BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN 
LEAFLETS 
Series 1 Brooklyn, N. Y., April 22, 1913 Number 3 
KINDS AND POSITIONS OF BUDS 
By the time this copy of the Leaflets reaches its readers the 
opening of buds will be well advanced, and may be seen to 
advantage in the Botanic Garden, or, indeed, wherever plants are 
growing. 
A bud is often called the “promise of a branch.” The shrubs 
and trees are now displaying their buds very conspicuously. In 
the case of such herbs as golden-rods, Mayapple, dahlias, and 
others, although the parts above ground are dead during the 
winter, the buds are formed on roots and underground stems, 
well protected just under the surface of the ground, waiting for 
the warmth of spring to start them into activity. Even seeds 
possess inside a tiny bud of growing leaves and stem, called 
the plumule, at the tip of the little axis. Tulip and hyacinth 
bulbs, and other bulbs, “onions”, and heads of cabbage are, in 
reality, only different kinds of buds 
We also have actively growing, summer buds, as well as 
dormant, sleeping, winter buds. In the case of many greenhouse 
plants and those of moist tropics, the buds grow actively through- 
out the year, whereas, in colder climates, like ours, or even in 
those parts of the tropics where seasons of drought alternate 
with rainy seasons, the buds must undergo a period of rest. We 
can easily see that active buds need no special protection; but 
those which rest over winter, or through a dry season, need to be 
protected by scales, or in some other way. 
