Alberto Castillo wrote The same purpose, a protected ovary in >Sternbergia >Haylockia >Biarum >Saniella >Apodolirion >Gethyllis >Empodium >Crocus >Galaxia >Colchicum and relatives I haven't seen Sternbergia actually bury the capsule the way Asphodelus acaulis does, but the scape does bend over and lay the capsule on the ground. Crocus and Colchicum capsules remain below the soil surface, or mostly so, until ready to dehisce (when the capsule releases the seeds). Then in Crocus, the capsule often pops above the surface very quickly (I wonder what the mechanism is?) to a couple of centimeters high in some species. Crocus seeds appear to be carried off by ants. Another odd characteristic of some bulbs that must be an adaptation to avoid grazing animals is that some Fritillaria species keep the scape (flowering stem) almost horizontal until right before the flowers open; then it straightens up to where the bees will notice it more, I suppose. It remains erect while the seed ripens; the seeds are probably wind-dispersed. Bulbs, you can see, are interesting even when not in flower. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA