Fig. 58.—Pollard Willows in blossom. 
Or Bups. 
We have studied the tortuous and deformed roots, and denuded 
trunks of trees; before considering the branches, the boughs, the 
leaves, and the flowers which decorate them, we pause at the organ 
from which emanate all these elements. We speak of the bud, 
which hides under its delicate green envelope the source of 
these brilliant ornaments of nature of which every year witnesses 
the birth and death. The bud is, in fact, the cradle of the youBs 
plant. This organ alone is capable of reproducing a new in- 
dividual, and the horticulturist is familiar with many wonderful 
multiplications of species through its means. In ordinary circu 
stances, however, the bud is not intended to be separated from the 
mother plant: its function is to nourish, strengthen, and increase 
