BULB. 



flates on tlie roofs of buildings, but mort loofely conneaed, 

 and a little diverging at their points ; as in fcveral fpecics of 

 lily. The root of the white lily is defciibed and figured 

 by Malpighi in his " Anatome I'lantarum." It is com- 

 pofcd of leaks, or, as he calls them, leaves, gibbous without, 

 and a little concave within, fo adapted to each other as 

 to form a bulb. Thefe fcalts proceed at different elevations 

 from a folid elongated body, ililed by Malpighi a radical 

 trunk, the defcending caudex of Linnrcns, which fends out 

 from its bafe a number of compound radicles, and from its 

 upper extremity, within the fcales, the root leaves and ilem 

 of the plant. 



The tunicated bulb confiftjof numerous tunics or coats, 

 35 in the common onion, allium cepa. Thefe coats lie clofe 

 together in concentric layers, and proceed from a fhort 

 broad caudex, having its upper furface more or lefs convex. 

 They enclole at their centre the embryo plant of the enfuing 

 feafon ; and between them, at different dillances from the 

 centre, other bulbs, called cayeux by the French naturalifts, 

 and offsets by Englifh gardeners, for the future increafe of 

 the fpecies. 



The folid bulb is faid by Linnseus to confift of a folid 

 fubllance, and the tulip is given by him as an example : but 

 he mull be underftood to fpeak comparatively, not ilriftly 

 and abfolutely. The tulip root is thus defcribed by Dr. 

 Darwin in his Phytologia. " In the tulip root diffefled in 

 the early fpring, jull before it begins to fhoot, a perfect 

 flower is feen in its centre ; and between the firft and fccond 

 coat, the large next year's bulb is, I believe, produced ; be- 

 tween the fccond and third coat, and between this and the 

 fourth coat, and perhaps further, other lefs and lefs bulbs 

 are vifible, all adjoining to the caudex at the bottom of the 

 mother bulb ; and which, I am told, require as many years 

 before they will flower as the number of coats with which 

 they are coated." It is evident from this defcriptioii, that 

 the bulb of the tulip is as really coated as that of the onion. 

 Indeed it had been arranged by Mr. Ray among the tunica- 

 ted bulbs long before the time of Linnaeus. It differs only 

 in having itscoats more flediy, and Itfseafily feparated from 

 each other : characters found in a fldl greater degree in feve- 

 ral other bulbs whieh are, neverthtlcfs, by no means truly 

 fohd. 



It appears to us that no proper bulb is or can be fo. If 

 we adhere to the idea given of it by Linnaeus, as a knid of 

 hvbernaculum, or winter quarters of the embryo plant, it 

 mull have a fpace within it for that purpofe : it mud alfo, 

 as we conceive, have fcales or coats, within which cayeux, 

 or offsets, for the future increafe of the plant may be formed. 

 The bulbs which have been called folid, have coats, either 

 comparatively thick, and fo clofely compacted together, as, 

 on a flight infpcftion, to refcmble one indifcriminate mafs ; 

 or, fo fmall and few, as to be exceeded in bulk by the lull 

 grown caudex. Hence has arifen the diflerence in authors 

 with refpeft to their diftrlbution of this kind of root. The 

 bulb of the crocus, for inftance, has fo dubious an appear- 

 ance, that Mr. Ray, in his " Hiftoria Plantai um," has placed 

 it among the tuberofc roots ; but our great naturalifl would 

 not have fo claffed it, had it paffcd under his eye in an early 

 ftage of its growth, when it is clearly tunicated. It is con- 

 fidcred bv Philibcrl in his " IiUroduaion a I'Etudc de Bota- 

 nique," lately publiflied at Paris, as a mixed bulb, or rather 

 a tunicated tuber. " In the bulb properly fo called," fays 

 that acute naturalift, " the caudex is lefs in bulk than the 

 tunics, and the rudiments of the ftem embraced by them : in 

 the tunicated tuber the caudex is more confiderable ; and in 

 the pure tuber, the tunics are entirely wanting." " Thus," 

 conliuucs he, " in the crocus are found only two or three 



tunics, which are finally lengtlicned into a fpathe, and clofely 

 embrace the leaves Implanted on the caudex ; whereas, in the 

 true bulb the leaves are furroundcd by a great number of 

 tunics which never inccafe in length. Take up a crocus 

 fome time after it has flowered, and you will find that the 

 exterior coats arc dedroyed ; the caudex is naked, and fcve- 

 ral fmall bulbs appear feat 'd on its convex furface ; or, as it 

 is fomewhat ambiguoufly expreffcd in the oris^inal, " le 

 caudex eft a dccouvert ; & fur plufieurs de fes points, vous 

 rcmarqutz de petits bulbes, naiftans ch la tuhcroftti mcme rh 

 caudex." It feems evident, from the latter part of the fen- 

 tence, that this ingenious writer, in the prefent cafe, con- 

 founded the tuber and the caudex, which are, in faft, always 

 dillind parts of a plant ; and was thence led to give to the 

 root of the crocus a character which it does not pofTefs. 

 This root has nothing about it equivalent to a tuber ; but 

 is ftriftly bulbous, and, like that of the onion, confifls of 

 proper radicles, a caudex, and a tunicated bulb. The only 

 difference between them arifes from the relative proportion 

 of the caudex and the tunics ; a difference which, though 

 fufneiently obvious in the extremes, may be loll in fuch 

 gentle gradations, as to render it inipoffible to draw a line 

 of ditliuiflion, and which therefore cannot be received as a 

 fpecilic charafter. In the inllance before us, it cxills, we 

 believe, only in thofe bulbs which have arrived, or arc nearly- 

 arriving at maturity, and are about to produce flowers. We 

 this day, March 12th, diflefted a young bulb which 

 had produced leaves above ground, but would not have 

 flowered during the prefent year. Its coats bore a confi- 

 derable proportion to the caudex, and contained within 

 them, diftindtly formed, two new bulbs, each cnclofing an 

 embryo plant, furnidied with the rudiments of its future 

 leaves. An older one, in flower, examined at the fame 

 time, was, to ail appearance, completely folid, with the ex- 

 ception, however, of the ufual thin, brown, dry, and loofc 

 envelopes, which were, doubtlefs, the flirivelled remains of 

 the firmer coats. All the rell was the proper caudex, 

 greatly increafed in fize, and having on it, at diiferent dif- 

 tances from the central flower-llalk and leaves, two cayeux, 

 or offsets, feated on its naked furface. Each of thefe off- 

 fets confilled of an apparently new and very fmall caudex, 

 fpringing from a fliallow concavity in the furface of the old 

 one, and of numerous coats much exceeding their proper 

 caudex in bulk, and all extended either into the flieaths, the 

 leaves, or the fpathe of the future flower. Another mature 

 plant had two flowering ftcms proceeding from two bulbs, 

 io clofely connected together as to refcmble one, but fepa- 

 rated near the top by the ufual brown membranous cover- 

 ings. Thefe bulbs were, doubtlefs, formed in the fame fea- 

 fon, and within the fame coat of the parent bulb, on oppofitc 

 fides of the flowering bud of the preceding feafon ; and ap- 

 pear to have fo far exhaufled the caudex, though now ar- 

 rived at its full fize, as to render it incapable of producing 

 any more offsets. 



The bulb of the common corn flag, defcribed and figured 

 by Malpighi, approaches iliU nearer the naked defcendino- 

 caudex, or what has been improperly called the folid bulb. 

 It was confidered, indeed, by this eminent naturalift as a 

 tuber, confifting of homogeneous matter ccllcfted into one 

 continuous fubllance : but it is evident, from his dcfcrlption, 

 that it has the charaiflers of a true bulb. The exterior fur- 

 face of the tuber or bulb, fays \\e, Jlnppi-d of its fulioks am! 

 involucres, prefents to the view various gems ; and a little 

 below their origin, leaves, as ufual, break out, which, being 

 plucked off, leave fragments of their llalks, as reprefented in 

 his figure, and give to the whole the appearance of a trunk 

 or ftem. 



3 K 2 The 



