A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Bulbil, also bulblet, bulbet or bulbel: “a small bulb, usually axillary, as in Lilium bulbiferum” (Jackson); a small bulb; small bulbs that form in the leaf axils in some lilies; in some members of the Onion Family (Alliaceae), such as Allium stativum (garlic), small bulbs, or bulbils, are formed in the flower heads, taking shape as the flowers fade, or replacing the flowers entirely; (as bulbillus) “an axillary bulb with fleshy scales, which falls off its parent spontaneously, and propagates it” (Lindley); “deciduous leaf-buds capable of developing into a new bion or brood-bud, in Archegoniatae” (Jackson); “a small bulb; a bulb-like body, especially one borne upon the stem” (Fernald 1950); (stem structural type) bulb: a short, erect, underground stem surrounded by fleshy leaves) (Radford, et al.); s small bulb or bulblike body produced on above-ground parts” (Radford, et al.); see pseudobulbil:

- [Monorchis] Monorchidis nomine hanc plantam insignivimus, quod unico tantum constet bulbulo, seu testiculo, ‘monos’ enim apud Graecos est solus; ‘orchis’ vero testiculum denotat (Mich.), we [i.e. I] have distinguished this plant by the name of “Monorchis,” because it may consist only of a single bulbule [i.e. bulblet], or testicle, for ‘monos’ is among the Greeks ‘solus’ [= L. only alone, single; the sole] but in fact ‘orchis’ indicates a testicle.

(in mosses) a small, bulb-shaped, deciduous bud developing in the leaf axils or on the rhizoids, axillary propagulum or rhizoidal gemma, serving in vegetative reproduction, vegetative propagule; bulblet; see brood-body, tuber.

(in fungi) “in some fungi applied to small pluricellular bodies incapable of germination” (Jackson); “a small sclerotium-like structure made up of a small number of cells” (Ainsworth & Bisby); (in fungi) “a small sclerotium formed of a few layers of cells; bulbils are often present in large numbers (Eidam, 1883)” (S&D):

bulbilus,-i (or bulbillus,-i) (s.m.II), abl.sg. bulbilo, nom.pl. bulbili, acc. pl. bulbilos, dat. & abl. pl. bulbilis; bulbulus,-i (s.m.II), abl. pl. bulbulis [> L. dim. bulbus,-i (s.m.II), bulb]; see prolifer,-fera,-ferum (adj.A); see bulb;

- caulis in axilliis foliorum superiorum bulbillis magnis viridibus vel brunneis praeditus, stem in axils of upper leaves with bulbils large green or brown provided.

- umbella bulbillis carens, umbel lacking bulbils (Stearn).

- bulbus ovoideus 12-15 lineae crassus prolifer, bulbilis copiosis sub tunicis inclusis et bulbulis foliiferis liberis circumdatus, bulb globose 12-15 lines (3-4 cm.) thick proliferous, with bulbils abounding under the tunics enclosed and by bulblets leaf-bearing free surrounded (Stearn).

- apicibus bulbillis carentibus aut si praesentibus (in speciebus duabus) prope basin pinnarum locatis, with the apices lacking bulbils or if present (in two species) located near the base of the pinnae.

- [moss] Br. conico Hsch. e descript. auctoris peraffine, sed bulbillis descriptis et theca ovoidea haud cylindrica differre videtur (C. Mueller), very close to Bryum conicum, according to the description of the author, but it appears to differ by the bulbils described and the ovoid theca scarcely cylindric.

- [moss] theca breviore et bulbillis in axillis foliorum numerosis (C. Mueller), with the theca shorter and bulbils numerous in the axils of the leaves.

- [Bryum bulbillosum; moss] nonnulli ramuli et caulis fertilis ex axillis foliorum superiorum bulbillos confertos obovatos dein purpurascentes tenerrimos gerentes (C. Mueller), some branches and the fertile stem bearing from the axils crowded obovate finally purplish, very delicate bulbils.

- [fungus] stipes deorsum incrassatus bulbillo quasi inniti videtur (S&A), the stipe thickened toward the base appearing as if to end in a bulbil.

- [fungus] pili nunc solitarii, nunc 2 — 3 — 4 e bulbillo uno fasciculati (S&A), the hairs sometimes solitary, sometimes fasciculate 2-3-4 from one bulbil.

- [fungus] at porro varia folia sicca (querna, faginea, betulina etc.) setularum visum fugientium, bulbillo tecto (an sphaerulae?) innatarum gregibus saepenumero horrent (S&A), and in addition, on many occasions, they roughen various dry leaves (oaken, beechen, betuline [i.e. birches])in swarms of the appearance of fugitive [i.e. ephemeral] small bristles], borne on the apices with a concealed bulbil (perhaps a sphaerule?).

Annulus,-i (s.m.II): (in fungi)in Papulaspora, the ring of cells around a bulbil (S&D).

Bacillus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. bacillo: “(obsol.) the little bulbs found on the inflorescence of some plants” (Lindley).

Bulbel: “a small bulb produced from the base of a larger bulb” (Radford et al.).

Bulblet: “a small bulb, irrespective of origin” (Radford et al.).

bulbille (in fungi) a term used by Kowalski (1965) for an aborted ‘perithecium’ in Melanospora (S&D).

Bulbule = “Bulbil (Crozier)” (Jackson).

Orygoma,-atis (s.n.II), abl. sg. orygomate: (as origoma,-atis (s.n.II)) “(obsol.) the cup of a Marchantia [liverwort], containing its propagating bulbils” (Lindley); (as orygoma,-atis (s.n.II) “Necker’s term for the cup of a Marchantia, containing gemmae” (Jackson) [> Gk. orygma,-atis (s.n.II), a ditch or pit]; see gemma-cup.

NOTE: viviparus,-a,-um (adj.A): viviparous, freely producing asexual propagating parts, as bulblets in the inflorescence; see asexual.