TUBEROUS A>~D BHIZOAIAIOUS FLOWEES. 



51 



symmetrical than a bulb, and, unlike it, may generally 

 be divided into portions during its period of rest, each of 

 which portions will grow and form an independent plant, 

 provided that it contains an eye or germ. In tubers, the 

 eyes are either dispersed irregularly, but tolerably equally, 

 over the whole surface, as in the potato (where they are 

 more crowded near the nose) and the anemone, or clus- 

 tered near each other, more or less numerously, about 

 the crown or neck of the plant, as in the florists' ranun- 

 culus, the dahlia, and the cyclamen. 



Rhizoma is the botanical name for the underground 

 stem of many plants, which subterranean stem so far 

 resembles a tuber as it often is a reservoir of the plant's 

 nutriment, to the extent of serving as an article of food 

 for man and beast, — and as it is furnished with dormant 

 eyes, has a tendency to put forth roots, and has a period 

 of rest, during which it is passively subject to the require- 

 ments of the human will, according to its greater or less 

 power of endurance and torpidity. The transition from 

 tuberous to rhizomatous, and thence to herbaceous plants 

 is so gradual, that the line of demarcation is not very 

 easy to fix in a work like this ; nor indeed is such a classi- 

 fication professed to be adhered to more strictly than will 

 serve for popular convenience. The tuberous and rhizo- 

 matous flowers in most general cultivation will now be 

 noticed in alphabetical order. It is hoped that no very 

 severe fault will be found if the next section is made to 

 comprise plants which might have taken their places here, 

 or if some that are found here might with equal pro- 

 priety have appeared in the following chapter. 



Aconite (Winter) — Mrtmthus (spring flower) h/emalic 

 (wintry). — Linnaeus named it Hejlelorus hyemalis. A 

 charming little plant, which has perhaps the greatest 

 right of any to claim the merit of being our very first 

 spring flower. Hence, it is commonly known as " The 

 IJew Year's Gift," but is less familiar to the inhabitants 

 of towns than to country residents. It thrives best in a 

 somewhat damp and shady situation, and does not like to 

 be disturbed too often ; consequently it does better under 



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