454 Fr. J. Mathiesen. 



Lit.: Lange, 1880, p. 78; 1887, 262; Kjellman, 1882 (I), p. 257; 

 1882 (IV), p. 611; Rosenvinge, 1892, p. 687; Eastwood, 1902, p. 288; 

 SiMMONS, 1906, p. 26; 1913, pp. 125 and 139. 



A sympodial hemicryptophyte of the rosette-type, which 

 spreads by means of slender runners. The ruimers bear small 

 scale-leaves and, rather scantily, adventitious roots, which 

 are given olT at the nodes; on some of the roots haustoria 

 were found. 



The length of the vegetative period of the innovation- 

 shoot varies from 1 to 4 years; during the first year of 

 growth it develops at its apex either a winter-bud only, 

 or it first forms a small rosette of 2 — 4 leaves. In one single 

 case I found the shoot already flowering in the following 

 year, but as a rule a rosette of foliage-leaves is formed in 

 one, two, (which appears to be the most common), or three 

 more years. The flower-bearing axis is terminal, as much 

 as 9 cm high, most frequently quite leafless, rarely with 

 1 — 2 foHage-leaves; at its apex it bears 2 — 6 flowers in a 

 capitate raceme; some fresh leaves are always found at its 

 base, since the shoot, also in the year in which it flowers, 

 begins the year's growth by the development of a small rosette 

 of foliage-leaves. The winter-buds are protected by scale-leaves. 



In that part of the shoots where the leaf-rosettes are 

 developed, branching seldom takes place; the new shoots 

 arise most frequently from the portion of the runner imme- 

 diately below the rosettes, or from the part of it, where 

 it turns upwards. The runners are as much as 2 mm thick; 

 liow long they may become, I am not prepared to state, 

 owing to the scantiness of the material, which would illu- 

 strate this point; several runners measured 3 — 4 cm. Some- 

 times they may be quite short, or a runner-like portion is 

 entirely lacking at the base of the innovation-shoot, so that 

 several flowering shoots may occur close toget her. 



