390 Cooke and Schively on Observations on the 
young apex has been placed laterally, so as to give a true 
apo-geotropic growth. As it elongates, it keeps on differ- 
entiating in two distinct regions. The upper region develops 
numerous bracts, in whose axils flower-rudiments appear. 
In this region the bundles become steadily more regular and 
definite in arrangement. It finally bcomes the aerial stem 
of the mature plant. 
The lower part, with its irregular bundles and emerging 
roots, becomes the tuber of the mature plant. The haus- 
torial organ keeps growing in length mostly, pushing on 
through the tissues of the parasite and ramifying in all 
directions through the tuber. In the mature plant it is 
confined to the lower region of the tuber. The divisions 
and branchings of this organ keep increasing till finally 
there is produced the complicated, almost unintelligible 
structure of the mature haustorial connection of Epiphegus. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
1. Epiphegus Virgimiana is a plant that illustrates in its 
various structures degeneration due to parasitic habits. 
2. All evidence shows that it is parasitic only on roots of 
the beech-tree, and that it is annual in duration. 
3. Seedling tubers appear in June, and steadily develop 
till August-October. 
4. The vegetative part of the plant is the subterranean 
or semisubterranean tuber, the aerial portion and at times 
subterranean shoots from the tuber are reproductive. 
5. Two distinct floral types—that are connected by trans- 
ition forms—are observed, viz., the chasmogamic and the 
cleistogamic. Of these the cleistogamic is the commoner, 
and may alone occur on many plants. 
6. Flowers of each type are confined to distinct areas of a 
plant. Chasmogamic flowers do not extend to the termina- 
tion of branches, but beyond them are cleistogamic ones. 
(Gray, also Britten and Brown, leave it to be inferred that 
chasmogamic flowers are in the uppermost part.) 
