329 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 24, 1858. 
leaves and flowers the next year. The major axis of this is 
again at right angles to that of the young tuber. 
After flowering, when the seed is ripe, the parts of the 
vegetating plant die off gradually ; meanwhile, however, the 
young tuber swells, that of the former year shrinking, and at 
last entirely perishing. The sheaths of the leaves, which ex¬ 
pand with the tuber, namely the fourth and fifth, protect the 
bud from external injury. This is perfectly developed the 
next year, breaking through the base of the fifth leaf and the 
front of the sheath of the fourth. The same formation of 
! bulbs takes place in plants which do not flower ; the tubers 
cannot, therefore, be considered merely as the base of the 
peduncle. 
Little acute gemma; are often developed from the last year’s 
tuber, generally at its crown, and not in the axils of the 
leaves ; these soon fall off and become independent. 
It is clear that the plant changes its place annually. If 
the axis below the tube always remains short, and if the third 
through every cycle stands always to the right or left of the 
last preceding old tuber, the same position would again be 
attained in the fifth annual period. The premises do not, 
however, strictly hold good. 
MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS. 
Primula officinalis. 
The simplest case is that in which a single flower-stem only 
is produced on one plant. This, rising in the midst of the 
leaves which rest upon the ground, is terminal. In the axil, 
which is formed between it and the uppermost leaf, is seated 
the principal bud, whose under leaves are developed in the 
course of the same year, while the inner leaves, surrounded 
by a few scales, remain small. It produces the next year the 
first flower-stem. There are buds also in the axils of the 
lower leaves at the base of the axis ; the lower these leaves 
are seated the smaller the bud. 
More frequently, however, the principal bud develops all 
the leaves of its axis (an axis of the second order as regards 
that which produced this year the first flower-stem), and gives 
rise to a second peduncle. 
A bud is formed on the axis of this second flower-stem, be¬ 
tween it and the uppermost leaf, which may either remain till 
the following year, and then produce a flower-stem, or may 
unfold its leaves and their peduncle (the third of the whole 
plant) during the present year, in which case a bud i3 found 
in the axle of the uppermost leaf of the axis of the third order, 
which, in the next year, will produce its flower-stem. 
The peduncles are, therefore, always terminal, since the 
second breaks out by no means immediately from the axil of 
the uppermost leaf of the axis of the first order, but appears 
on the top of a leafy branch (the axis of the second order), the 
internodes of which are not, however, developed. The same 
holds good with the third head of flowers, with respect to the 
axis of the second order. 
It was remarked that buds occur also in the axils of the 
lower leaves of the axis of the first order. These buds some¬ 
times produce peduncles, but they are developed later than 
the blossom at the top of the axis of the second or even of 
: the third order. 
At the period of flowering, the leaves of the first axis are 
frequently withered; the peduncles wiiich belong to it stand 
near, but externally, to the leaves which belong to the axis 
of the second order. In barren plants the principal bud is 
naturally terminal, and no part of the upper portion of the 
axis dies. The whole greatly resembles Alisma plant ago ; 
but in Primula the base of the axis lasts longer, but at length 
dies beneath, since it is nourished only by accessory roots, in¬ 
asmuch as the main root, which was present in the seedlings, 
soon perishes. 
Ojcalis. 
In a state of rest late in autumn, the bulbs of 0. tetrapliylla 
have the following composition;:—On the outside are many 
dry scales, on whose tips the remains, or at least the scars, of 
the dead leaves are visible; below these dry scales are fresh, 
rather fleshy broad scales ; these are the basal portions of 
leaves; the free end of the stipules is visible at their tips, be¬ 
tween which are the rudimentary petiole and lamina. The 
basal axis which bears all these parts is very low. 
The roots break through the outer integument in spring, 
and are much branched. Many of these are delicate, but 
others are tuberiform, like those which frequently accompany 
the newly formed corms of Crocus vermis; occasionally all 
are of this description. The outer fresh scales do not develop 
their lamina, but the inner only. In the axils of the lower 
scales there are buds, which in the course of the summer in¬ 
crease in size and form into bulbs. The outer leaves of these 
axillary bulbs are scale-like, and in general dry up very early ; 
then follow perfect leaves, and then again scales. During 
the first summer they frequently produce no leaves, especially 
those bulbs which are highest on the axis, but are formed of 
scales only. 
In the axils of the uppermost scales and leaves stand the 
peduncles, on which are seated only a few small bracts. 
The uppermost leaves form again a terminal bulb, which, 
in consequence of the decay of this year’s axis and leaves, 
becomes independent, and flowers the year following, as do 
the greater axillary bulbs, which equally become isolated. It 
seems very difficult to deny the existence of bulbs in these 
plants. 
In Oxalis acetosella the main shoot is equally terminal. 
It elongates after the manner of a runner, like Adoxa moscha- 
iellina its first leaves are true leaves. Lateral shoots also 
are present, so that O. acetosella has a strong agreement with j 
i Adoxa in the arrangement of its parts, much as it differs in j 
other respects The main axis in O. acetosella is not, how- ; 
ever, so transitory j for the stem, whose internodes are some- j 
times much developed, though occasionally very short, last at ! 
least a year. The leaves die down as far only as the short j 
fleshy basilar part, which is articulated with the petiole and 
the peduncles hi their axils. The main axis is elongated 
yearly by means of the terminal bud. 
In O. strict a , on the contrary, the whole axis (which, with 
respect to last year’s axis, is lateral) dies off with the flow r er- 
bearing branches on it, and only the runner-like shoots re¬ 
main, which spring from the subterranean portions of the 
primary axis, and are somewhat fleshy to their extremities. 
They are clothed with scales, from whose axils again fleshy 
branches frequently spring, and have internodes about half an 
inch long, giving rise to the scattered, delicate, branched roots, 
while still conneoted with the parent axis. In the following 
year they produce a peduncle, and die after the formation of 
the fleshy branches. This plant then must be reckoned as 
perennial, and not as biennial, with Koch in his Synopsis. 
Otherwise, to be consistent, Gagea, Tulipa, JEpilobium 
palustre , Mentha arvensis, and Stachys palustris must be 
reckoned as triennials. In true biennials, as in Cirsium 
lanceolatum , the course is quite different. 
In O. corniculata the whole plant perishes annually, and 
there is nothing perennial about it. The different habit of 
O. corniculata and O. stricta depends on this, that in the first 
the primary axis remains proportionally short, while the pro¬ 
cumbent, frequently rooting branches, which spring from the 
axils of the four or five lower leaves, spread out, but in O. 
stricta the primary axis is especially developed, and has long 
internodes, while the branches in the axils of nine or ten 
lower leaves remain far shorter than in O. corniculata. These 
points are not in general sufficiently distinguished in their 
specific characters. In both, the first appendage of the branch 
is a small, lanceolate scale, as is the case also in the lateral 
runners of 0 . acetosella. 
Anemone Hepatic a. 
The common ITepatica presents several points of interest in 
its construction. If it is examined in spring during the time 
of flowering, w r e find at the top of the mam axis, from whose 
lower part numerous branched roots are developed, thickly 
clothed with fine hairs, the coriaceous leaves of the former, 
here and there withered at the margin, and bearing about 
them the signs of approaching decay. Since the internodes 
are not developed, they stand with the base of one directly on 
that of another. Immediately above these leaves, the inter¬ 
nodes in this case also being undeveloped, there are from three 
to eight membranaceous, imbricated scales, exhibiting slight 
traces of a tendency to form a lamina, without, however, there 
being any gradual transition from the perfect leaves to these 
scales. 
In the axil of the lowest scale, and, if the number of scales 
is large, in that of the second, third, and fourth also, there J 
