I 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 10, 1858. 
205 
stem arises furnished with internodes. The primary bud is Golcldcum autumnale , L. 
terminal, aeecssory buds being extremely rare, and is sur- Our examination of this plant applies to its condition at 
rounded by the somewhat enlarged base of the leaf. | the time of flowering, which takes place from the middle of 
The little bulbs in the axils of the stem-leaves in L. bulbi - August to October. 
(eram are formed of scales closely arranged one over the The flowering plant is connected at its base by a small 
other. round spot (Fig. 2, a) with the corm. The filiform simple 
and smooth roots forming a close fascicle, and by 
no means disposed, as in most bulbs, in the peri¬ 
phery of a circle while the area is free, burst through 
a short thin fugacious membrane which surrounds 
the base of the flowering plant. Scattered roots 
also arise externally from between the old dead 
organs. 
The foliaceous appendages are as follows :— 
1. A thin delicate, and consequently, fugacious 
sheath, scarce half an inch long (h). Tliis sur¬ 
rounds entirely the base of the inner leaves. 
2. A second white sheath (i), often four or five 
inches long, projects beyond this. Between its 
point of attachment and that of the outer sheath, 
the axis is undeveloped. It is turned with its 
back to the bulb, and presents a proportionally 
narrow tube. The fissure in its upper margin is 
not deep; it is rather thick, and the cuticle of its 
inner and upper surface easily peels off, so that on 
a superficial examination it is easy to imagine that 
there arc two superincumbent membranes. From 
its orifice the blossoms (q) protrude, sometimes 
singly, sometimes two, three, or four. If this 
sheath be opened w r e find that its lower portion en¬ 
closes (3) the still undeveloped leaves. Between 
the second sheath and the outermost or lowest leaf, 
the axis is undeveloped. The leaf alternates with 
the above-mentioned sheath, and has its back turned 
away from the bulb. It encloses the inner leaves 
and the lower part of the narrow tube of the corolla, 
with its somewhat involute lamina; at its base it 
forms a short tubular sheath. If this be removed 
neatly at its point of attachment, we perceive that 
between it and the second leaf there is an internode 
one to two lines high, and proportionately thick 
(Fig. 1, n). On the side of this portion of the 
axis, which is clothed with a shining cuticle, near 
the medial nerve of the first leaf, yet not close 
above its line of attachment, but somewhat higher, 
a very compressed bud, swollen below but drawn 
out above into a bluntish point, is seated in a 
shallow depression (o). Above thi3 axillary bud 
there projects slightly a small still, rudimentary, 
swollen border, formed by the intemode, from which 
the bud springs beneath the line of attachment of 
the second leaf. 
This second leaf alternates slightly with the first, 
the angle of divergence being from 140° to 150°. 
On the first glance, one fancies that this second 
leaf has as well developed a sheath as the first, 
since the fissure formed by the lateral margins does 
not run down to its line of attachment, the annular 
upper margin of the first visible intemode. If, 
however, we try to tear it off from the axis at the 
point where the sheath seems to commence, the 
attempt doe 3 not succeed, because the leaf below 
the above-mentioned fissure is united with the axis. 
This union does not, however, extend for a small 
distance only. If we examine the dorsal portion 
of the second leaf, we find that its medial nerve 
runs down to the swollen upper margin of the first 
intemode; far deeper, that is, than the fissure 
formed by the margins of the leaf, and that when 
it ceases, the back of the leaf is slightly distended. 
Now. if the leaf is split down the medial nerve to 
the point of distension, we find that this is caused 
by a little bud (Fig. 3, 5), which is seated in the 
axil of the second leaf. Under the nerve there is a 
small narrow' canal, since at this point the inner 
surface of the leaf is not united with the subjacent 
stem which is clothed with a shining cuticle. This 
canal calls to mind a similar structure in Gagea 
pratensis , and the bud which is found at the base 
Fig 2. 
CoLCHICUM AUTUMNALE. 
Fig. 
1. Imaginary section of a full- 
grown plant, 
a, b. outer dead skins. 
c. dead roots of two-year-old 
corm. 
d. ditto of last year’s corm. 
e. roots of present year. 
f. their common sheath. 
g. basal appendage of old corm. 
h. basal sheath of young plant. 
i. second sheath. 
k, 1, m. successive leaves. 
n. internode between first and 
second leaves. 
o. primary bud. 
p. termination of axis. 
q. peduncles. 
r. remains of two - year - old 
corm. 
s. ditto of last year’s corm. 
e. roots. 
f. their common sheath. 
h. sheathing leaf. 
i. second sheath, 
q. peduncle, 
Fig. 
3. 
with the 
old corm 
en- 
re- 
Fig, 2. Young plant, 
velopes and 
moved. 
a. point of attachment with old 
corm. 
d. 
g. 
8 . 
t. 
5- 
Fig. 4. 
g- 
n. 
t. 
f. 
o. 
Young plant still connected 
with last year’s corm, the 
envelopes having been re¬ 
moved. 
scar of old roots. 
basal appendage of old corm. 
old corm. 
dead upper portion of last 
year’s axis, 
second bud. 
Section of old corm and 
swelling bud. 
basal appendage, 
old corm. 
dead upper portion of axis, 
membrane enclosing young 
roots. 
common axis. 
