Sept. 
The Form of the Flower is that. of the com- | 
mon Lilly, it rifes without any Cup from the | 
‘Head of the Footftalk, and is compofed of fix 
long and large Petals, which unite at the Bottom — 
in a {mall campanulated Bafe, and at the Extre- 
} now under Confideration, are true Bulbs of the 
mities ‘they are thick and flefhy. 
In the-Centre ftand fix Filaments with large | 
oblong Buttons, and in the Midft of them a | 
This is terminated by a thick trian- 
fingle Style. 
gular Head; and rifes from an oblong Rudi- 
ment of a Seed-veffel marked with fix “Ridges. | 
This afterwards ripens into a large Seed-vefiel of | 
the fame Form, large, and me of three } 
Valves, with three Cells loaded with Seeds in a 
| _ double Series. 
- but there yet remains to be explained avery par-— 
ticular Part, or Appendage; the Bulbs, whence it | 
obtained its Name bulbiferous : 
folid Lumps which appear in the Bofoms of their 
Leaves. 
The fix Filaments thew the Plant one of the 
Hexandria of Linn US, and the ingle. Sede one 
of the Monogymia. — 
Thus is the Plant entire and perfect as others 5 
thefe are certain, 
Their Form is oval, or nearly fo; their 
Texture loofe, and their Subftance juicy: they 
have no Footftalks, but adhere to the main Stem 
of the Plant by their Bafe, juft where the Leaf 
alfo adheres; and their Colour is green, tinged 
like the Stalk and Leaves, occafionally with yel- 
low, brown or red: they have an Afpect different 
from what is feen in Nature, in the common 
Courfe of Vegetation; and there is nothing more 
worth the ftrict Enquiry both of the Gardener and 
Botanift, than their Purpofe and Formation. 
To underftand their. Nature, let the Student 
confider and fee that he rightly know thofe Parts 
of other Plants to which they have Refemblance. 
They contain a Plant in ‘Miniature, as the Bud of 
a Tree does the feveral Parts which it fhews when 
unfolded in Vegetation: and they have not done 
amifs who gave them the Name of Bulbs; for 
although placed upon a different Part of the Plant, 
they have the fame Nature, Conftru€tion, and 
Properties. | 
The Bulb is a sonra Satine including 
the Embryo Plant, and defending it from Injuries 
till the Time of its growing up. : 
The Bud upon a Tree in the fame Manner 
contains and'defends a young Plant, or at leaft 
all except the Root; and is formed for the fame 
Purpofe, and in the fame Manner. 
Linnus is fo fenfible of this, that he calls. 
_ the Bulbs of Plants, and the Buds of Trees by the 
fame Name Hybernaculum, and diftinguifhes them 
only by the Part of the Plant or yes to which 
they adhere; the Bulb being fixed to the lower 
Part of the Stem, and the Bud to the upper 5 or 
to the Extremities of the Branches. 
As only a certain Number of Plants have Bulbs, _ 
fo only a certain Number of Trees have thefe re- 
gular Buds. The black Alder, the Alaternus, 
and many others utterly want them; and, in 
general, they are not found on Plants in extream 
hot or extream cold Countries. . 
As the Buds of Trees are compofed of various 
Subftances, Films, Scales, Footftalks, and Rudi- 
I 
the whole Bulb. ~ 
t and obtain foon after. their due Bignefs : 
this they drop off; and taking root, produce new — 
A COMPLEAT’ BODY 
the Bulbs have alo their va- 
rious Structure, fome being compofed of Scales, lh 
| as the Lillies; fome of Coats, as the Onion ; ; and- ae 
| others folid, as the Tulip. 
ments of Leaves: 
Thefe Tubercles upon the Stalk of the Plant 
folid Kind: they have the Rudiments of Scaleé 
about them; but thefe do not thew themfelves 
till long after: as the outer Coats of the folid 
Bulbs are not feen till they are full grown. They 
are therefore Bulbs above Ground : ;-Or.2f the 
Botanift fo pgs to call them, Buds from the 
Stem. | 
We have em oe hire Bales and Buds 
differ from one another; and there is no mote 
Difference between thefe and the reft. If they are 
compared with the bulbous Roots, they differ 
only in that their Subftance is. more compact ; 
‘that is, they rather refemble the central Part than 
If compared onthe other hand 
with the Buds of Trees, they differ in nothing | 
but that as‘thofe Buds are fixed to their Place, 
and nourifhed by the general Root of the Tree, 
thefe fall off, -and take root of themfelves, 
-. Although this Procefs of Nature for the En: 
_creafe of Plants is not common; neither is it pecu- 
liar to. this fingle Plant : sae -bulbiferous Saxi- 
‘fragé is well known; and differs from the com-. 
mon Saxifrage in nothing but that it has thefe 
Bulbs in the Bofoms of the Leaves: it is an In-* 
ftance very parallel, for it fhews this peculiar 
 Provifion of Nature may be given without alter- 
‘ing the Species. The Toothwort, or Dentaria” 
Heptapbyllos, is another Inftance of the fame Kind; 
_and there are others. 
‘Thefe Bulbs appear with the Loves and feel 
after 
Plants; in the fame Manner as Seeds would do; 
but in a much quicker Manner. 
In the younger Plants of this Lilly we “Ba 
thefe Bulbs all the way up the Stalk, fcarce any 
Leaf from the Bottom to the Top being with- - 
out them: but in the older which have come 
to the full Strength of flowering, they are fewer, 
and they appear principally, if not folely, in the 
Divifion of the Stalk, at the Top, for flower- 
ing. 
This fhews, in fome degree, the Intention of 
Nature in their Productions. The Orange Lilly 
riles flow from: Seed to ‘flowering: in all this 
ii ime, according to the common Courfe of Na- 
ture, no Step could be taken toward the Encreafe 
of the Plant; but all this while there are thefe 
Bulbs in the Bofoms of the Leaves: they are 
fight the firft Year or two, and imperfect; but 
afterwards they grow ftrong, 
Propagation of the Biagts. 
They continue to be. produced in Abundanor 
till the Plant has come to the full Strength of 
flowering ; but after that they grow from Time 
to Time lefs numerous, till upon a ftrong Stem — 
there will not be more than four or five. | 
Some who affected to underftand Nature better 
than their Attention: would reach, have faid that, 
| the Seeds of this Lilly would not produce the 
Plant. 
and are fit for the - 
Sept. 
