OUR AMPHIBIOUS PERSICARIAS 23 
The, conditions under which these plants grew were exactly 
the same although in the first case the plant was found over one 
hundred yards from the river bank. The specimen from the 
bottoms grew on a rather high sandy and stony bank which rose 
precipitously a few metres beyond up to Willamette Boulevard to 
the height of over one hundred feet. 
The other plant was found in the aquatic stage high on dry 
land at the considerable distance from shore mentioned. The 
stem devoid of any leaves except a few aquatic glabrous pale green 
ones at the end of the branches, were spread promisciously over 
old water washed weathered logs, tin cans, and rocks. The stems 
were several metres long and all could be traced to a number of 
rootstocks in the sand. From the place where the aquatic phase 
grew there appeared also short hirsute shoots with rough green 
leaves, and broad spreading borders to their ochreae. These 
came from the same rootstock from which the long stringy aquatic 
shoots appeared, and yet were totally diffeeent in appearance. 
One of the shoots was distinct aquatic without the least trace of 
pubescence, the other sterile terrestrial shoots densely covered 
all over leaves, stem and ochrea with long spreading hairs. The 
plant in the other locality showed essentially the same characters. 
The aquatic phases only bore at the ends of the long branches a 
short spike of rose-colored flowers arising from the three or four 
leaves. Both plant groups were growing from a point several 
decimetres below the line at which Marsilia vestita grew abundantly 
and in fruit. Beyond this and sometimes lower down the sand 
was in the moist places near springs of surface water covered with 
mats of Lysimachia Nummularia, and a little higher up beyond 
the reach of water even in the rainy season began the terrestrial 
flora, conspicuous among which were several species of Oregon 
Grape (Odostemon nervosum and Odostemon Aqutfolium) and 
some species of roses. 
On studying the conditions of the habitat of the Persicaria it 
“was soon evident how both phases were present at once, and 
why, strangest of all, the aquatic form was growing high and dry 
on the shore. No aquatic plants whatever were found in the water 
anywhere at this time. 
It seems that the Willamette River annually rises during the 
rainy winter and spring seasons, the water often subsiding to the 
lowest mark until July or even later. During this period all 
