The South Australian Naturalist. 



lii May, 1916, when the tin was opened, it was found 

 that the bulbs had begun to develop thread-like underground 

 stems, from the nodes of which tiny bulbils appeared. Be- 

 cause of this development these bulbs were not replanted in 

 the observation boxes, but kept in the closed tobacco tin. 

 The thin white stems developed and retained their freshness 

 until they were from S to 7 inches in length. With the return 

 of spring, the tender underground stems died off, but the old 

 bulbs remained alive. They were returned to the tin and 

 replaced in the cupboard. In May, 1917, it was discovered 

 that the bulbs had again begun to develop thin stems and 

 adventitious bulbils. With the advent of spring these tender 

 threadlike processes perished, and t^iQ bulbs lay dormant 

 until the autumn of 1918, when a third lot of thin white stems 

 and bulbils were produced. This time the stems were much 

 shorter, being from one to three inches in length. 



[Note— The bulbs 

 show the remains 

 of three successive 

 outgrowths, num- 

 bered 1, 2, and 3. 

 Each growth repre- 

 sents one year, and 

 the figures indicate 

 the order in which 

 they were produced. 

 The small projec- 

 tions along the 

 stems represent the 

 bulbils forming at 

 the nodes. In each 

 case part of the first 

 year's growth has 

 been broken oft'.] 



An examination of the bulbs proved that several had 

 died, while two or three still showed signs of vitality. These 

 were left in the tin and returned to the cupboard. This year 

 (1919) it was found that three had still survived and had' put 

 forth tiny stems almost one inch in length. Wliether these 

 bulbs will retain their vitality for another year remains to be 

 seen. 



This great vitality of the bulb of Oxalis cernua enables 

 this plant to perennate successfully in districts subject to 

 very long periods of drought, and also aids materially in its 

 rapid distribution throughout Australia. 



