BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN 
LEAFLETS 
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences 
Series 1 Brooklyn, N. Y., October 22, 1913 Number 13 
KINDS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF BULBS 
A bulb is really a bud, more or less fleshy in nature. It is 
found beneath or upon the ground. This bud shows two general 
types in its structure: the one kind is made up of fleshy layers, 
{tunicated.) like the onion; the other kind is scaly and, as the 
name implies, is composed of comparatively narrow, thick, small 
scales. At the heart of the bulb the flower and leaf parts are 
found. The hyacinth and tulip bulbs are examples of the tun- 
icated type; the lily bulb, of the scaly one. 
The bulb is so provided for by nature that it is able to live 
over a long resting period, for every bulb is in reality a store- 
house of food. This food, in addition to nutrient matter, contains 
stored-up energy, which, under proper conditions of water and 
temperature, enables the bud parts to force their way out. The 
roots are developed usually from the base, after the bulb is 
planted, while the leaves and blossoms, which were completely 
formed by the time the bulb reached maturity in the fall, emerge 
from the upper part. And it is to be remembered that one never 
gets more out of a bulb than is already in it at the close of the 
ripening period. When a bulb is bought, it either has or has not 
formed the flower. If the flower is not formed, such a bulb will 
never blossom. 
Whenever the term bulb is used, it is understood to refer to 
flowering bulbous plants in their dormant condition. It is during 
this stage that bulbs are sent to market and sold. And they 
should not be kept too long before replanting, for then they 
wither and lose appreciably in value. Each kind of bulb has its 
proper planting season and a definite season of bloom. These 
