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1 
The Development of Dodecatheon.— The development of our 
native plants has been so little studied that almost any of them is 
capable of presenting new facts. In Dodecatheon Meadia, L., I think 
I have found some new phases of development which are of sufficient 
interest to warrant my publishing them. 
Taking the plant during the last days of March we find a tuber- 
ous, shortened root-stock, / (Fig. i), bearing at its top two buds, one 
large and strong, r, the other small, b\ between these is a scar, ^, which 
indicates the position of last year's flower-stalk or scape. The smaller 
bud, b^ contains only leaves, the large, prominent one, <:, contains all 
the leaves and all the flowers of the coming spring.. These were al- 
ready evident in the fall, but they remained undeveloped during the 
wmter in order to flower the coming spring. The root-stock,/, will 
perish after flowering this year, but the continuation of it, bearing the 
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7 
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Fin. G 
leaves and flower-scape, g, of the season, will produce roots, and, at is 
summit, a continuation of its axils bearing the leaves and scape of 
«ext year. Thus it becomes evident that each growth of the root- 
