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A small bulb that develops from an aerial bud. Bulbils are easily detached and function as a means of vegetative propagation. They may form from lateral buds, as in the lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), or develop in place of flowers, as in many species of Allium. Certain forms of apomixis give rise to bulbils, as seen in the lesser bulbous saxifrage (Saxifraga cernua). The term is also applied to various outgrowths formed by lower plants that become detached and develop into new plants. For example, the fern Asplenium bulbiferum produces bulbils on the upper surface of its fronds and Lycopodium selago has bulbils in the axils of the uppermost leaves.
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