184 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [SEPTEMBER 
much in its aerial organs and even in its germination, diffes 
considerably in the development of its underground organs 
Lacinaria squarrosa has an underground roundish tuber about 3* 
high with four lateral swellings, a partition that seems to cont 
spond to the tetrarchic arrangement of the vascular bundle is 
the primary root. I am not able to say, however, whether the 
tuber is formed only by the basal portion of the primary 100! 
or whether the hypocotyl also or the stem take part in it, & 
all events, the terminal portion of the main root does not pet 
sist, but is replaced by new lateral roots starting from the tubet 
Those roots originate in the older plant in four groups of from 
five to fifteen situated on the four swellings of the tuber (jf 
L3)i They break out from the tuber all at once in the latter pat | 
of April at the time when the first leaves appear. They 
white, soft, somewhat thickened in their basal portion 0% 
extent of 2 or 3°, attaining here a diameter of 2™ and tape 
ing very rapidly to a diameter of only 0.5™™. They grow sie : 
beginning almost vertically downwards, reach about 5° . 
length, and form very thin branches of the first and secot® 
orders, with numerous long root-hairs. The thickened portios 
of the root consists at the beginning mostly of soft, thin- 
tissue and is contractile, exhibiting according to My meas : 
ments in the culture case a shortening of 6-10 pet em ee 
a space of 5™". The whole root probably never shortens | 
than from 2 to 4™™, The contraction ceases after four " ; 
weeks of growth of the root, and during this time the pe 
istic wavy foldings in the walls of the endodermis and = ‘ad 
make their appearance. Later the root becomes ye BS 
on account of the development of thick-walled cells mee : 
tral axis. At the beginning of October, when the ie ig 
and the aerial shoots begin to die, the roots perish, am oe 6 
winter there are no living roots on the plant. In old s noe 
of Lacinaria squarrosa the roots probably cannot progae | 
ment of the tuber, while in younger plants it possibly tae 
pen. But they help apparently to hold the plant in a 
strain hey exert. This contrivance seems to be 1° 
