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RADIX. 
1 *^ H £ Root of this beautiful Plant is of the bulbous tunkated 
Kind, made up of Icvcral fmooth, thin, juicy Coats, Rinds 
or Shells, drawn or cafed over one an other, furrounded with two 
membranous Involucra ; and arifing, together with feveral Fibr«, 
from a round Balls or Trunk. 
To begin by the Involucra, which prefent themfclves firft to our 
View, The External is a kind of dry Skin or Film, of a light brown 
Colour, thin and pretty fmooth, covering the whole Bulb, and 
lower part of the Neck. The Inner is a much finer* Membrane, of 
a whitifh Colour, laid over the Bulb only : when wetted it is eafily 
rubbed off, appearing of the confiftence and texture of a Cobweb, from 
whence I call it In-jolucrum Arachnoeideum. When it is dry we 
may obferve feveral Veflcls like Threads, running parallel, and at 
equal diftanccs upon it, from below upwards. 
Thefe Cafes being remov'd, the Root comes next to be examin'd j 
and it may be divided into two general Parts, the Bulb and Neck; 
both which being conlidered together, their Figure and Shape can 
be expreffed by nothing better than by comparing it to that of a 
Glafs Receiver, w'ith a wide Belly, long Neck, and a flatj Bottom 
fuppofed to be added to it. 
The Figure of the Bulbs themfelvcs, where the Roots grow fingle,^ 
is every where fimilar, and refembles an oblong Spheroid deprefs'd 
at both Ends. But having fent out Off-fets, of three or four Years 
growth, as the Bellies of thefe begin to fwcll, they prefs upon the 
Mother Bulb, and fo flatten thefe Sides of it, which they touch. 
Thus according to the number of fuch Off-fets, thefe Sides are form- 
ed into fo many different Plans, joyned at Angles more or lefs 
obtufe. 
When the Off-fets are numerous, they receive the fame Impref- 
flons from one an other, which they give to the Root from whence 
they fpring. To be fatisfied of this, we need only view a bunch 
or groupe of Roots that have flood fomc Years in the Ground with- 
out being tranfplanted. 
In a full grown well-fed Root, the middle or thickeft part of the 
Bulb is about fix Inches in Circumference. Some Roots are big- 
ger, but the far greateft Part are much lefs. 
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