416 BOTANICAL GAZETTE | JUNE 
walled endodermis become strongly undulated. After conclusion 
of the shortening, in April, this root ramifies sparingly. In 
larger specimens the root drags down the bulb 10 to 15™™. By 
this movement the thread-like roots become displaced very 
much, and the bulb itself pulled out of the old husk, which 
sticks to the earth and remains in its place. The husks of sev- 
eral years sometimes persist, indicating the amount of work done 
by the roots in the respective periods (fig. 13, #). 
Arriving at a depth of 6 or 7, the plant stops the forma- 
tion of contractile roots, producing then exclusively thread-like 
ones. In this state the new-formed bulb remains within the old 
husk, and at its bottom the remnants of the bygone bulb-axis 
accumulate, piled upon each other. 
BRODIAEA CAPITATA Benth. 
In full grown specimens of Brodiaea capitata, a species grow: 
ing on sunny meadows, the subterranean part of the shoot is a 
tuber of vertical growth, rich i in starch, about 15 ™™ thick, round- 
ish, bearing onits lower end a round scar, the place where it was 
united with its predecessor. Its position is very paises: sid 7 
3 to 5 ™ below the ground. . 
It lasts but one year. In January, after starting the leaves, | 
a i begins to shrink and to become empty, but forms on its upper 
: end a superposed new tuber. At the same time, from the base 
_ of the latter two pairs of lateral buds grow out, which likewise 
develop: into. small tubers, being supported by thin stalks about 4 
os length (fg. 74). Each of these four lateral tubers is - 
-ensheathed by a fleshy sheathing scale, which later on dries up 
and becomes a brown husk. The stalks also die down, so - 
at the end of the rainy season the four small tubers are free, : 
although still quite close to the mother plant. > 
e following year, at the beginning of the rains, 
aughter tubers develop leaves and roots (fig. 15): * 
t ber oe forth ee to fe Dena roots ina 2 near h 
