144 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [AUGUST 
long, with bulbs 12 to 38™™ in diameter, and fronds 30 to go°™ long. It 
seems that they do not reach the surface the first year, but remain out of 
reach of waves, pushing rapidly up in the second season only to die when 
winter overtakes them. A growth of about 18™ in the second year, between 
the middle of March and the first of June, a period of about 70 days, re- 
quires on the average a growth of over 25° a day. The probability is 
that it is even greater, for March is cool on Puget Sound, so the growth 
would occur chiefly in the latter part of this period. In proof of this 
Fic. 1.—Nereocystis Luetkeana. 
belief is the fact that the ground was frozen during the whole week succeed- 
ing the time of observation; in fact, it was the coldest weather of the whole 
winter. Then too, another trip on May 10, 1906, but to a different bed, 
revealed none over 6™ long; so it is evident that they had 9g to 15™ ol 
stretching before them for the next month. Twenty-five centimeters 
day is about 0.175™™ per minute, which is between one-third and one 
fourth as rapid as that reported for the bamboo,’ and far above iit ol 
ordinary plants. One hardly expects prolonged rapid growth in the 
latitude of Puget Sound, but Nereocystis certainly furnishes an example 
of it. 
5 STRASBURGER eft. al., A text book of botany, English edition, 231- 1993- 
per 
