72 
VEGETABLE STRUCTURE. 
CHAP. XVJ. 
Of the Inner Rind. 
HE inner Rind is, in the generality of Plants, much thicker than 
the outer; and of a loofer texture ; in the Hellebore Root it differs in- 
colour conliderably, as well as in proportion, being green, whereas the 
outer Rind is brown. Often the Stalks of Plants are coloured, and the 
red, in this cafe, appears fuperficial ; it is really in the inner Rind. The 
Polyanthus is a very familiar inffance, in which, tho’ the Stalk be highly 
coloured, its outer Rind is perfectly colourlefs. When we feek the ori- 
gin of this inner Rind, we muft trace it in the body of the Root; that 
having been the rudiment in the Seed, and its firff produdfion in the ground : 
from thence it is continued downward, over all the Fibres, and upward 
into the Flowering Stalks, and Footffalks' of the Leaves. In thefe lafl 
it is the exterior coat, for Nature has allotted them no outer Rind: in 
all the others it is covered by the outer Bark juft deferibed, fo far as that 
part reaches on the Plant ; but this is extended every where fomewhat be- 
yond it : therefore the Footftalks of the Leaves are not the only part where 
we may expedt to fee it naked. 
In the Hellebore, when it has covered the body of the Root and Fibres, 
it afeends with the outer Bark to the furface, having a very efiential fer- 
vice in the Crown of the Root. Its courfc is reprefented in Plate III. 
Fig. 35. where a fingle Plant of the Hellebore is figured fplit open, and 
divefted of the outer Bark ; the inner Rind being alfo feparated on each 
fide from the fubftance next within it. This is its extent, and this its 
ccurfe : when It has nearly reached the furface of the ground, it lofes 
the ftrong green colour it had in the body of the Roct^^, and becomes 
whitifti, bh’, terminating, while the Bud is yet fixed upon the C'rown, in 
a vault or fhell, a covering fuch another Ihell formed of the Blea, 
Adi within which refts the Rudiment of the Flower, with its ftiort Stalk, 
i ready to be enlarged by heat and moifture. 
When it begins to grow, the Bud forces itfelf upward with the Blea 
and burfts the fliell formed by this inner Rind : the Bud then appears with 
a round head above it, as at and the termination of the inner Rind 
feems to be in a circle round it, as at c c. But this is an accide:;tal and a 
forced termination ; and the real ccurfe of the inner Rind is independant 
of 
