1881.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 161 



peared no more than an "ordinary annual plant of great beauty." 

 Of course an ordinary annual growing from seed, could not push 

 through the ground at so great a depth. The vital power spent 

 in overcoming so heavy an obstruction, would lie exhausted long 

 before the growing point pushed through a foot of soil to the sur- 

 face, as observing seed growers of experience would testify. Only 

 a parasite, or bud, having an unlimited supply of food to di'aw on 

 could accomplish this feat. But the matter was settled by an- 

 other observer, Mrs. Ross Lewers, of Washoe Valley, Nevada, 

 who, together with her observations, had sent the dead spongy 

 mass from the last 3'ear's plants, which Mr. M. exhibited, and these 

 were found to have a slender pine root through the mass around 

 which the spongy mass had grown, and as it was dead, there was 

 little doubt that it had been the matrix from which the seed had 

 made its original start, and which the plant killed in the end. The 

 dead, spongy mass of pseudo-roots was larger than he had seen in 

 any other species of root parasite. Altogether it might be said 

 that Sarcodes sanguinea was an annual, germinating on small pine 

 roots, and subsequently obtaining subsistence from the earth as 

 Aphyllon. Epiphegus, &c. 



Talinum teretifolium. — Mr. Thomas Meehan remarked that 

 the point he made recentl}' in regard to Draba ve7'na, that mere 

 light alone evidentl}' failed to account for the special opening-time 

 of flowers, was confirmed by recent observations on Talinum 

 teretifolium. When preparing the chapter on tliis plant for his 

 "Native Flowers and Ferns of the United States," a few years 

 ago, he had watched plants almost daily through the whole season 

 and found that without any exception they opened at 1 P. M. and 

 closed at 2. This season he had watched them again and found 

 that though the time of opening was the same, 1 p. m., they never 

 on any occasion noted, closed at 2, but continued open sometimes 

 to half-past three or half-past four, and on one occasion were found 

 closing at half-past five. Mr. Meehan said he had endeavored to 

 associate these variations with some atmospheric changes, such as 

 heat, light, or moisture, but in no case did these endeavors prove 

 satisfactory. In the " Proceedings of the Kansas Academy of 

 Science," Professor Smyth had contributed materials for a "floral 

 clock" for Kansas, and Talinum teretifolium was set down in 

 the list as opening at 11 a. m. in that State. 



Mr. Meehan believed that the laws influencing this peculiar 

 class of motion in flowers, were completely hidden from us, and 

 that the subject ofl^ered an inviting field to the biologist. 



Mr. Redfield suggested that perhaps the age of the plants made 

 some difference in their habits. 



Mr. Meehan replied that the patch in his garden was much 

 larger now than at first, from addition through self sown seeds ; 

 but all the plants behaved precisely alike. He did not suppose 



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