148 STRUCTURAL BOTANY 



bulbs, which become detached and give rise to new 

 plants, thus affording a good example of vegetative pro- 

 pagation. We speak of vegetative propagation when 

 a plant possesses some means of producing descendants 

 without the help of the regular reproductive organs, 

 the stamens and pistil 



In most Lilies such propagation takes place by 

 means of the bulbs. We have already seen that a 

 vigorous old bulb in the White Lily may give rise to 

 several buds, which develop into new bulbs. While 

 the leafy stem is assimilating, the young bulbs receive 

 the food which it forms ; part of this they use for 

 their own growth, the rest they store up, especially in 

 the thickened scale-leaves, for future use. Every new 

 bulb can form roots and a leafy stem of its own, and 

 thus ultimately produce flowers, giving rise, in fact, to 

 a complete new plant. In our own country, Lilies 

 are usually propagated from bulbs, seedlings being 

 more rarely met with. 



A striking peculiarity of the Lily as distinguished 

 from the Wallflower is the absence of any main root. 

 All the roots of a mature Lily plant are borne on the 

 stem, and are called adventitious, as they do not arise 

 from the radicle of the embryo. Usually it is the 

 base of the stem, at the bottom of the bulb, which 

 bears them ; sometimes, however, roots also arise from 

 the lower part of the flowering stem above the bulb. 

 When a Lily plant is very young, it has a main root 

 formed from the radicle of the embryo, but this root 

 soon dies away, and the root-system is henceforth 

 entirely produced from the stem. Most members of the 



