AND ITS DIFFERENT KINDS.

91

Sicily to England, by my friend Mr. W. Swainson.Orchis albida having, as mentioned above, somany pair of roots, the growth of some of whichis always going on, has hitherto not been foundto survive transplantation at all.

Iris tuherosa, Sm. FI. Grcec. Sibth . t. 41, has aroot very analogous to those just described, but1.jlorcntina and I. germanica,t. 39 and 40 of thesame work, have more properly creeping roots,though so thick and fleshy in their substance, andso slow in their progress, that they are generallydenominated tuberous.

G. Radix bulbosa. A Bulbous Root, properly socalled, is either solid,/ 1 . 13, as in Crocus, Ixia,Gladiolus, 8c c.; tunicate,/. 14, tunicata, composedof concentric layers enveloping one another as inAllium , the Onion tribe ; or scaly,/. 15, consist-ing of fleshy scales connected only at their base,as in Lilium, the White or Orange Lily. Thetwo latter kinds have the closest analogy withleaf-buds. They are reservoirs of the vital powersof the plant, during the season when those powersare torpid or latent, and in order to perform thefunctions of roots, they first produce fibres, whichare the actual roots. The strict affinity betweenbulbs and buds appears from the scaly budsformed on the stem of the Orange Lily, Liliumbulbifcrum, which fall to the ground, and, throw-