Note on Anomalous Bulbils in a Lily. 
BY 
M. L. GREEN, B.A. 
With two Figures in the Text. 
B ULBILS ‘ taken from the stem of Lilium Fortunei giganteum 1 4 feet 
from ground ’ were sent to Kevv by Messrs. Little and Ballantyne for 
examination. They afforded a very interesting case for investigation, as 
they had formed flowers in situ , and these flowers showed various degrees 
of abnormality. Three bulbils were examined with the following results. 
The first contained five fleshy bulbil scales, five perianth leaves on which 
were some reddish excrescences, and five stamens (Fig. 1, a-e). Various 
degrees of transition were exhibited in this flower between bulbil scales and 
perianth leaves, and also between bulbil scales and stamens. Fig. 1, D, 
shows that the perianth leaves have thickened bases which are obviously of 
the nature of bulbil scales. The stamens in the same flower were not 
uniform in size and shape. Some of them were normal. One stamen 
(Fig. 2, G) showed a little abnormality in having a frontal petaloid appendage 
springing from the connective. This appendage was adnate to the filament 
for a short distance. Another stamen (Fig. 2, H) was still more abnormal 
in having a thickened base of the nature of a bulbil scale, a filament of the 
texture and form of a perianth leaf, and an anther at the apex. The petaloid 
filament had two lobes and a central ridge of tissue on which was a little 
crest. This crest is homologous with the petaloid appendage seen in 
Fig. 2, G. The differentiation of parts in the flower just described was on 
the whole distinct. In the other two bulbils, however, this was far from 
being the case : they consisted, like the previous one, of five fleshy scales, 
but most of them represented transition stages between bulbil scales and 
perianth leaves. Then came five members, some of which resembled 
perianth leaves and others stamens, the transitional stages being more 
advanced than in the first bulbil examined. On some of these last- 
mentioned perianth leaves were excrescences similar to those mentioned 
above. The excrescences seem to be homologous with the papillae at the 
1 Lilium Fortunei, Lindl. = Lilium tigrinum , var. Fortunei. It is doubtful what is meant by 
‘ Lilium Fortunei giganteum \ 
[Annals of Botany, Vol. XXVIII. No. CX. April, 1914.] 
