120 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 
tracting of relatively uninjured root-systems a more tedious 
undertaking than I had expected, and this was due to the 
peculiarity of soil conditions in connection with the plant. To 
liberate root-systems of Cryptophila ». from the interwoven 
tangle of surface roots and rootlets of various herbaceous, 
exceptions, the soil consists of a compact fine sandy loam. 
should naturally represent its difficulties. Contrary to my 
expectation, however, I found the soil in close contact with 
the roots of Cryptophila p. and the interwoven tangle to be a 
clayey loam instead of sandy loam, fine-grained and sticky 
when moist, pulverulent when dry. Further investigations 
proved that this peculiarity* is a general feature and that 
the kind of soil is provided by extremely scant deposits not 
discernible in a general survey of the soil surface. Occasion- 
ally the roots are found growing in a mixture of clayey and 
sandy loam. 
The season of the plant extends from the fall of the one to 
the summer of the next year, and is autumno-hyemal with 
reference to appearence of scapes and their full development, 
vernal with regard to anthesis, and aestival as to ripening of 
fruit. The earliest date recorded of scapes observed above 
eround is September 12th. This, however, like those cases 
where full-grown scapes were found in October or the early 
part of November are to be considered exceptions to the 
general rule. It is noteworthy, however, that the scapes of 
the colony of the variety Knapkei, discovered in March 1910 
and under observation for some years, always appeared as 
early as the later part of September, while on the other hand, 
the first flowers always opened as late as the middle of April. 
* The discovery of this soil-pecularity at first led to wrong conclusions 
concerning the real habitat of the plant. Characteristic of the locality 
-are, (or better were) small areas of the upland; shallow depressions 
with insufficient drainage and inundated during parts of the year. 
Here the soil is a similar clayey loam. As the areas are small there 
is no marked interruption in the general physiognomy of the xerophile 
upland forest. But the difference shown by the undergrowth is remark- 
able because, decidedly mesophile, or rather semipaludial. Since then 
experience proved that the xerophile forest is the true habitat of 
Cryptophila, and it has never been found in places like those just re- 
ferred to, not even occasionally, - x 
