BUD. 



coated witTi vaniiili, as may be obfcrvcd on ihe buds of the 

 horff -chef nut, the tacamahaca, &c. 



if thofe b'lds, wliich have their fuperficics imbued by a 

 refiiwiLis fubftance, be renioved from their fituation, and if 

 the furface which unites them to the branch be covered with 

 wax, tlicv may be fuffered to he in water for leveral months, 

 without experiencing any aheration ; nay, it is ftated by 

 Mirbel, that this exptriment has been prolonged for fomc 

 years, without the Ica'l injury to tlie buds. 



On nrofecuting the difllclioii of the bud to its centre, we 

 difcover either the rudiments of the future branch, or the 

 parts of the fruitification in extreme miniature. In the 

 wood buds, the embryo of tlie branch confills of fome 

 fucculcut filaments, or iinperfcclly formed leaves, folded 

 to:-cther and fupported upon a tender footdalk, very fimilar 

 to the plumule of the trunk contained in the grain ; and in 

 the fruit-buds, the parts conijiofing the flower can be dif- 

 cerned at a very early period, although in a very foft and 

 half organized Hate. 



Both the rudiments of the branch and flower undergo a 

 continual, though fecret developtmcnt, dur'ng their exiH- 

 ence in the bud ; which has been afcertained by diffeftions 

 of the buds, inllituted a; diffi-rent periods of their growth. 

 The little plumule of the branch can be difcovercd as foon 

 as the bud is fairly formed, and continues gradually to 

 acquire more perfeft organization, until it burils from its 

 nidus in the fuil feafon of vegetation. The rudiments of 

 the bloffoms of \\\'i peavtree are to be feen in the month of 

 January, in a group of eight or ten flowers, attached by 

 filaments to a common peduncle. In th^ midft of thefe 

 little flowers there are feveral miriute, thin leaves, of various 

 forms, and of a pale green colour, which Duhauiel conceives 

 are defijrned to perform the fame offices, with rcfpeft to the 

 embryo flower, that the feminal leaves anfwer in the feed. 

 The (lamina may be obferved, at this period, within the 

 flowers, but as yet ahnoft tranfparent. The petals are 

 hardly difcernible, and the piftils cannot be deteiled. In 

 the month of March the tops of the ifamina are red ; the 

 petals, alchough fmall, may be clearly perceived, and even 

 the pipins maybe diftinguillied ; they are white, and each 

 nourilhed by a particular filament : it is probable, that the 

 pipins, and all the elTential parts of the fruftificalion, are 

 coeval with the bud itlclf, although their foftnefs and tranf- 

 parency prevent their bfing diftmguifhed : fo juft was the 

 obfcrvation of Grew, that the flowers of the Ipring were 

 formed in the preceding year. 



The ftruiiture of th« wood and flower buds is exemplified 

 in PLitc H. in Vegetable /Inatomy. Fig. ii. exhibits the ex- 

 ternal appearance of the bud of the horfe-chefnut , which is 

 feleAed for the fake of its great fize. The fcales are feen 

 laid over each other, like the tiles of a houfe ; their more 

 pointed extremities being turned upwards, and all their 

 edges in clofe contadl, as the bud appears in winter. At 

 the bafc of the bud may be feen fome projefting ruga:, and 

 immediately beneath thefe the imprefGons left from the 

 attachment of the former leaves. Fig. 12. (hows a longi- 

 tudinal fcftion ol the fame bud ; a, the brown fcales which 

 form the external invelopes ; i, the tender fcales fituated 

 more internally, and becoming more thin, pliant, and folded, 

 the nearer they are to the centre ; c, the imperfeflly-formed 

 leaves of the young branch comprefled together, and 

 involvt-d by tlie white down or cotton-like fubftance \d, the 

 bark of the branch which fuftains the bud ; e, the ligneous 

 portion of it ; /, its pith. Fig. 13. reprefents a bud of the 

 horfi-- chef nut, dcfpoiled of its fcaies in order to bring into 

 view the fcetal branch, which has its parts feparated a little, 

 and cleaned from the down which invelopes them, that they 



may be more diflinftly obferved. Th? marks appearlrij* 

 beneatli the plumule, point out the attachments of the 

 fcaies, which have been removed. 



The fourteeth. fifteenth, fixtcenth, and feventeenth figures 

 in Plate II. in VcgctaUe Anatomy, are intended to explain 

 the ftirufture of the fruit-bud. Fig. 14. is the fruit-bud of 

 the j«i'(7,:/j-//vf, divided longitudinally, and confiderably mag- 

 nified ; a, a, indicate the imbricated fcales which compofe 

 the external invelope of the bud ; b, b, refer to the cut edge 

 of the calyx of the flower, which, in the embryo ftate, forms 

 a complete cell, inclofing the parts of frutlification ; c, c, are 

 the (lamina, almoft; pellucid ; d, the pillil. Fig. i ^J. exhibits 

 one of the fcales abftrafted from its fituation, and highly 

 magnilied ; it appears entirely covered by villous procelTcs. 

 Fig. 16. fliews the flower bud of ihe peach-tree, a little larger 

 than the natural fize, as it appears when divelled of its fcalv 

 coverings ; a, is the calyx, with its edges applied to each 

 other, lo as to form a perfcCl cy(l. Fig. 17. is the fame 

 calyx drawn a little larger, and with its leaflets feparatc from 

 each other, and lurned back to expofc the flamina ; and in 

 the piilil within the calyx may aifo be feen the rudiments of 

 the petals. 



The buds of i\\s pine differ in many refpefls from thofe of 

 other trees. According to Mr. Tichudi, who has dcfcribed 

 thefe buds, they are place 1 always on the extremity of the 

 branches; they are commonly numerous, the bud, which is 

 at the extremity, being fuccccdcd by others much fmaller 

 than itfelf ; they are all contained in one membranous flieath, 

 formed of many cylindrical pieces, adjufted the one to the 

 other, and accompanying the devdopement of the bud. 

 When it firft appears it is about two fingers in length ; it 

 then continues to extend, foon becomes large, and the lit- 

 tle leaves, which have been hitherto fealcd up, unfuh! them- 

 felves, and the branch comes forth. It is poffiblc to difcover, 

 a long time before the buds are matured, thofe which are to 

 appear upon the extremity of the bi anch. 



It is difficult to decide with certainty what are the parts 

 of the branch from which the buds, in the firll inftance, are 

 derived. When tlie bud makes it appearance, it is fo imper- 

 fei^ly organized, that it fearcely admits of difl'cA'on, or of 

 being dillinguiflied into thole parts which it is ultimately to 

 exhibit. Accordmgly, we find, that anaton.ifts have held 

 very different opinions upon this fubjedf. Pontedera con- 

 ceived that the rudiments of the buds were. lodged in the 

 wood alone. Duhamel fuppofed that all the parts of the 

 branch were continued into the bud ; the internal part of the 

 baik being prolonged to form the fcales, and the bark of the 

 plumule ; the hgneous fibres giving rife to thofe of the 

 embryo branch, and the pith being extended into the interior 

 of the different parts of the bud. On the contrary, Hill 

 and others affert, that the buds are formed exchiCvtly by 

 the parenchyma. The fcales ot' the bud. however, appear 

 to be leaves which have never arrived at maturity : tins is 

 the opinion of Mirbel, which he illullrates with much inge- 

 nuity ; he fuppolcs that the leaves, which afterwards appear 

 as the fcales of the bud, arc rendered abortive, by the abate- 

 ment in the circulation of the fap, which takes place on the 

 approach of winter ; for, if the motion of the f'p were to be 

 either totally fufpended, or not inipcdrd at all, no fcales 

 would form, which is exaftly what may be obferved in a few 

 trees which inhabit cold countries, and in moft plants that 

 are natives of hot climates. If, alfo, the top of a tree be cut 

 off before the evolution of the buds, thofe which are after- 

 wards developed are unfurnifhcd with fcales. 



Around the bafe of the bud there ii always a degree of 

 tumefaction of the branch, which is calUd a burr; this is 

 formed at the eruption of the bud, and enlarges in all direc- 

 tions, 



