THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 99 



has produced several off-shoots from the base, each of which 

 may develop into a new plant and repeat the process. 



Returning to our sunflowers, we see that if our species of 

 the garden should be able to put out basal shoots after the 

 manner of the century plant, it would be as much of a perennial 

 as many of its relatives regarded as such, though the original 

 plant would no longer be in existence. This is exactly what 

 happens in the case of the western sunflower {Helianthus 

 occidentaUs) a species of the western plains which, after 

 flowering, sends out basal branches that travel for some dis- 

 tance just beneath the surface of the earth and finally reappear 

 forming handsome rosettes of sturdy green leaves that become 

 well established plants before the advent of winter. Here and 

 there along their course underground, the branches put forth 

 roots and these act as gatherers of food for the new plant until 

 it is entirely independent. 



There is, however, many dangers threatening any 

 plant whose leaves are above ground all winter. It would be 

 much better, apparently, to have the permanent parts below the 



HELIANTHUS GROSSE-SERRATUS 



surface. This latter method has been adopted by the rough 

 sunflower {H. scaherriimis) which sends out shorter branches 

 or runners which stop just at the surface of the earth and 

 there produce a bud-like tip and numerous roots but with no 

 leaves above ground. The hairy sunflower {H. mollis) and the 

 large-toothed sunflower {H. grosse-scrratus) have improved 

 upon this method, somewhat, by sending their subterranean 

 branches deeper into the soil where they are safe from evapora- 



