•J^ NOTE and COMMENT fe 



Abnormal Growth of Poison Ivy. — One normally 

 expects the poison iwy {RJms radicans) in' the northern part 

 of Michigan to occur as a small shrubby plant, seldom ex- 

 ceeding a foot in height. The climbing form is apparently 

 absent. The nearest approach to it was discovered on July 

 28, 1922, along an open roadway close to Temperance Point 

 at the extreme northwestern part of the lower peninsula. 

 Here on the sandy ridges bordering Lake Michigan there 

 are many of the ordinary shrubby plants of RIiiis, but in one 

 place along a roadway three plants had started to grow the 

 long stem; differing, however, from normal in that this stem 

 went thru vegetation rather than climbing up it. There 

 were trees of white cedar ( Thuja uccidcntalis) available, 

 but, altho one passed a <^Tunk of Thuja and had aerial roots 

 attached to it, the direction of growth was paralled with the 

 ground. Continuing thru a thicket of Thuja seedlings these 

 stems of Rhus remained approximately in the centers of the 

 plants out to the edge of the thicket. There the stem 

 dropt to the surface of t!ie ground and proceeded. In so 

 doing, it grew thru a meadow and out into a boggy beach 

 pool where Rynchospora was particularly abundant. At the 

 time of observation the outermost part of the plant was 

 actually on water soaked ground, altho at no place under- 

 neath the surface of the water. Apparently, however, it was 

 growing with normal vigor and ordinary leaves and flowers 



