313 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 17, 1858. 
are seated in the axil of the highest scale, are formed at the 
time of the dowering of the parent bulb, in June, merely of 
sheathing scales. The first, in the usual position, is quite 
membranaceous, and becomes at a later period a brown skin. 
The second is of the same nature, while the third and those 
which follow are very deshy. No leaves are at present visible. 
The bulbs in the axils of the second and third scales, reckon¬ 
ing from above (Fig. 4), are formed of one or two thin sheath¬ 
ing scales (a and b), which are followed by from one to three 
leaves (c), whose cylindrical blade, like that of the leaf of a 
non-dowering bulb of Ornithogalum nutans , is fully developed 
at the time of the dowering of the parent bulb ; these leaves 
are followed by some short sheathing scales, a structure near 
to that of the buds of Iris Persica. 
The lower buds seldom come to perfection. Here also the 
whole of the parent bulb perishes after dowering. 
Convallana majalis , L. (Lily of the Valley.) 
The dried leaves of the previous year are still visible in 
spring, and involve the base of this year’s plant. Next to 
these follow from four to six sheaths, closed in front, of which 
the inner constantly project beyond the outer. Then follows 
a small membranous sheath, in front of which is the peduncle, 
which produces no leafy appendage below ; but the drst bract 
above bears in its axil the drst dower. No bud is found in 
the axil formed by the above-mentioned scale and the peduncle. 
On the other side of the peduncle the two or three new leaves 
are seated, of which the drst, or outermost, does not stand 
with its back to the peduncle, but obliquely. Occasionally 
the leaves do not stand immediately close to the peduncle, 
but are involved in a long sheath, which then is turned with 
its back towards the peduncle. 
The leaves are furnished with long closed sheaths. At the 
base of the sheath of the innermost there is already in spring 
a little bud. If this is examined again in autumn, it shows 
completely the same organisation as the plant in spring above 
described, only everything is undeveloped; it is, then, espe¬ 
cially clear, that the scale immediately before the peduncle 
involves with its borders not merely the peduncle, but also 
the still rudimentary leaves which stand upon the other side 
of it. 
Besides the main bud, another far smaller is found normally 
in the sheath of the inner leaf near the main bud, where the 
margins of the first sheath are united to each other. Even 
in spring this is still very small when the main bud is ready 
to fiower; it is formed of many sheaths, and generally re¬ 
mains undeveloped. 
Besides these buds with undeveloped internodes, there are 
formed on the knots of the underground creeping axis lateral 
axes, whose first internodes which produce sheaths are strongly 
developed. At the tip of these runners the above-mentioned 
organisation is repeated with undeveloped intemodes. 
The order of the parts in the basal axis agrees in essentials 
with that in the Amaryllidese ; for there, as here, the peduncle 
is lateral, while the primary bud is terminal. The disposition 
of the leaves on the basal axis is, however, different, as for 
instance in Amaryllis formosissima. In this only leaves 
occur, whereas in Convallaria majalis a number of sheaths 
stand immediately below the peduncle, and below and on the 
ouside of these the two or three leaves, which are developed 
a year before the evolution of the peduncle which those 
sheaths surround, and which at the time of flowering are dried 
up. The new leaves, which a short time before the appear- 
of the flowers of A. formosissima come out near the peduncle, 
may be compared with the new leaves of C. majalis , so far as 
they stand in either case on the basal axis above the peduncle, 
and belong, therefore, properly to the next peduncle. In the 
case in which a sheath appears first above the peduncle, in 
C. majalis , this has the same position, with respect to the 
peduncle, which the long-sbeathed leaf which answers to it 
has in A. formosissima. C. majalis agrees with Leucojum in 
the circumstance that both sheaths and leaves occur on the 
basal axis ; but they disagree in their mode of arrangement. 
Galanthus ?iivalis } L. (Snowdrop.) 
The bulb at the time of flowering is constructed as follows:— 
On the outside are found a few very thin and dry brown coats. 
After these are removed, a white, fresh, sheathing scale appears, 
with the margins united; rather fleshy, but of a looser 
texture on the inner side, about half an inch long (Fig. 1, a) . 
The upper margin is marked all round by a scar. The new 
roots form a circle at the base. From the orifice of this 
fleshy coat projects a long sheathing scale (e), which involves 
the peduncle (h), and two leaves (f, g), and generally, but not 
always, a second shorter scale (in) of a lateral bulb, from 
whose mouth projects the tip of one or two leaves (n), but 
n —- ■ 
\ m 
A 
/ 
' c —t- 
Fig. 2. Fig. 1. 
Galanthus nivalis. 
Fig. 1. Bulb at the time of flower¬ 
ing, 
a. outer coat of bulb. 
b, c. first and second scale. 
e. long sheathing scale. 
f, g. leaves. 
h. peduncle. 
m. sheath of lateral bulb. 
n. leaf of ditto. 
Fig. 2. The same with the outer 
eoat removed. 
no flower-stem. The withered tips of two scales (b, c) also 
peep forth from the same common orifice. If the fleshy coat 
is now removed, besides the lateral bulb we perceive two 
scales, also closed in front (Fig. 2 ), but having the scar con¬ 
fined to the small portion projecting beyond the rest. These 
also involve the base of the peduncle. 
After the second scale is removed, there appears a broad, 
rather thick, and fleshy scale, which lias a scar on its upper 
margin. It is pressed to the base of the sheath which sur¬ 
rounds the two leaves and the peduncle, and which has its 
margin sometimes quite equal, but sometimes furnished with 
a short blade-like appendage. In those bulbs which are not 
flow T ering for the first time the remains of the old peduncle 
are visible between the scale and sheath. The two closed 
coats, the scale, and the old peduncle, are formations of the 
previous year. 
The parts of this year’s plant are as follows :— 
1. The elongated sheath (e), in whose axil are the first 
rudiments of a bud, from which in the next year the lateral 
bulb is formed. 
2 . The outer leaf (f). It has a closed sheath, and the back 
of its blade is turned to the last year’s peduncle, and is 
opposed to the fleshy scale (c), which stands before the 
flower-stem. It appears, then, that the sheath (e) preceding 
the first leaf, and enclosing it, alternates with the scale (c), 
the uppermost formation of the past year. This is also con¬ 
firmed by the case in which a short lamina terminates the 
sheath 5 this blade is situated on that side of the orifice of 
the sheath which is turned away from the last year’s peduncle 
and the scale standing before it. 
3. The second inner leaf (g). This has no closed sheath, 
but its fleshy base is somewhat expanded. In the axil which 
it forms with the peduncle (h) nothing is found. A young 
bud, however, is situated on that side of the peduncle which 
is turned away from this leaf. 
The question now arises, what position this bud occupies 
with respect to the neighbouring parts—the laminar side of 
the first or lowest leaf (f) and this year’s peduncle (h). As 
regards the position of the sheath with respect to the bud, 
this is uncertain when its margin is of equal height all round. 
