18 WHAT ARE BULBS? 



A familiar example of this is the well-known tuberose 

 {Polianthes tuherosa), called a tuberose from its tuberous 

 root, and not, as commonly conceived, from being a " rose 

 with a tube," and a true tuber, but which is usually consid- 

 ered a bulb. 



As we have said, the bulb partakes more of the nature 

 of a seed ; that is, when planted, it sends forth roots into 

 the earth, and an ascending shoot to the upper air, as a seed 

 does in vegetation ; and, as in the case of a seed, the young 

 plant is nourished by the starchy matter contained in the 

 bulb, in the same manner as by that stored in the seed. 

 The seed, however, having given birth to the plant, wastes 

 away, and is lost ; but the bulb, to all appearance, re- 

 mains the same. This latter is, in truth, not the case. 

 Each year, the old tissue of the bulb is consumed by the 

 plant, and replaced by new, though often in such a way 

 that it is imperceptible to the careless eye. 



A seed also sends up a stem which produces leaves and 

 branches, or rather buds, which become developed as such ; 

 but a bulb only sends up leaves and a flower-stem. There 

 are, however, some bulbs which produce little bulbs, or 

 bulblets, in the axils of the leaves. 



The primary use of the bulb is to store up nourishment 



