A STRIKING REPRODUCTIVE HABIT 



Albert A. Hansen 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



IT HAS long been refcognized that 

 external factors largely influence 

 variation in the reproductive organs 

 of plants, especially influencing vege- 

 tative methods of reproduction. 



Data concerning such influences, es- 

 pecially as to just what the external 

 factors are and to what extent such 

 influences are felt, are as yet largely 

 unacciimulated. 



Without attempting to explain the 

 phenomenon illustrated in the accom- 

 panying picture (Fig. 23), the mere 

 facts of the case will be presented. 



The plant, an Easter lily, Liliuni 

 longiflonim, var. eximium, was cast under 

 the greenhouse bench into a dark situa- 

 tion immediately after the flowering 

 stage was terminated. The environ- 

 ment was warm and dry. In a short 

 time the main axis of the plant developed 

 the interesting set of bulb-like structures 

 noted in the illustration. 



In order to ascertain if the character 

 was hereditary, the "bulbs" were re- 

 Tioved and planted. They grew readily, 

 forming perfectly normal plants, devoid 

 of the unusual "bulbs" possessed by the 

 parent. The experiment was carried 

 no further. The phenomenon was prob- 

 ably due to existing external conditions 

 rather than to inherent or internal 

 causes. 



In this connection, however, it should 

 be remembered that the Easter lily is 

 one of a group of plants many members 

 of which are noted for their bulb produc- 

 ing propensities, such as the onion, 

 Allium sepium, and for bulbil producing 

 tendencies, as the wild garlic, Allium 

 canadense, and the tiger lily, Lilium 

 tigrinum. In the case of the latter, 

 numerous bulbils are formed along the 

 stem, somewhat similar to the "bulbs" 

 noted in the Easter lily. Each axil of 

 the sessile foliage leaves of the tiger lily 

 ma}^ form a bulbil and each bulbil may 

 fall to the ground and form a new plant. 



The situation in the wild garlic is 

 particularly interesting; here flowers and 

 bulbils are formed promiscuously on the 

 same head. 



The bulb-like structures formed on 

 the Easter lily may have been due to the 

 formation of adventitious buds or to the 

 enlarging of dormant buds, though the 

 structures were rather large to be classi- 

 fied as buds. 



In general, it might be said that dry 

 conditions are inclined to favor the pro- 

 duction of specialized organs such as the 

 lily "bulbs" here considered, though, of 

 course, there are many exceptions to 

 this statement. This interesting plant 

 was found in the botanical greenhouse of 

 the Pennsylvania State College. 



Decline of Birth Rate in Hungary 



Although many warring nations have 

 ceased to publish their vital statistics, 

 Hungary is still making regular returns. 

 A Budapest newspaper is quoted as 

 saying that in February, 1917, the 

 number of deaths in Hungary ex- 

 ceeded by 13,000 the number of births. 

 Among civilians alone, it is stated that 



in the third year of the war the nimiber 

 of deaths exceeded the number of 

 births by 130,000. Hungarian vital 

 statistics have in the past had an excel- 

 lent reputation for accuracy, but news- 

 paper reports at present must natu- 

 rally be taken with caution, until 

 properly substantiated. 



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