Dr. A. Braun on the Vegetable Individual. 343 



herself, as well as art, in various ways may effect such an inde- 

 pendent separation of developed branches or of undeveloped 

 buds, and this too either above or beneath the ground. Pro- 

 pagation of the Strawberry by its runners ; of the Potato and the 

 Helianthus tuberosus by their tubers ; of bulbous plants by their 

 bulbs; of the Garhc by the bulblets formed in the process of 

 flowering, and falling off like seeds; of the varieties of the 

 beautiful Achimenes by the amentaceous or the strobilaceous 

 deciduous shootlets, are well-known examples of this process ; 

 and thousands of others might be adduced*. 



The gardener can not only separate individuals, but unite 

 them upon one stem. This is true not only of individuals of 

 the same species, but even of those of different species ; some- 

 times even of different genera of the same family. The Lilac is 

 not unfrequently grafted upon the Privet {Ligustrum), the Pear 

 upon the Mountain Ash {Sorbus Aucuparia) , the Peach upon the 

 Almond. By the insertion of a bud (inoculation), or of a deve- 

 loped sproutlet (grafting), we are thus enabled to pluck different 

 kinds of roses from the same bush, to gather different kinds of 

 fruit from the same tree. It would evidently be a contradiction 

 in this case to consider the whole tree, or the whole bush, as the 

 individual ; for we should then give the name to a compound of 

 several species, or even of several genera. 



In attempting to comprehend the vegetable individual in its 

 simplest form, we have thus far spoken of unessential branches 

 only, and have endeavoured to show that they cannot be regarded 

 as mere parts of the individual. But there is another kind of 

 branches, those which are essentially requisite for the attainment 

 of the end of vegetation, — for the formation of flowers and fruit. 

 These occur in all plants which possess no terminal buds, and 



* I will only adduce a few more of these examples, \vhich might be 

 multipUed indefinitely. Besides the Garlic {Allium sativum), in many other 

 species oi Allium, e. g. A. oleraceum, carinatum, vineale ; Lilium bulbiferum, 

 tigrinum, humile, and other species ; Gageajistulosa, Ficaria ranunculoides, 

 Dentaria bulbifera, Saxifraga bulbifera and cernua, Cicuta bulhifera, 

 Polygonum viviparum, Begonia bulbifera, diversifolia, and othei' species, 

 Remusatia vivipara, Cystopteris bulbifera — buds fall off above the ground 

 (as bulblets). In Stratiotes aloides rosette-like developed axillary shoots 

 se]iarate close to the base. The separation of lateral shoots in Lemuu is well 

 known ; and it occurs in a similar manner in Pistia, by the separation of 

 thin-stalked lateral rosettes, and in Hydrocharis in the separation of pecu- 

 liar winter-buds. "\ATien. the inferior leaf-formation is gorged with sap, 

 bulblet-like buds form from the axils of the root-leaves (frondes fundi) in 

 Saxifraga graiiulata and many exotic species of Oxalis, in the same way 

 as the bulb-brood of monocotyledonous bulbous plants. Inferior leaf- 

 buds which are placed on the ends of their stolons become free by the 

 death of the numers in Epilobium pahistre, Lycopus Virginicus, &c., and 

 swell out and form little lumps. Cf. on this subject WycQer (Flora, 1863, 

 p. 17-24). 



