reduced to thin membranes. Practically a corm may 
