66 



ROUND THE YEAR 



and little wood, can hardly flower except in seasons 

 when the bright sun makes food-formation easy. 



Let us take an ungerminated bulb of last year's 

 growth, and examine it. It has a circular scar at its 

 base, round which the roots spring, when there are 



FIG. 15. A crocus corm. a, the base ; b. side view ; c, section, showing two 

 shoots ; d, starch gianules. a c are of the natural size ; d is magnified. 



any. Above this, the bulb is covered by an outer 

 tunic, consisting of a membrane stiffened by many 

 prominent, vertical fibres, with frequent junctions. 

 When such a membrane shrivels or rots in the earth, 

 it becomes reduced to a network with a ragged fringe, 



