Ch, VII.) ROOTS. 89 
41. Bulbous roots are fleshy, and of a bulbous or globular 
form. They enclose a plant, and in this respect resemble seeds. 
A plant thus protected within a bulb, is able to bear a degree of 
cold that it could not otherwise sustain. We see, then, the wis- 
dom of Providence in so ordering things, that cold countries 
have more bulbous plants than warm ones. 7 
142. Bulbous roots produce many of the most beautiful plants 
of our gardens; such as, tulips, lilies, snow-drops, and hya- 
cinths. Bulbs seem in many respects to resemble buds, and in 
some plants, they grow like stems or branches, as, in one kind 
of lily. In the magical onion, the bulbs or onions grow upon 
the stalk in clusters of four or five; they continue to enlarge 
unt# their weight brings them to the ground, where if they are 
suffered to remain, they soon take root. Bulbs are solid, as in 
the tulip, (Fig. 18, a) scaly, as in the lily, (6) and coated, as 
in the onion, (c). 
143. Some plants grow without roots, these are called air 
plants. One of this kind, suspended from the ceiling of a room, 
will grow and blossom for years. 
CHAPTER VII. 
Different kinds of Stems. 
144, Tue stem is the body of the plant. This is hard and 
woody in some plants, and soft and watery in others. The oak 
141. What are bulbous roots, and why are they most common in cold 
countries ? 
142. What is farther remarked of bulbous roots ? 
143. Are there any plants without roots? 
144. What is the stem? 
