MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 91 
Until within a few weeks of reaching their fullest growth 
both the shoots and leaves were perfectly white, recalling the 
well-known Indian-pipe both as to color and texture. Near 
the end, however, both shoots and leaves started to turn green, 
at first very faintly but increasing rapidly until just before 
the final wilting all of the shoots had turned a pale green. 
The tips showed a more pronounced color than the lower or 
older portions. Plate 24 gives a good idea of the general 
appearance of the shoots and the burl at the time that the 
shoots had practically completed their growth. 
White or albino redwood growths were first described by 
Peirce (Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 3rd Series, Vol. 2, page 83, 
1901) in an article entitled ‘‘Studies of the Coast Redwood.”’ 
Peirce found some white shoots in a grove of redwood near 
Gilray, California, and later at other points in the state. 
He described them in detail, including microscopical descrip- 
tions of leaf and stem sections. He makes no mention of 
shoots from pieces of wood or bark as described above, all 
his cases apparently having been shoots from roots of stumps 
of trees recently felled. 
Several years ago white shoots growing from chips of 
redwood wood and bark in a canon near Carmel, California, 
were brought to the writer. These were kept alive for sev- 
eral months, but no roots formed. Recently several cases of 
redwood shoots have been noted. A writer in the Florists’ 
Exchange (May 5, 1923) refers to redwood shoots growing 
from knots in the greenhouses of F. R. Pierson, at Tarry- 
town, New Jersey. An eastern dealer advertises what is 
obviously the same thing, calling it ‘‘Unique Sugi-Kahn.’’ 
During the past winter pieces of freshly cut redwood bark 
with a small piece of the wood still attached were placed in 
shallow dishes with water but in no case did any of the shoots 
develop. That shoot formation does take place from ordinary 
bark as well as from the bark of burls was demonstrated by 
the Carmel specimens. The shoots grew from dormant buds 
and derived their food supply from the burl during the 
growth period of the tree. Peirce likens these shoots to 
parasites because they develop no food supply of their own. 
Naturally the greatest interest attaches to the white color, 
that is, the absence of green chlorophyll in the stems and 
leaves. Peirce, after an extended study, believes that the 
reason the white shoots are devoid of chlorophyll ‘‘is that the 
