Page 34 - (DK) Flowers
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Flowers from bulbs                                                                                         WATCHING A BULB GROW



                                                                                                                  Sit a hyacinth bulb on a glass jar or vase. Fill the jar
                                                                                                                  with water and make sure that the bottom of the
       Next time you see someone slicing open an onion, ask if                                                    bulb just touches the water. Roots and leaves will
       you can have a closer look. (This might make your eyes                                                     soon appear, followed by the flower. When the flower

       water!) You will see that the onion is made up of many                                                     withers, plant the bulb in soil. This lets it make more
                                                                                                                  food reserves so it can flower again next year.
       tightly packed layers. Onions are bulbs, just like tulips
       and daffodils. Each layer of a bulb is a pantry for food.                                                 The hyacinth bulb is
                                                                                                                 packed full of food reserves.
       This food is used up as the plant grows.


                                                                                            South American giant
           When you go for a              This parrot tulip’s                               Hippeastrums (hippy-as-trums)                   Huge flowers shaped
                                                                                            grow wild in the mountain
                                                                                                                                            like trumpets
                                          frilly, curled
           walk in spring, see            petals look like a                                forests of South America.
            if you can guess              parrot’s feathers.                                However, you don’t
            which flowers                                                                   have to clamber through
            grow from bulbs.                                                                a tropical forest to see
                                         Fit for a prince                                   these giants—they will
                                         Wild tulips grow in hot
                           Daffodil      countries such as Turkey.                          flower quite happily
                                                                                            on your windowsill.
                                         Hundreds of years ago, Turkish
                                         princes grew them around their
                                         palaces. Today, many kinds of
                                         tulips are grown all over the world.

                                                                                                           Sliced open,
                                                                                                           the bulb shows
                                    Narcissus                 Hyacinth                                     many closely
                                                                                                                                            The strong, hollow stem is
                                                                                                           packed layers.
                                                                                                                                            about 30 in (75 cm) tall.
                                  Fritillary                                                                                                It holds the flower up
                                                                  Crocus
                                                                                                                                            above the leaves. Each
                                                                                                                                            stem bears between
                                                                                                                                            three and six flowers.
                                                                                                                         Roots
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