70 NA T U RE-STUD Y RE VIE W i 15 :2— Feb., 1919 



The leaves vary in size from J^-24 cm. They are thick, fleshy 

 and green. They are variously lobed. It has been said that the 

 leaves show a youthful and an adult stage with all stages in 

 between.* In the very young foliage leaves of the first, second and 

 third years there is little or no lobing, but as the plant becomes 

 older the leaf shows three, five, seven, nine and occasionally 

 older plants eleven lobes. The accompanying drawings show the 

 difference in lobing (Figs. 6 and 7). In order to discover, if the 

 weight and Isngth of the rhizome had any effect on the leaf lobing 

 I weighed and measured twenty-seven rhizomes. I found the 

 weights varied almost directly with the length. I planted them in 

 order and have since observed the leaves which as, might be 

 expected showed increased lobing in the direction of increased 

 weight of the rhizome. But since the length and weight of the 

 rhizome depend directly on the age, the lobing of the leaf depends 

 on the age of the plant. Leaves arising from buds of different age 

 vary in lobing according to the age of the bud and not according 

 to the age of the rhizome. Hence two leaves from two different 

 buds of different age on the same rhizome may show entirely 

 different lobing (Figs. 6 and 7). 



THE ECOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



We usually think of Blood Root growing on shady slopes of 

 woods where the soil is a rich loam, with a neutral or slightly 

 alkaline reaction, and the drainage rather complete. Blood Root 

 does customarily abound in such places, but these conditions are 

 not requisite. Instead of a drained loamy soil I have found several 

 plants of Blood Root growing among Skunk Cabbage in a sandy 

 loam, which was only ten or twelve feet from a rapid little stream 

 and on a level with it. Although we mofe usually find Blood Root 

 where there are few rocks and large roots, I found it growing 

 thickly on a slope rising from the banks of the Neshaminy in a 

 region where the top soil is largely disintegrated shale, the rocks of 

 which range in size from very small to those othe size of one's hand. 

 The roots too are large since there is a close stand of the larger trees. 

 The disintegrated rock mass is loosely piled together, and here we 



*Consult the paper by Dr. John W. Harshberger, " Juvenile and Adult Forms 

 of the Blood Root," which appeared in May, 1903, in The Plant World, Vol. 

 VI, No. 5. 



For reference to this paper and to general help in the preparation of this 

 thesis, I am indebted to Dr, Harshberger. 



